Even the Chevy Bowtie Grille Emblem on the Camaro Z/28 is High Performance

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The engineers behind the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 looked at literally every aspect of the super muscle car – going so far as to design even the smallest details including the Bowtie emblem in the grille to yield improved performance of the most track capable Camaro of all time.

During the early stages of aerodynamic testing of the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, the team found that the Chevrolet “Bowtie” emblem on the grille displaced a surprising amount of air that would have otherwise gone straight through the grille, through the radiator and into the engine bay. Having the gold Bowtie in the middle of the grille essentially created a hot spot in the middle of the radiator while also restricting the air flow into the engine bay. It would have been sacrilegious for the most track capable Camaro of all time to not have the Bowtie on the grille so what do you do?

You engineer a new Chevy logo that allows better air flow for the 2014 Camaro Z/28 and the “Flowtie” is born.

“The Flowtie is just one example of the team’s focus on track performance,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “That same attention to detail is evident throughout the cooling systems for the LS7 engine, as well as the carbon ceramic brakes and the differential.”

The Chevy Bowtie emblem on the “normal” 2014 Camaro is a large, textured gold form with a chrome trim piece running around the border. The Bowtie badge is designed with aerodynamics in mind, but having any solid object across the grille can affect air flow – even if only by a small amount. After all, that small amount could be the difference between winning a race and losing to a car with an engine running a little cooler late in the race. The Z/28’s Flowtie has only the chrome outer edge and the middle is left open to allow 3 addition cubic meters of air to enter the engine bay each minute. This allows the engine coolant and the engine oil to both run about 2 degrees (F) cooler and that translates to more durability and more power during the rigors of road racing.

“The Camaro Z/28 has more than 190 unique parts, compared to a Camaro SS,” Oppenheiser said. “Like the Flowtie, each of these parts were changed with one objective: to deliver incredible performance on the track – not just for the first lap, but lap, after lap, after lap.”

General Motors has offered up a short video with Al Oppenheiser talking about the development of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Z/28 including the new Flowtie grille emblem. The 2014 Camaro Z/28 will arrive in dealerships and race tracks this spring.

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