1970 Camaro Z28 | Ultimate Hot Wheels

1970 Camaro Z28 Apr 1, 2014 16:20:38 GMT -5

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Post by ferrari512s on Apr 1, 2014 16:20:38 GMT -5

1970 Camaro Z28

There is no denying the immense popularity of the first generation Z/28, but a very strong argument can be made that the 1970 Z28 (the slash was dropped in 1970) was a superior car.

The styling of the second generation Camaro was stunning.

The fact that it holds up so well forty years later is a tribute to the design team.

Let's stroll down memory lane with the Muscle car that defined "Chevy" for Chevrolet back in the 60's and early 70's.

The earlier Camaro Z28 versions certainly had their strong points, no question about that.

The car styling, handling and all the other integral parts that made the Camaro automobile an icon was impressive.

However, the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 was simply the best all-around Z28 ever built.

It was a muscle car that had come into its own.

Overall, 1970 was the height of the original muscle cars.

Competition was fierce among manufacturers, and outside regulatory forces hadn’t affected performance yet.

The second gen Camaro was more its own car since it didn’t have to share components with the Chevy II.

This gave the designers more latitude.

The handsome new split bumper styling on Rally Sport models highlighted an already excellent design.

Camaro kept its 108-inch wheelbase this year, but otherwise underwent wholesale change with a new coupe body that was an instant classic.

The Z28 returned as a $573 package, the heart of which was a new engine.

Trans Am racing now allowed destroking to achieve 305 cid, so the Z28 appropriated the Corvette's 350-cid LT1 V-8 as its sole power-plant.

A timeless small block, the LT1 had solid lifters, a hot cam, big valves, aluminum pistons, 11.0:1 compression, and a 780-cfm Holley four-barrel.

It was rated at 370 bhp in the 'Vette and 360 in the Z28.

The new Z28 engine was Corvette's exhilarating solid-lifter 350-cid four-barrel.

A $206 Hurst-shifted Muncie four-speed and $44 Positraction 3.73:1 gears (with 4.10:1 available) were mandatory extras.

And, there was now enough low-end torque for Chevy to offer the Z28's first automatic-transmission option.

Suspension advances made all '70 Camaros good handlers and the Z28, with firmer underpinnings and sticky Polyglas F60xl5s, was a world-class road car.

Hood and decklid striping, black grille, and seven-inch-wide mag-type steel wheels with polished lugs were part of the package.

A rear spoiler was standard, but the air-induction hood was dropped.

As before, the Z28 could be combined with the Rally Sport package, which this year went for $169 and included a unique nose treatment with a soft Endura grille surround and chrome bumperettes.

Instrument positioning was improved, though a tach was part of the optional $84 gauge group.

The Z28 had definitely matured and found an audience.

If it had lost some of its predecessors' juvenile zeal, it surpassed them in acceleration, balance, and refinement.

Car and Driver called the '70 "an automobile of uncommon merit... a car of brilliant performance...."

A nice 1970 Z28 is more difficult to find than the ubiquitous 1969 Z/28.

The shortened 1970 model year (and extended 1969 run) meant that only 8,733 Zs were sold, compared to the prodigious 20,302 1969 output.

1970 was the first time a Turbo Hydra-Matic could be ordered with a Z28.

That should have increased sales, so we feel the difference between the two years was as much about availability as popularity.

The nature of the Z28 changed from the first gen cars largely due to the new 360hp 350ci engine.

This engine was essentially the same as the legendary Corvette LT1.

The high-revving 1967-69 Z/28 302ci small-block was designed for Trans Am racing, but rule changes allowed destroking larger displacement engines to the 305-inch limit.

Therefore, the less tractable 302 was no longer necessary.

The 1970 Z28 engine was better suited to daily driving, and it still had plenty of performance.

The new Z28 was a better all-around car than the less sophisticated first generation models.

After pocketing Trans Am titles in '68 and '69, race Z28s finished poorly in '70, while showroom versions would lose horsepower after this year, beginning a long performance decline.

The incomparable '70, then, was an apt exclamation point to the Z28's muscle years.

Gallery of 1970 Camaro Z28

Sources
musclecars.howstuffworks.com/classic-muscle-cars/1970-chevrolet-camaro-z28.htm
www.autotraderclassics.com/car-article/1970+Camaro+Z28-71327.xhtml

1970 Camaro Z28 Models and Diecast

Hot Wheels also released the 1960 Camaro Z28 in a die-cast 1:64 scale model.