Chevy’s Drag-Ready COPO Camaro Gets Updated

If you want to go drag racing, two of the easiest ways to get involved are to pick up one of Ford or Chevrolet’s factory built dragsters. Ford builds the CobraJet, while Chevy offers up this, the COPO Camaro.

 

COPO stands for Central Office Production Order, and was a bit more well known back in the heyday of the muscle car, the 1960s. Clever dealers used the system to order Camaros with even higher performance limits, with one of the resulting products being the original Camaro ZL1.

 

It’s not exactly a mass-market car; there’ll only be 69 units built this year. And with a starting price of $86,000, you need to be very well off or quite committed to hitting the drag strip to justify the purchase. But, if you’re one of the lucky hand raisers (there are about 3000 right now), you’ll be getting a seriously hardcore vehicle.

 

For 2013, the COPO Camaro will be available with three V-8s: a base 350-cubic-incher with 325 horsepower, a 396 with 375 ponies, and a 427 with 425 horsepower. Each engine, when fitted with the new, manual-transmission option, qualifies for the NHRA’s Stock Eliminator classes.

 

There are a few cool options that go along with engine selection. Corvette’s Engine Build Experience, a popular feature that allows customers to take part in the building of their car’s engine, is available at the Chevy Performance Center in Wixom, Michigan. There’s also the Engine Collector’s Package, which includes all three engines with serial numbers matching the car. The buyer’s choice is installed at the factory.

 

Production of the COPO Camaro is slated to begin in April, with deliveries commencing early this summer.