The now discontinued Camaro Z/28 was the very best Chevrolet could do with the car in terms of all out track performance. Considering the fifth-generation Camaro was based on the heavy Zeta rear-wheel-drive platform, originally developed to be a sedan, the Z/28 still managed to score the coveted Best Driver's Car award from Motor Trend in 2014. Its competition? Oh, just the typical Porsche 911 Turbo S, BMW M4 and Alfa Romeo 4C, to name just a few.

The Z/28 was also something of an experiment, sort of a test bed as to how far Chevy engineers could take things and then apply that knowledge to the now on sale sixth-gen Camaro. Speaking about this topic with Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser at Detroit last week, we learned that there were three key areas that engineers took from the Z/28 for use in the new car in terms of removing mass. They include: -Overall grip/ -Pitch movement/ -Lift and Drag Coefficient

The Z/28 is an amazing track fighter right out of the box and now that Chevy has a lighter and more rigid Camaro to work with, the next-gen Z/28 is going to be a hell of a thing. When asked about its progress, all Oppenheiser would acknowledge to us is that he and his team won't leave anyone disappointed – and that Porsche and Ford should be worried.