2021 Z28 Camaro Died on the Vine

Brand New Z28 - Nope

There was a Z28 Camaro in the making practically ready to give the Camaro world what they deserved. Unfortunately, General Motors has officially called the program off. Chevy planned to slam the 5.5-liter flat-crank naturally-aspired 600-hp Z06 engine into the Camaro and call it a Z28. There were even plans of bringing a manual option to the table since there isn't going to be a manual option for the (production delayed) Corvette Z06 due to transaxle complications. 

It may not be the end for the Camaro, but it sure seems like it's getting close. This news of the Camaro Z28 cancelation comes after other Camaro packages for 2021 were canceled, and the news of the cancelation for a 55th Anniversary Edition Camaro for 2022.

What's the problem? 

It's simple, low sales. In fact, first-quarter sales for the Camaro in 2021 were lower than they've been in a decade. Last year the Camaro didn't even sell 30,000 units, and at the rate they are selling now, it's not likely they will sell over 20,000 for '21.

Does the Camaro Suck That Bad?

Not really! Performance-wise, when lined up against its competition, they do quite well. But this proves that performance isn't everything in the sports car market. 

Most experts say the exterior styling just isn't as appealing to consumers, and the interior materials and design are not that exciting and low-quality for a better lack of words. Add that in with complaints of low visibility in the cabin and high prices, and you get a low-selling Camaro. 

What's the Future Look Like for Camaro?

Well, there is no official word as of now what will happen to the Camaro. Chevy has kept a pretty tight lip on future plans like they always do. Who can blame them? 

But one thing that everyone does know is GM is dumping all their money into their EV success, or as I call it, "keeping up with the Jones." 

It just seems to me that if there are plans on keeping the iconic Camaro around for the future, Chevy is going in the wrong direction. I think, instead of going out quietly and soft, which is the way it looks right now, why not end the Camaro with a bang. There would be a lot of Camaro fans that would love to see a last-generation Z28 Camaro with a thumping flat-crank 5.5-liter, 6-speed manual in it.   

IROC-Z Camaro: Chevrolet's 1980s Road Course Legend

 

IROC-Z Camaro History 

Back in 1984, Chevrolet wanted to produce a Camaro that would closely mimic the Camaros that were being used to race in the IROC (International Race of Championship) Racing Series. 

The good idea was pushed forward when Chevrolet signed on to be the official sponsor of the IROC Racing Series. This move gave Chevrolet permission to use the name IROC on their Camaros, which in turn spawn the birth of the road course king, "IROC-Z Camaro".

The IROC-Z Start

Starting in 1985, the new IROC-Z became available to the public and would go on to be produced as a Camaro performance option until 1990. The turn of the decade brought up the end of the licensing agreement with the IROC Racing Series. Chevrolet had other plans for the future of the Camaro and decided not to renew the sponsorship with the race series and dropped the IROC-Z from production.

For those years that the IROC-Z was in production, they became such a staple in the Camaro lineup, Chevrolet would drop the Z-28 from production for the years of '88, '89, and '90. The IROC-Z would become your primary choice if you wanted a performance-based Camaro. 

When Chevrolet halted production for the IROC-Z because of their licensing agreement end with the IROC Racing Series, they also had to drop the IROC-Z nameplate. After a few years on hiatus, the Z28 performance package was brought back for 1991.  

The IROC-Z: A Better Camaro

What mostly stood out about the IROC-Z is its 5.7-liter (350-cu.-in.) Tune-Port Injection (TPI) engine which was bigger than its sister motor, the 5.0. 

The 350 TPI came with a four-speed 700R4 automatic transmission and a special suspension package better known as the 1LE package that included: 

• 4 wheel disk brakes
• 3.42 positraction rear-end 
• An aluminum driveshaft
• Large 12" front rotors
• Aluminum calipers
• Engine oil cooler
• Gas tank baffles 
• Larger anti-roll bars
• Specially valved Delco-Bilstein shocks
• Larger diameter sway bars
• Steering/frame brace known as the "wonder bar" and
• More aggressive springs that lowed the Camaro by .05 inches.

The special Camaro would also get 16-inch rims, an upgrade from the smaller 15-inch rims, more aggressive side-skirts for the body kit, large IROC-Z decals on the doors, and special trim.

Although throughout the years the IROC-Z was released from the factory with a few different trim options and setups like t-tops, controvertible, and even a 5-speed transmission, the most common trim options are mentioned above. 

Important? It should be noted that although the 5.7-liter IROC-Z Camaros are the most common and sought-after Camaros of all the IROCs, if you're looking to buy an '85, you can find them with the bigger 5.7-liter engines, but they will not be original. In '85, they only came available with the smaller 5.0-liter engine.

Unfortunately for the IROC-Z, it was produced in a time when power was not a priority, and the horsepower and torque numbers it boasted in the mid-to-late '80s sucked in comparison to today's sports cars. But the reason why the IROC-Z is a collector car and will stay a collector car is not because of its power outputs, but because of its connection to the IROC Racing Series and its road course capabilities. 

Shopping for an IROC-Z Camaro

If you're searching for an IROC-Z, you must be careful for there are a lot of impostors out there. A lot of the exterior IROC-Z options such as the vented hood, front spoiler, and ground effects options were available for order on regular Camaros, Z28s, and can be bought as aftermarket pieces. So check the VIN numbers and do some research via. some reputable sources before you go laying down big money.

If you already own one, I would suggest saving it and passing it on to someone in your family, because in time they will be just as valuable as a Camaro from the Muscle Car era.

2022 Corvette IMSA Special Edition Stingray

2022 Corvette IMSA Special Edition

The 2022 Corvettes are pretty cool as they are, but to pay tribute to the success Chevrolet and Corvette had with the C8.R in the 2021 IMSA inaugural racing season, a special edition Corvette will be available in 2022. Corvette's C8.R and the Corvette team did exceptionally well for Chevrolet last year, winning the manufacturers', drivers', and team titles in the IMSA sportscar championship series. 

IMSA Corvette Appearance Package

The 2022 Corvette Stingray ISMA GLM Championship Edition sports/supercar comes with a unique appearance package and all the small mechanical upgrades the Corvette will receive for 2022. Unforntelty, at least I was led to believe, that Corvette was not just going to settle on the C8 the way it was, but from what we know now, not many changes are going to find their way to the 2022 Corvette. Hopefully, mid-way through 2022, talks will start getting fired up about some of the major changes that have been discussed in the past e.i. eRay LT2 AWD hybrid and single and twin-turbocharged versions of the Vette.

The IMSA Corvette Stingray appearance package will include two color combinations: Accelerate Yellow with Gray corvette racing graphics and Hypersonic Gray with yellow accents. These special Corvettes will be outfitted with the larger rear wing and mirrors crafted in Carbon Flash.

They will also include black rocker guards and splash guards, yellow brake calipers, and Black Trident wheels with "Jake" logos on the center cap. On the interior, you get a C8.R Special Edition numbered plaque along with an interior design that follows your chosen exterior look. Yellow seat belts will come with Corvette's GT2 seats, or you can opt for the competition bucket seats for the all-around racing feel and vibe. 

 

All special edition Corvettes will be sold as a 3LT model with the Z51 package, which is Corvette's highest trim. You will also get a special edition indoor car cover that matches your special edition color scheme. Expect to pay an extra $6,595 for the package along with the extra cost of the 3LT Z51 package. There will only be an official 1,000 models made, so expect for the price tag to be high and the car to be rare to find. 

What's New for the 2022 Corvette Stingray

As mentioned above, not much will be changing. Even the horsepower and torque rating will be staying the same for the 6.2-liter LT1 (490 hp and 495 torque), which is still a good number. 

According to Chief Engineer Josh Holder, the Corvette injection system will be operating at a higher pressure which will help the 6.2-liter small-block get better emissions and better stability at idle RPMs. There have also been some other changes to the enhanced "Active Fuel Management" range. 

The Corvette will now deactivate cylinders over a broader range of RPMs and in lower gears. Although the hope would be to get better EPA ratings, there has been nothing noted yet.   

The few last changes will be aerodynamic changes that probably won't be too noticeable. So if you were wondering if the C8 was going to be another long stretch of similar-looking Corvette's year-after-year like previous generations, that's the way it's looking.  

Corvette ZR-2 "Big Doggie" 455: The C4 That Could Have Been

Corvette ZR-2 "Big Doggie" 455

How do you beat a slew of Fox-Body 5.0 Mustangs that were seemingly dominated the roads in the late '80s? 

You take a 454 cu.-in. big-block engine and stuff into a C4 Corvette and call it "Big Doggie". 

"Big Doggie" ZR-2 Big-Block Corvette

I think everyone knew, by the time the C4 made its appearance in 1983 as a 1984 model, big-block enthusiast and all Corvette and sports car lovers alike knew big engines were officially going to be axed from GM's muscle/sports car line-up for a long time.

Not that there weren't plenty of signs through the 1970s that this was going to happen, but the '84 C4 clearly solidified that fact. With the absence of the Corvette in 1983 (in between the C3 and C4) some people might have been still holding out hope that there would be at least one powerful option for '84, but that was a no-go. 

The first C4 Corvette came out with a 5.7-liter Cross-Fire Injection TBI engine followed by a 5.7 Tune-Port Injection (TPI) engine later in the generation. Although Chevy called them legendary at the time, they weren't. Most people knew this, including some engineers at Corvette who wanted to build something people wanted.

Three Different Prototype C4 Corvettes with 454 cu.-in. (7.4-liter) Engines Were Built 

The project started at the GM Proving Grounds in Arizona, where Scott Leon and his crew decided to see if they could stuff a 454 cu.-in. engine in between the fenders of a C4 Corvette.   

They first started with a 1984 Corvette, and with just a few slight modifications, the big-block bolted onto the frame and in between the fenders. It was a tight fit, but one that fit nonetheless. 

Since the Corvettes by then were all using electronic fuel injection, Leon and the crew decided to go with a Tune-Port Injection setup bolted to a custom tunnel-ram manifold. Buick Grand National Injectors were used to keep fuel-flow efficient, and that was that, the first big-block was slammed into a C4 Corvette and ran super strong. 

Management Agrees to Go with a ZR-2 Prototype C4

With the success of the first built big-block C4, management started to see some promise in the idea and gave Leon and his crew a go-ahead to build a true prototype. So a 1986 Corvette 454 was born. This Corvette was built the same way as the '84 with an automatic transmission. 

  

After the second 454 C4 Corvette, Chevrolet got really serious about the idea, and a 1989 Roadster was grabbed for the final version, dub "Big Doggie". This Corvette had the Z51 performance suspension and a six-speed manual transmission. The convertible mechanism was taken out and a hard-top was bolted on to save weight, and then an orange paint job was applied. 

Although this ZR-2 could offer ZR-1 performance at about half the price, GM management was not looking to market the big-block Corvette. There were several reasons for not wanting to put the big-block Corvette into production, and one of those reasons included how much money had already been spent on marketing the ZR-1/LT5 campaign that included buying out The Lotus Group for their engineering and development satellite. 

The other reason why the ZR-2 had no chance for production is it had no chance of passing emission and fuel mileage requirements. 

Engine Specs: What is Known

This "Big Doggie" Corvette used Chevy's marine 454 short-block engine with a set of L88 aluminum heads, and although never dynoed, experts estimated horsepower at about 385, right around where the ZR-1 was at. But there was a huge difference, the big-block brought plenty more torque to the table, which also brought gas-guzzling numbers and safety worries. An all fiberglass frame with a big-block engine sent chills down the back of some uptight party-poopers.     

A New Idea for the Corvette 454 

Since GM had decided that there was no room for a big-block engine in the Corvette lineup, the next idea they came with was to make sure that all parts that were used for the ZR-2 were bolt-on parts that could be bought through the Chevrolet Performance Parts Catalog as a 454 ZR-2 swap kit. Unforantley, the idea never made it into the catalog. 

In the end, a very lucky few automotive journalists and development engineers got to drive "the C4 that could have been". And for those who did, they left no understated performance reviews. From all reports, the "Big Doggie" was super fast and super fun to drive.

1971 Corvette ZR2 

In 1971, Chevrolet offered a Corvette ZR-2 package (RPO) that offered a 454 cu.-in. LS6 engine. They also offered a ZR-1 packaged with a 350 cu.-in. engine. The way Chevrolet sold the Corvette Z-series was all power and little options. This made the cars less disable, and that caused Chevrolet to only have 8 ZR-1s and 12 ZR-2 Corvettes ordered and sold. 

This obviously means if you own one of these rare Corvettes, you might be sitting on a gold mine.  

What is the 1989 Corvette ZR-2 "Big Doggie" Worth

In June 2009, this "Big Doggie" Corvette drove across the Barrent-Jackson Auction Block - sold by General Motors - price $71,500. 

You might think that something this rare would go for more, but prototypes and concepts cars usually don't have a huge market for them. Like this 1989 Corvette ZR-2, most prototypes are sold with a No Manufacturer Statement Of Origin (MSO), no title, and only a partial VIN#, meaning you can't legally drive the "Big Doggie" on the road. 

But it would still be nice to own this 1989 beast of a Corvette ZR-2 with a big-block 454.   

   

 

2022 GMC Hummer EV Zero Emissions Truck and SUV

Zero Emissions 2022 GMC Hummer EV

Let's go back and visit a little history from the Hummer. Most people know about the Hummer because of its odd shape and style making it hard to blend in with other Trucks and SUVs on the market. 

In 1998, General Motors bought the Humvee brand from AM General, who started marketing the Humvee in 1992. Unfortunately, the Humvee wasn't very marketable and that's what GM was going to do with it - change its name, change its style, and make it a marketable automobile. 

General Motors came out with a Hummer H1, H2, and an H3 and seen some sufficient success in certain areas of the US. A lot of that success came from its pop-culture status. The Hummer's name was used in many hip-hop and rap songs as well as made appearances in many of those hip-hop and rap videos. 

Through General Motors' rough patch of bankruptcy and bailouts, the Hummer nameplate took some right turns, left turns, and eventually ended up with GMC where the idea for the "GMC Hummer EV" was born back in 2020 to be revealed as a 2022 Hummer. 

Hummer Trim Levels

• Hummer EV2

• Hummer EV2X

• Hemmer EV3X

• Edition 1  

The marketing plan GMC has for the Hummer is a little unorthodox. In 2022, they will release the most expensive version of the Hummer, the Edition 1. This trim level has all the bells and whistles and will cost you about $112,595. 

The rest of the Hummers will come out in 2023-24 ranging in price from $80,000 - $100,000. 

2022 GMC Hummer Performance

We'll stick to the Edition 1 since that is the first one that will be hitting the market. 

The Horsepower rating for the Hummer truck is 1,000 

The Horsepower rating for the Hummer SUV is 830

The Torque for both the truck and the SUV is an estimated 11,500 ft.-lb. 

Are you wondering how fast these 4.5-ton trucks and SUVs can get from 0-60 mph, well wonder no more. The Hummer EV truck will get you to 60 in about 3-seconds flat and the EV SUV can do it in about 3.5-seconds.

Hummer Features You Won't Find on Other Trucks and SUVs

Hummer Crabwalk 

This function can help you get around obstacles, make parking a little easier, and pop a few bystander's eyeballs out of their sockets. Like with most functions in the highly optioned Hummer, with a push of a button, you can activate this clever option. 

Hummer Extract Mode 

This mode is also unique to any other truck or SUV on the market. The Hummer can use its air-ride suspension to lift the Hummer up six inches in an attempt to clear dangerous obstacles or to get you out of obstacles you have come to get stuck in. 

These are amazing features for someone who likes to take on off-road challenges that are out of this world fun, complicated, and dangerous. 

Full Underbody Armor

Skid Plates and Rock Slides are put in place to help the Hummer's vital parts under the vehicle stay safe when you are traveling over the rough terrain and in the watery and muddy pathways. In fact, you can submerge your Hummer in as much as 32" of water without having one performance or flooding problem. 

13.4-Inch Touchscreen

Outboard Cameras for Interior Awareness 

The Hummer truck has 18 outboard cameras and the SUV has 17. Both Hummers have two water-proof underbody front and rear-facing cameras with self-washing systems with replaceable lens protectors. 

Hummer's 35-inch Tires

The 35-inch stock Goodyear Wrangler Territory tires are quite big, but there is an ability to upgrade from there and go up to a 37-inch tire with no aftermarket upgrades needed. 

Adaptive Ride Suspension 

The 2022 Hummer EV Adaptive Ride Control Damping suspension adjust seamlessly off-road based on shock-travel. The ride height can be adjusted 2 inches lower for better aerodynamics and 2 inches higher for better ride height.  

There is not much this suspension can't handle - it can put you in the comfort zone when driving around the city and can put you in a position to take on some of the most toughest terrains the off-road can throw at you. 

Changing Lanes with No Hands

That's right, the time has come. When we say this Hummer can do it all, we mean it. There are over 200,000 miles of compatible roads that will work with your Hummer and can do lane changing for you.

I've always believed if you can't change lanes on your own or don't want to put your hands on the steering wheel, you really shouldn't be in the driver's seat, but to each his own. 

Other Cool 2022 Hummer EV Features

The SUV will receive a power swing gate in the rear, fold-down flat rear seats for plenty of cargo room, plus cargo room under the floor in the rear cargo space. The multi-pro tailgate will come with the truck version for easy in and out access to the truck bed. 

   

The SUV will come with removable transparent sky panels, which can be easily and safely stored in the front storage space of the Hummer. 

The 800V DC fast charging Ultium batteries can charge up to 100 miles in 10 minutes. Real-world MPG is probably somewhere around 75 miles per gallon. That is actually an outstanding number when you consider the weight and the performance this Hummer has.

Unfortunately, if you don't have a DC charging station nearby, you can charge your Hummer at home with an adaptor, but charging times are considerably slower.

The Best EV Truck and SUV Ever

If you have a need for being the King of the Road and King of the off-road, then these GMC Hummer EV trucks and SUVs are right up your alley. They have everything and more that other trucks and SUVs on the market just can't compete with. 

The Hummers are pretty expensive, but think of how much gas money you will be saving as opposed to if you were driving a gas-guzzling Hummer. 

 

Largest Tire In The World: Uniroyal Tire Of Detroit

 

Largest Uniroyal Tire in the World - Detroit

In a place like the "Motor City", it stands to reason it would have a landmark that proves its dedication to the auto industry. Weighing in at 12-tons and as tall as 80-feet, this real rubber tire is designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. 

You can see this amazing piece of rubber by taking I-94 in or out of Detroit. Just off to the side of the expressway, not far from the metropolitan airport, if you miss the largest tire in the world, you must have been sleeping. 

When and Why it was Built

The Uniroyal tire was built in 1964-65 by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon, the same company that designed the Empire State Building. It was used at the New York State Fair as a Ferris Wheel to help promote the Uniroyal product. 

Shipping the Big Uniroyal Tire to Michigan

In 1965, the huge Uniroyal tire was shipped from New York to Michigan in 188 pieces by rail. It was then put together and anchored into concrete in Allen Park off of Interstate 94 in a four-month period. 

Changing the Look of the Uniroyal Tire

The huge Uniroyal tire received a makeover three different times throughout the years, once in 1994, again in 1998, and once more in 2003. All three times the makeover included either new hub caps or new lettering on the sidewalls of the tire. 

Another Largest in the World

In 1998, Uniroyal had the largest nail in the world punctured into the tire. It was an advertising campaign for Uniroyal's new run-flat tires. The nail was eventually pulled out and sold on eBay for $3,000 to a businessman to raise money for the Historical Society. Ralph Roberts was the buyer and loaned out the nail to be put on display at local events. Allen Park originally received the nail when it was first pulled out and they were hoping to get about $100,000 for it, but it wasn't something too many people had too many uses for.    

Why the Uniroyal Tire was Placed Where it's At

Although just a myth, a lot of people believe it was placed on the side of I-94 heading into Detroit to let everyone know they were entering the "Motor City". Of course, now there's really no car factory action down in Detroit, but Detroit still holds the Autorama, the North American International Auto Show, and Indy Car Race Weekend at Belle Isle. 

On top of everything else, you can't miss General Motors headquarters down in the heart of Detroit. The Renaissance Center scrapes the sky with the GM logo on it for everyone to see.   

 

1970 Buick GS Stage 2 - The Myth And The Truth

 

1970 Buick GS Stage 2 - The Myth And The Truth

The 1970 Buick GS Stage 2 was going to be produced as a predecessor to the Buick GS Stage 1. The GS Stage 1 was already one of the most-feared muscle cars in the industry and Buick was ready to double up on that fear by creating something bigger and meaner. 

Two lucky GS Stage 1 Buicks got the honor of becoming a true Buick Stage 2 prototype. One was a white GSX bought by Reynolds Buick in California, where “Pappy” Kennedy and Jim Bell (Kenne-Bell) tweaked and tested the car and all its after-market parts, and the other was a red 4-speed GS Stage 1 sent to races Doug Jones and Dave Benisek. 

Both teams of qualified high-performance Buick engineers/technicians went to work adding the performance upgrades like improved forged TRW pistons, redesigned heads, a valvetrain capable of 7000 rpm, and much more. The whole idea of the Buick Stage 2 prototype was to eventually turn the project into a production off-the-line streetable drag car that could compete in Super Stock classes at the drag strip. 

The Myth About The Stage 2

People who don’t know that much about the Buick muscle car era believe that the Buick Stage 2 was a production car. That idea is usually put in people’s heads because at car shows and race events, especially Buick events, people often have their GS Stage 1 Buicks labeled with GS Stage 2 badges.  

The Truth About The Stage 2

The truth is the badges are very easy to find and are inexpensive. This is not saying that the parts that replicate the GS Stage 2 Buick 455 cu-in motor aren’t under the hood, but the only originally GS Stage 2 Buicks that exist are the ones that were sent out by Buick to Reynolds Buick and races Doug Jones and Dave Benisek.

Although, with all the hopes and intent in the world of putting this monstrous Buick into production and on the track, Buick was forced to stop the program as stricter pending emissions standards were going to go into effect for sure and the Stage 2 upgrades and horsepower tweaks were never going to pass. 

The other reason why the program was going to be let go was that this was not going to be a Central Office Production Ordered Buick like the COPO Camaro, and street safety was becoming an issue. Government organizations like the Department of Transportation were none-to-trilled about the ability to title these drag strip-ready vehicles. 

Buying Parts To Turn Your Stage 1 Into A Stage 2   

Buick didn’t let the roadblocks get in the way of giving their raced-crazed consumers what they wanted. You could buy a GS Stage 1 Buick and easily purchase all the Stage 2 parts you needed at any Buick dealer around. So although a lot of those Stage 2 Buicks you see out there are for the most part going to be colognes, that doesn’t mean they still can’t pack the punch of the original two Stage 2 Buicks that ran the quarter-mile at a consistent and respectable 10.7s.