The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Looks Awesome Because it is Awesome

General Motors recently offered up a short press release highlighting the aerodynamic mastery that is the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and while the vast majority of the automotive world is focused on the upcoming debut of the 2015 Ford Mustang – we thought that it would be nice to reflect on one of the other Detroit muscle cars.

In the history of the automotive, there have been a great many vehicles that sported stunning good looks like those seen on the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 but the aesthetics of many of those vehicles didn’t always translate to ideal properties for high-performance situations – a problem not experienced by the new Z/28. While General Motors obviously made a bunch of changes to the 2014 Camaro SS when designing the newest car to wear the Z/28 badge, they made all of those alterations with ideal aerodynamic and engine cooling properties in mind. The result is a street-legal Camaro that offers similar high-speed downforce attributes to those displayed by the best race cars in the world.

There are five main components that contribute to the incredible aerodynamics of the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 including the front splitter, the unique rear spoiler, the functional hood extractor vent, unique rockers with wheelhouse extensions and front tire air deflectors and the undercar belly pan.

-The front splitter not only makes the Camaro Z/28 look great but it also provides a ton of downforce to improve the cornering ability and high-speed stability.

- The rear spoiler of the Camaro Z/28 has been modified from that found on the Camaro SS with a wickerbill that helps to add substantial rear end drag which, in turn, vastly reduces rear lift at high speeds.

- The hood extractor vent of the Z/28 looks cool but more importantly, this carbon fiber opening allows the air that rushes through the grille to push superheated air from around the 500+ horsepower LS7 engine to keep the motor cool over the course of a long race. Also, the heat extractor helps to improve aerodynamics by removing air that would otherwise flow under the car and cause lift at high speeds.

- The unique rocker moldings of the 2014 Camaro Z/28 further the aggressive look but more importantly, these extensions help to channel air away from the tires and in removing unwanted turbulence that is created by the air getting caught in the wheels. Also, the front wheel flares add even more downforce.

- The belly pan of the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 was modeled after similar features on some of the world’s best-performing cars and thanks to the integrated ducts in the pan, this panel helps to both improve the flow of air going under the car and improve engine cooling.

When you put all of these components together, the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 is capable of 1.08g of cornering acceleration, 1.5g of braking force and the items removed compared to the Camaro SS make this car about 300 pounds lighter. This amounts to the Z/28 being the most track-capable Camaro ever offered from the factory.

Fortunately, to help visualize the aerodynamics of the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, General Motors has offered up a small collection of slick imagery that shows how the air flows over, around and even through the new super muscle car with the help of computer generation.

This story about the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 is updated on May 18, 2018.