Chevrolet launched its track-only COPO Camaro in 2012, but this year stands out from the rest for two reasons. First, a massive big block engine option is offered for the very first time. And secondly, there are no limits to the production, so if you want a COPO, you should be able to get one. There could be more to all of this than it seems, which we’ll talk about in a moment.
Dragsters know all about COPO, but for the rest, here’s a rundown. In 1969, a few Chevrolet dealerships used the automaker’s Central Office Production Control System (COPO) to order special Camaros with options and engines you normally couldn’t get. 69 cars were built in this (and only) year, but Chevrolet has relaunched the COPO Camaro for 2012 as a dedicated turnkey drag race that’s decidedly not street legal.
For 2022, engine options now include Chevrolet’s massive 572 cubic inch (9.4 liter) V8. This is the first time this big block has graced the modern COPO Camaro, and while we’d love to tell you how much horsepower it creates, Chevy tells us an exact figure hasn’t been certified by the National Hot Rod. Association (NHRA) just yet. However, browsing through the crate engines available from General Motors, the 572 comes in different variations ranging from 621 to almost 700 horsepower (463 to 522 kilowatts), so it will likely fall somewhere in that range.
5 Pictures
If those stats are carried over to the COPO, the big-block Camaro would sit above the 5.7-liter supercharged 580 horsepower (433 kW) V8 engine also on offer. A 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 developing 470 hp (350 kW) is also available.
Honoring the original 1969 COPO Camaro race, Chevy only builds 69 units each year, but not for 2022. From now on, the manufacturer will build as many COPOs as there are orders, without limit. Fewer than 700 units have been made since the launch of the modern program in 2012, but with production now wide open, cars will be assembled on a first-come, first-served basis until buyers stop coming. Pricing for the 2022 Camaro COPO with the big block engine starts at $ 105,000.
This is where we can’t help but look a little deeper into all of this. It’s no secret that sales of the production Camaro model are dismal and have been for some time. It’s also no secret that the Camaro’s existence almost certainly ends with this current generation, but the latest model year is still pending. We’ve heard about 2024 and 2026 quite often, but with Chevrolet pushing hard for COPO 2022 in terms of horsepower and production, it certainly feels like a last breath before the end. Could 2022 be the end of the COPO Camaro, or the end of all Camaro?
This is all speculation on our part, but if we wanted to send the Camaro in a bang, that’s not a bad way to go. Back it up with a final edition model in Spring 2022 and get the masses ready for a possible Camaro EV sedan before the decade is out.
Chevrolet launched its track-only COPO Camaro in 2012, but this year stands out from the rest for two reasons. First, a massive big block engine option is offered for the very first time. And secondly, there are no limits to the production, so if you want a COPO, you should be able to get one. There could be more to all of this than it seems, which we’ll talk about in a moment.
Dragsters know all about COPO, but for the rest, here’s a rundown. In 1969, a few Chevrolet dealerships used the automaker’s Central Office Production Control System (COPO) to order special Camaros with options and engines you normally couldn’t get. 69 cars were built in this (and only) year, but Chevrolet has relaunched the COPO Camaro for 2012 as a dedicated turnkey drag race that’s decidedly not street legal.
For 2022, engine options now include Chevrolet’s massive 572 cubic inch (9.4 liter) V8. This is the first time this big block has graced the modern COPO Camaro, and while we’d love to tell you how much horsepower it creates, Chevy tells us an exact figure hasn’t been certified by the National Hot Rod. Association (NHRA) just yet. However, browsing through the crate engines available from General Motors, the 572 comes in different variations ranging from 621 to almost 700 horsepower (463 to 522 kilowatts), so it will likely fall somewhere in that range.
5 Pictures
If those stats are carried over to the COPO, the big-block Camaro would sit above the 5.7-liter supercharged 580 horsepower (433 kW) V8 engine also on offer. A 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 developing 470 hp (350 kW) is also available.
Honoring the original 1969 COPO Camaro race, Chevy only builds 69 units each year, but not for 2022. From now on, the manufacturer will build as many COPOs as there are orders, without limit. Fewer than 700 units have been made since the launch of the modern program in 2012, but with production now wide open, cars will be assembled on a first-come, first-served basis until buyers stop coming. Pricing for the 2022 Camaro COPO with the big block engine starts at $ 105,000.
This is where we can’t help but look a little deeper into all of this. It’s no secret that sales of the production Camaro model are dismal and have been for some time. It’s also no secret that the Camaro’s existence almost certainly ends with this current generation, but the latest model year is still pending. We’ve heard about 2024 and 2026 quite often, but with Chevrolet pushing hard for COPO 2022 in terms of horsepower and production, it certainly feels like a last breath before the end. Could 2022 be the end of the COPO Camaro, or the end of all Camaro?
This is all speculation on our part, but if we wanted to send the Camaro in a bang, that’s not a bad way to go. Back it up with a final edition model in Spring 2022 and get the masses ready for a possible Camaro EV sedan before the decade is out.