When Chevrolet released the Camaro Z/28 in 2013, the car took handling and on-track prowess to a place where no previous road-legal muscle car had ever been.

Not only is the Z/28 installed with a naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine delivering 500 hp, the car comes standard with a set of carbon ceramic brakes and 305/30 tyres at all four corners, the widest at the front end of any production car.

While the Z/28 has been somewhat overshadowed since the launch of the Shelby Mustang GT350R, it is still a mightily impressive performance car, as Matt Farah recently discovered through some stunning canyon roads.

When launched, the model came with a $75,000 sticker price. Nowadays, 2015 models can be found for less than $50,000, making it a relative performance bargain.

A new Camaro Z/28 is of course in the works. Based around the sixth-generation car, it is looking to again raise the track-oriented muscle car benchmark. According to reports, the 7.0-liter V8 will be maintained but bumped up to around the 550 hp mark. A selection of aerodynamic changes are also on the cards.

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