GM to restrict Camaro Z28 parts to owners

GM has a vested interest in keeping a Z/28 a genuine Z/28. Its owners, we'd imagine, do, too.

Thirty-five parts on the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 will be sequestered for owners only -- if you want to build your own Z/28 "tribute car" for your devious Barrett-Jackson plans, you're straight out of luck. GM Authority's sources have released a full list of restricted parts. There's important stuff in here (differentials, brake rotors, driveshafts and seats), but the list largely comprises bodywork: plates, covers, spoilers, shields, fascias and that trick carbon-fiber hood with its slick aero tricks.

We imagine an enterprising tape-measurer with a fiberglass mold will nevertheless respond to the fervent call of the aftermarket. The nifty hollow badge upfront -- the Flowtie -- will also only be available to Z/28 owners. We hope some of them plan to tie a chain around the Flowtie and wear it around their necks.

Reactions have been mixed. On GM Authority, some lamented the fact that this would kill the "tribute car industry," decrying GM's push to force exclusivity on the market. But others understand the need to protect an owner's investment. One commenter puts it bluntly: "If you want a Z/28, work damn hard and buy one. If you're getting one used, do your homework. Lazy and stupid people will fall into the trapping of a clone."

We called up some local dealerships in Los Angeles, and none of them seemed to have received the memo yet. The parts department at Bunnin Chevrolet (motto: "Everyone's Runnin' To Bunnin!") reckoned that you'd be able to order parts the same way anyone else does. But we wondered: If you wanted to order some of these parts, do you have to show proof of Z/28 ownership?

"Yes," answered Chevrolet spokesman Monte Doran, who deals with the Camaro and Corvette. "If you show up at the dealership, you have to show proof that it is for a 2014 or 2015 Z/28." As for whether you can walk into any Chevrolet dealer and order Z/28 parts, "my assumption will be dealers authorized to work on Z/28s, either those who have gone through dealer training."

This level of restriction, extremely rare in the automotive industry, does the numbers-matching, clone-spotting obsessives a huge favor. If you spend $75,000 on the meanest, rarest, most red-blooded Camaro ever, how would you feel seeing some kid with an off-lease Camaro V6 sporting the same hood scoop and Flowtie as you? "Yeah, bro," he'd say at car shows, inching up next to your baby, "it's a clone, obviously, because c'mon, who can afford the real thing?" Well, some can, and some will (Bunnin will be getting its first example in next week, and it's still up for grabs). It'd almost be enough to make you question spending $75,000 on a Camaro in the first place.

You do get a lot of performance for that cash, however -- as we recently found out.