After the introductions of the base sixth-gen Camaros and recently, the high-po ZL1s, what’s missing from Chevy’s renewed pony car range is the more extreme Z/28 replacement, and we think this is it.

To be precise, we believe that this bad-*** Camaro tester with the huge rear wing that we spied lapping the Nürburgring today is the Trans Am Camaro Z/28 that General Motors product chief Mark Reuss hinted at last year.

Chevy’s original Trans Am car from the late 1960s was a special version of the Z/28 with a unique 302 cubic inch (approx. 5.0-liters) small-block V8 developed specifically to homologate the new Camaro for SCCA’s popular Trans-Am road-racing series. Only 602 examples were built in 1967.

Speaking to Autonews last year, Reuss said that Chevy is studying a rebirth of the car. "We're looking at the original formulas of the Trans Am homologation of the Z/28," he said."Why was the 302 engine so special? So, the formula may change a little, but it still needs to be a wicked fast track car more capable maybe than the comfort- and driver-oriented models."

This narrative fits with what we’re seeing here in these spy shots, as the camouflaged prototype looks like a dialed up 2017 Camaro ZL1 with a more extreme body kit that includes front bumper corner canards and a deeper lip spoiler, a much bigger rear wing and different wheels hiding larger brake discs.

Undoubtedly, such a hardcore model would come with weight saving measures over the already lighter 2016 Camaro – the previous 5th gen Camaro Z/28 was 100 pounds (45 kilograms) lighter than the naturally aspirated Camaro SS and 300 pounds (136 kilograms) lighter than the Camaro ZL1.

What will power the next Z/28 is a big unknown at this point other than it will be a V8 engine. The previous Z/28 used a naturally-aspirated 7.0-liter LS7 V8 rated for 505hp 481 lb-ft of torque (652 Nm) which helped it record a faster Nürburgring lap than the Lexus LFA and Lamborghini Murcielago at 7:37.47. It’s very likely that Chevy will keep the Z/28 naturally-aspirated to further differentiate it from the new ZL1 that borrows the Corvette Z06’s 640hp (477 kW) and 640 lb-ft of torque (868 Nm) supercharged 6.2-liter V8 LT4.

The myth saying American cars can’t corner was busted a long time ago, with the outgoing Camaro ZL1 and its 7:41.27 lap time on the Nurburgring being the absolute proof.

The thing is, Chevrolet never left the Green Hell, as it nursed the current Camaro on the track’s unforgiving chicanes. We’ve seen the American car manufacturer developing the sixth-gen pony car on the track as the years went by, from the basic LT model all the way to the Z/28 and ZL1, but now Chevy is back on Nurburgring with the latter.

The ZL1 official presence there remains a wild guess, as Chevrolet could use it to benchmark the Z/28 – which is still being tested, and sometimes crashed – or it could test the waters for braking a new record on the circuit.

With a 6.2-litre, supercharged V8, developing 640hp (477 kW) and 640 lb-ft of torque (868 Nm), the new model outshines the outgoing ZL1 by 60hp and 84 lb-ft (114 Nm), but it also features an updated Magnetic Ride suspension, Performance Traction Management, electronic limited-slip differential, Custom Launch Control and Driver Mode Selector. And if somehow that’s not enough to demolish the 7:41.27 lap time, the car comes either with a six-speed manual transmission with active rev-matching, as well as a brand-new 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters.

According to the video description, the red ZL1 is the 10-speed, while the blue variant is equipped with the manual; moreover, both cars are reportedly louder than the Z/28.

A leaked ordering guide has revealed that the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will brutalize its rear tyres thanks to 650 hp and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque.

Uncovered by the crew at the Camaro 6 forums, the ordering guide shows that the 2017 ZL1's 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 engine boasts exactly the same horsepower and torque figures as the Corvette Z06 but is 57 hp shy of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. These numbers are 10 hp and 10 lb-ft up on what was previously reported for the ZL1.

While the Hellcat may continue to lead the muscle car horsepower game, it isn't all that usable on a race circuit. The new Camaro ZL1 by comparison has the ingredients to be more capable on a technical track thanks to higher downforce figures and a near 500 pound weight advantage.

Beyond the vehicle's engine, the new Camaro ZL1 is offered as standard with a six-speed manual with active rev-matching but can also be ordered with GM's 10-speed automatic transmission. Grip comes courtesy of 285/30ZR20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires at the front and 305/30 section shoes at the rear.

Considering how capable the new ZL1 should be on track, we can't imagine where Chevy will go with the next Z/28.

The Chevrolet Camaro has outsold the Ford Mustang in the United States for the first time in almost two years.

In September, General Motors managed to sell 6,577 examples of the Camaro, 148 more than the Ford Mustang, which has outsold Chevy's muscle car every month since November 2014, thanks to the introduction of the hugely popular sixth-gen model.

The key reason for the bump in Camaro sales is that incentives in the 2016 model jumped from $1,080 in August to a $3,340 average in September, as Chevrolet looks to sell off its current inventory before the arrival of the 2017 Camaro.

Speaking with AutoNews, Chevrolet spokesman Jim Cain said “We wanted to reduce our 2016 model year inventories ahead of the 2017 launch, so we had very good offers in the marketplace. The result was a significant increase in retail market share and a very nice reduction in our inventories on dealer lots."

The sales battle between the pair of iconic muscle cars has been particularly interesting in recent years. With the bold redesign of the fifth-gen Camaro, it managed to outsell the Mustang every year from 2010 through 2014. When the sixth-gen Mustang arrived, the tables turned and it took the crown.

Despite the Camaro's win in September, it won't outsell the Mustang for this calendar year, currently languishing behind with 54,535 sales at the end of September to the 87,258 of the Mustang.

Two test mules of the 2018 ChevroletCamaro Z/28 were recently snapped in the midst of testing in Virginia.

Pictured on the Back of the Dragon, a stunning ribbon of tarmac in Tazewell, the two cars were adorned in camouflage and fitted with covered-up wheels in a bid to hide their identity. However, there are a few tell tail signs that these are no ordinary Camaros.

For starters, one of the mules can be seen sporting a large rear wing, identical to the wing seen fitted to previous 2018 Z/28 prototypes spied in Germany earlier in the year. Additionally, both cars include bold new front splitters as well as downforce-generating canards.

It is thought that like the previous-generation Z/28, the new car will be powered by a naturally-aspirated 7.0-liter V8 engine. In order for the new car to compete with the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R, power will be increased from 505 hp to between 540 and 565 hp. A six-speed manual will of course come standard.

If the new Z/28 does indeed hit the market as a 2018 model, we can expect to see it revealed in the first half of next year.