In what has become an annual tradition of sorts, Chevrolet will debut the latest COPO Camaro at the 2016 SEMA show. Production of the limited-edition 2017 COPO Camaro will once again be limited to 69 units in honor of the original 69 ZL-1?code 1969 COPO Camaros that tore up the drag strip back in the day. It will be available with a variety of engine options and will feature drag-strip-specific chassis components.
Although the folklore of GM?s COPO (Central Office Production Order) is pretty much common knowledge these days, we?ll remind those of you living under two rocks that, back in the day, COPO was basically a way of skirting the front office and getting a big, powerful engine in a smallish car. Chevrolet resurrected the acronym in 2012. The COPO seen here, serial number 1 of 69 for 2017, is clad in Chevy?s Hyper Blue Metallic paint rendered in a new ?anodized? finish. It sports a supercharged 5.7-liter V-8 backed up by an ATI TH400 three-speed automatic transmission and a set of Weld racing wheels. More than just a pretty (menacing) face, the COPO on the stand, as was the case with the COPOs displayed at SEMA in 2014 and 2015, will be auctioned for charity. It’s scheduled to go under the hammer at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Phoenix in January 2017, with proceeds to the United Way.
Philanthropy aside, all COPO Camaros are track rats at heart, and the 2017 COPO features a laundry list of specific parts and modifications designed for competing in the NHRA?...