The COPO Camaro is a historic and quintessential muscle car that helped to fuel the glory days of factory-built cars with monstrous levels of horsepower. In 2012, GM brought the COPO back as a racecar and that revival showed just how tight the bond among COPO owners is. This video from Chevrolet Performance provides an intimate look at how these racers feel about their machines, and the connection they have with their fellow COPO owners.
On any given weekend at one of the many NHRA or Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events you’re bound to see a few COPO Camaros on the track. These racers spend long hours together at events and do their best to help each other out if there’s an issue with their Camaro. Every one of these COPO owners is highly competitive and the second their car rolls into the water box it’s time for battle, even if there’s another COPO across the track.
Curt Collins manages Chevrolet Performance and the COPO program, so he gets to deliver each COPO Camaro to its new owner. He spends a lot of time at that track with these racers and has seen firsthand how they help each other out.
“The story is pretty powerful when it comes to the brotherhood of the COPO. If you go to a track these days the COPO racers are all pitted together and always willing to help each other. The one gentleman in the video from Puerto Rico has a pig roast for all the racers at the U.S. Nationals, this is just one example of how they stick together. They’re all getting excited with the 2019 coming out and the 50th Anniversary Edition options that are available.”
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the COPO Chevrolet Performance is rolling the COPO out with a new color option known as Anniversary Blue that will only be available on the COPO. Another part of the 50th anniversary appearance package will be an exclusive front fascia for the COPO Camaro.
Under the hood, the COPO will still have the 302 cubic-inch direct injected engine as an option. There will be two new engine choices for the new COPO. The first is a special appearance package for the 427 cubic Inch engine that features the intake and throttle body powder coated black instead of silver, and the valve covers are chrome instead of metallic. This package is designed to match what you would have seen under the hood of an original 427 cubic-inch COPO Camaro. The other change is to the supercharged engine package and it will feature a 2.65 liter Magnuson supercharger.
If you want to be a part of the COPO brotherhood click right here to enter the lottery to reserve your chance to purchase one of the 50th anniversary cars.
About the author
Brian Wagner
Spending his childhood at different race tracks around Ohio with his family’s 1967 Nova, Brian developed a true love for drag racing. When Brian is not writing, you can find him at the track as a crew chief, doing freelance photography, or beating on his nitrous-fed 2000 Trans Am.