Callaway supercharges the Camaro Z/28

Chevrolet revealed the 2014 Camaro Z/28 to the media just weeks ago, despite its public debut 11 months ago at the New York auto show. Now Callaway Performance has announced their own version of this modern muscle classic.

The Callaway Camaro Z/28 SC652 is meant to be their most focused version of the car. SC, of course, stands for supercharger with the 652 figure in the name denoting horsepower output, Callaway making it easier to figure out their nomenclature than some other tuning houses (not going to name names). That's up from a not-too-shabby 505-hp produced by the 7.0-liter LS7 V8 engine found in the stock Z/28. Callaway has achieved this 147-hp gain in power by bolting on an Eaton TVS2300 LS7 supercharger system that first debuted on their 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 SC652. The Camaro SC652 now produces 620 lb-ft of torque, a gain of 139 lb-ft from the base Z/28.

So what does this mean for hoons looking to light up the rear tires (at the track under professional supervision)? How about a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds at 124 mph?

The entire modification package also includes a liquid-to-air intercooler, low-restriction exhaust, enlarged fuel injectors, and a high-flow intake. About the only clues on the outside of this being something more than a stock Z/28 will be some discreet Callaway badging, along with embroidered floor mats, carbon fiber injector covers, and a dash plaque, among other small details.

If you've been following this performance specialist's latest tuning efforts, then you already know that Callaway is trying to position themselves to offer hotter versions of just about every large-displacement Chevrolet car and truck, and they're betting a lot of Chevrolet's products could use a little supercharging. Actually, make that a lot of supercharging.

Callaway plans to build only 10 of these, with the package priced at $19,995 on top of the $75,695 price of a Z/28. As with most Callaway vehicles, the SC652 comes with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, with a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain service contract as an option. We have a feeling that given the relatively modest price for these upgrades, demand might exceed 10 units. And for those wishing for a milder Callaway Camaro, the company also offers the SC562 and SC582 versions of the base 2014 Camaro.

By Jay Ramey