Since no one else has posted here, juut thought I'd throw ya a trivia bone.... the "5-Oh" displacement made famous by the Fox-body Mustangs in the 80's, was actually a 4.9L V8 (Ford decided to "round it up" for marketing
).
Even so, the
first 5.0L V8 was actually a 302ci V8 made by Chevy to compete in the Trans Am series, under a 305ci displacement class limit. At the time, Chevy's only real options were a 283ci V8 and a 327ci V8 (another legendary engine). To get under the 305ci limit they took the 327's block (which is nearly identical to the 350, most lately related to the 4th gen's LT1) and stuck a slightly smaller crank from the 283ci. The hybrid of both the shorter stroke and wider piston bores resulted in a 302ci V8 which cleaned up in their class to win Trans Am championships in 1968 and 1969. After GM pulled from the series, Ford finally managed to win a few years (in the 70's) before they also pulled out their factory-backed teams. :p
Chevy's 302 engine in race tune supposedly put down 400 to 500 net horsepower, but was available in 1967 Camaros with a 290hp rating. This engine was designated by RPO code ...
Z28, and it's been in the Camaro option list ever since (although it later became an option group, instead of just the engine RPO).
Here's Popular Mechanics take on it: (
http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...ro/print.phtml)
Quote:
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) had started the Trans Am series in 1966, and the Mustang had been dominating the Group II class (compacts under 116-in. wheelbase with an engine displacement limit of 305 cu.-in.).
In the early days of Trans Am, the racecars were actually based on street models, and the field included such Europeans as the Alfa Romeo Guilia and the Porsche 911. To qualify the Camaro, Chevy quietly offered an unadvertised "Special Performance Package" option in early 1967. The division produced only 602 Camaros with the new option, which featured a 290-hp 302 cu.-in. version of the small block exclusive to this package. Essential to its road racing nature, the package also included suspension upgrades.
The "special" Camaro won raves from car magazine road testers, who referred to it by the package RPO code: Z28. Responding to enthusiast demand, Chevy got behind the option package for 1968, producing 7199 Camaros with it. That year, the Camaro won the Trans Am championship, taking 10 of 13 races.
The Z28 package returned as one of the most popular option packages for the facelifted 1969 Camaro, with 19,014 built. Its $458.15 price ($506.60 after May 1) included the 302 V8 rated at 290 hp, dual exhaust with deep tone mufflers, special front and rear suspension, heavy duty radiator with a temperature controlled fan, quick-ratio steering, 15x7 Rally wheels with E70x15 white letter tires, 3.73:1 rear axle ratio and rally stripes. Ordering the Z28 option also required ordering the optional four-speed and power front disc brakes, making the final Z28 price higher.
That 290-hp rating, which seemed a bit tame compared to other Chevy performance engines of the time, has been the source of some controversy. While some sources claim actual power was closer to 400, 290 hp was probably a very honest net rating (installed in the car). A Z28-equipped Camaro was capable of a sub-15 second quarter mile performance. That's about a half-second quicker than an SS350 rated at 300 gross horsepower (gross ratings did not account for accessories and mufflers). Modified for Trans Am racing, the Chevy 302 produced an unstreetable 450 horsepower.
While geared to purists, a Z28 Camaro could still be optioned into the $4000 range.
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so there it is... the Z28 was the first 5.0 in American Musclecars.
