Red 88 Shelby Z Daytona
Blue 88 Shelby Z Daytona
Teal Green 94 Camaro Z28
Click the hotlinks below for more on each vehicle
How's this for a tight engine bay?
The Wild Child: 2000 Camaro SS Convertible : 13.5@107, STOCK!
As much as I love the turbocharged, intercooled 2.2
Dodge cars, I have to say that there is in fact no replacement for displacement.
My Z28 runs the quarter in 13.97 to 14.02 at 97 to 102 mph, stone cold
stock off the factory floor. Add a K&N cold air induction, good tires,
and a little help from Ed Wright's programming, and you will easily be
in the mid to high 13s. Add headers and a free flowing cat and exhaust,
and low 13s are yours. 11s and 12s... well, then it gets expensive! Did
I mention that car is an automatic???
It's also dead consistent, running within a couple
hundredths every time. Two dial-in runs, and you can predict the ET well
enough to run brackets really well.
And for sheer insanity, take the 2000 Camaro SS Convertible for a spin with the top down. 325 horsepower, 400 pounds of torque, STONE FACTORY STOCK, good for high 12s, low 13s with drag tires. The LS1 engine is BAD to the BONE, and the 6 speed is a dream, with that much power behind it. Oh, yeah... but don't take it to the track without stopping at the fabrication shop, since it's not NHRA legal without a roll cage. Stock, it's well under the 14.00 legal without a cage for convertibles.
However... that said... the turbo cars are a whole lot cheaper to make faster. For example, if you want to go to Lingenfelter, they'll build you a 440 hp 383... for only about 16 grand! Oh... and you do have to give them your old LT1...
Another thing to point out is that the Camaro is miserable
in slippery conditions. At least with the Daytona, if I keep my foot out
of the boost, I can drive it in any conditions. Good tires would help...
They do. I got the Eagle F1 GS tires... all I can
say is, good tires make a world of difference. The launch is not any better,
but cornering is now fun, not scary, and rain is far less miserable.
The latest tires, Kumho Ecsta Supra 712s, are even
better in the wet, and great dry, and also cost far less than the Eagles.
I still feel safer in the turbo cars in the rain tho...
2001/2002: Huge handling improvements can be had in
a Camaro with just a little alignment adjustment. Got the front set to
autocross specs, nearly max negative camber and a good bit of positive
caster, and cornering improved GREATLY.
So, when all is said and done, I like fast, fun cars, and both the Daytona Shelby Z and the Camaro Z28 are fast and loads of fun. The Camaro is nice for finding a race and is awesomely fast... but the Daytona is a blast to drive at all times, and is perfectly capable of surprising the living daylights out of an unsuspecting Honda, or even better, a Mustang... with mods, the Daytona can even suprise unmodified Vettes. The SS is an over-the-top wild blast, and I NEVER get out of it without a truly stupid grin.
The whole point of my cars for me is to have fun, and these cars deliver!