- Chevrolet releases a new promo video of its COPO Camaro Concept on the track.
- The car is equipped with a full roll cage, solid rear axle, lightweight wheels, Powerglide automatic transmission and an adjustable front suspension.
- Chevy Performance engineers test the car with both the 7.0-liter LS7 V8 and the supercharged 5.3-liter V8 under the hood.
BRADENTON, Florida — Chevrolet has released a promotional video for its COPO Camaro Concept that was showcased at the 2011 SEMA Show.
The COPO Camaro is Chevy's answer to Ford's Cobra Jet Mustang and would hypothetically have one goal in mind when leaving the factory: going as fast as possible in a straight line. The name COPO, or Central Office Production Order, has roots in the late '60s when dealers had to special-order Camaros to get the high-performance engines that were desired by street racers.
With the COPO Camaro intended to compete in NHRA Stock and Super Stock eliminators, Chevrolet Performance engineers recently tested the car's on-track performance at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. They shot video of the car running a quarter-mile with both the 7.0-liter LS7 V8 and the supercharged 5.3-liter V8 in the engine bay.
You can see the pony car running the quarter-mile in the promotional video, but don't get your hopes up too high — Chevy is still shy about unveiling any specific performance figures and we don't know yet if it will be available as a turnkey racecar.
"To run some of the numbers we've seen today with flawless execution is really something exciting," said Cliff Cohen, Chevrolet Performance Parts marketing manager.
The car is outfitted with a full roll cage, solid rear axle, coil-over front suspension, stripped interior and lightweight racing wheels, and was built to NHRA specifications for the Stock and Super Stock eliminators. The supercharged 427 or naturally aspirated 327 engines can be mated to a two-speed Powerglide, three-speed automatic or a traditional five-speed manual transmission.
Inside Line says: An exciting car that hopefully makes its way into Chevy's dealer order guide.
Add A Comment »
zr1man says:
08:58 PM, 12/21/2011
@rayzor
Bring it on baby....bring it on!
@69johnny
Really! Chevy is eating ford's lunch. Just look at the IL article titled "Camaro Will Edge Mustang in 2011 Pony-Car Sales Race." The 'stang does not stand a snowballs chance of outselling the Camaro or out running it. Cheer up buddy.
Chevy Runs Deep (and fast).
theinsurgent says:
08:04 PM, 12/21/2011
Help me out here.
I thought "COPO" was when you had a corporate exec approved a car custom built with options not available in the usual factory order packages.
rayzor says:
10:52 AM, 12/21/2011
very proud of what GM has achieved post bankruptcy...Ford obviously knows what's coming, so, let the race begin!!
69johnny says:
08:51 AM, 12/21/2011
Not really.
Looks like they're just basically copying the latest Cobra-Jet Mustang. This camaro almost definitely wouldn't exist if Ford hadn't done it first, as is usually the case with ANY camaro of any era when it comes down to it.
And a live rear axle? Nobody respectable uses those right? haha..
zr1man says:
08:35 AM, 12/21/2011
This is yet another example of the GM/Chevy superiority that the asian, european and even other American car manufactures just can't keep up with. It further shows 100% dedication to performance car development.
Chevy Runs Deep (and fast).