The COPO is a GO!

DETROIT – Chevrolet will build 69 COPO Camaros for 2012, the brand’s first purpose-built Camaro drag-racing specialty car designed to compete with the quickest in NHRA’s Stock Eliminator and Super Stock classes. National records for quarter-mile times in these contests are in the nine-second range.
As such, the COPO Camaros are expected to be the quickest Camaro ever offered by Chevrolet.

“The COPO Camaro is going to shake up the sportsman drag racing ranks this summer and give Chevy fans a great new reason to cheer on the Bowtie,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles & Motorsports. “COPO builds off the strengths that have made the Camaro the best-selling sports car in America. And while it was developed strictly for the drag strip, the COPO Camaro is infused with the same performance pedigree that every Camaro shares.”

The 69-car production for the 2012 COPO Camaro matches the number of “ZL-1” COPO Camaros made in 1969. COPO stands for Central Office Production Order and was Chevrolet’s special-order system in used by dealers to build high-performance models in the 1960s.

P/N 20129562

The new COPO Camaros will be built using factory “body-in-white” body structures produced at the Oshawa, Ontario plant that manufactures regular-production Camaros. They are the same body-in-white body shells available to all racers under Chevrolet Performance part number 19243374.

Customers will order and complete the transaction for their COPO Camaro at their preferred Chevrolet dealer with delivery at the General Motors Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich. Deliveries will begin early this summer.

Highlights of the new COPO Camaro program include:

• A sequenced build number matched to the engine but sold without a Vehicle Identification Number and cannot be registered for highway use
• Three racing-class engine are available, including a naturally aspirated 427 (7.0L) and two supercharged 327 (5.3L) V-8 engines
• Engine assembly at GM’s Performance Build Center, where the buyer can opt to participate in the engine assembly similar to Chevrolet’s Corvette Engine Build Experience and the Chevrolet Performance Build Your Own Crate Engine programs
• Engines pairing with a Powerglide automatic transmission designed for drag racing
• Five colors: Flat Black, Summit White, Victory Red, Silver Ice Metallic and Ashen Gray Metallic
• A COPO graphics package similar to the one introduced on the concept vehicle  available in Metallic White, Semi-Gloss Black, Inferno Orange Metallic and Chevy Racing Blue
• Pricing starting at $89,000
• A special collector’s package offering the purchase of all three engines with the COPO Camaro – including one  installed in the car at delivery – with each engine serial number matched to the car

Selection process

The COPO Camaro concept was first shown at the 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, where the overwhelming response by more than 2,000 racing enthusiasts shaped the decision to produce a limited number of COPO Camaros.

To ensure fair access to the limited number of COPO Camaros, an independent third party was used to identify the first individuals who would be offered the opportunity to buy one of the new COPO Camaros. Those selected will receive a confirmation letter with instructions on how to fulfill the purchase contract, choose the engine option for their intended racing class, and take delivery.

Designed to win

The COPO Camaro is designed to NHRA racing specifications including a solid axle and a full chrome moly roll cage. Inside, most of the standard sound deadening and power accessories have been deleted in order to optimize weight for NHRA racing. Also included is a pair of racing bucket seats (no rear seat), a safety harness for the driver, a competition floor shifter and Chevrolet Performance gauges.

The three engines offered in the COPO Camaro program were developed to align with the top classes in NHRA’s various Stock Eliminator and Super Stock ranks. They are:

• An LS7-based naturally aspirated 427 (7.0L) V-8
• A supercharged, LSX-based 327 (5.3L) V-8 featuring a 2.9L supercharger
• A supercharged, LSX-based 327 (5.3L) V-8 featuring a 4.0L supercharger

The 2012 COPO Camaro is being offered as a performance part, with a specific part number (P/N 20129562).  It cannot be registered, titled, licensed, or driven on public roads or highways. COPO is specifically offered for off-highway, competitive NHRA use only.

Racing enthusiasts interested in more information can go to GMPerformanceParts.com to sign up for COPO Camaro updates through the Fuel online newsletter. Production updates will also be posted on Chevrolet Performance’s Facebook page.

COPO Camaro making a return?

The 1969 COPO Chevrolet Camaro is one of the most sought after muscle cars of all time. C.O.P.O is the acronym for Central Office Production Order, and was the key to ordering a standard looking Camaro with a not-so-standard power train. This option put a 427 cubic inch Big Block Cevrolet motor under the hood. Rated at just 425 HP, this was a limited run and was available in a few configurations.

In 1969, there were three different COPO orders for a Camaro. Order #9560 and #9561 were almost the same cars, but #9560 had one big difference: The engine was all-aluminum, and that is the brutal ZL1. We know of two that have sold recently for $840,000 and $1.1 million respectively. COPO #9561 got you an iron engine block. The third COPO # was 9737, which was the so-called Sports Car Conversion with either engine available, a 140-mph speedometer and 15 x 7 Rally wheels. All COPOs were emissions-certified, carried both the 12/12 and 5/50 warranties and were street legal, even with the noisy optional chambered exhaust systems, which essentially had no mufflers.  source: Hemmings Motor News
 
It seems the famed COPO designation may be making a return to the Chevrolet for the new Camaro. After 40 years, you may be able to build (order) your own COPO Camaro shopping from a list of GM Performance Parts. Start out with a crate motor?  Suspension parts? Who knows. We are anxious to see what this develops into, stay tuned for details!

image source LSXTV.com

Return of the Yenko name?

Yenko is one name in muscle car history that resonates with all Chevy fans. Jeff Leonard, owner of California-based General Marketing Capital, is looking to resurrect the famous name as Yenko’s 45th anniversary approaches.

The famous Yenko Chevrolets all originated from Don Yenko, owner of a Chevrolet dealership in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Yenko, along with several other dealers across the U.S., gained fame by using General Motors’ special order program to create powerful muscle cars that normally wouldn’t be offered from the factory. Yenko’s first custom Chevy was the 1965 Stinger, a Corvair designed to dominate SCCA events, but cars like the SYC Camaro and the Super Nova truly made the Yenko name legend.

With the 45th anniversary of Yenko approaching, Leonard says he is going to create an “online home for the brand” and possibly launch some new products under the moniker. General Marketing Capital is currently consulting with specialty firms about building such products. With the introduction of the 2010 Camaro, we have to say this sounds like the perfect time to resurrect the famous Super Camaro…

Source: Inside Line