Chevy COPO Camaro returns in a big way with Big-Block V8 power
The drag strip special is back for 2022 with a massive 572-cubic-inch V8 under the hood.
The COPO's back to pop some wheelies and set blistering quarter-mile times.
Chevrolet's drag strip-only pony car is once again ready to roll, and its resurrection for 2022 comes with something I think will cause enthusiasts to flip their lids: a Big-Block V8 engine. Chevy on Friday revealed the 2022 COPO Camaro with a 572-cubic-inch V8 engine under the hood. If you're not well versed in old school Yankee units, that's a whopping 9.3 liters of displacement.
That's a whole lot of motor.
With the biggest V8 the COPO Camaro ever rocked under its hood, it will surely make astounding power. However, the National Hot Rod Association hasn't rated the engine yet, so we'll have to wait and see how many ponies we're talking about. If you're curious why the NHRA's involved in the process, the COPO Camaro (short for Central Office Production Order) is only meant for the drag strip; owners cannot register the car for street use. It's purpose-built for racers, and each car sports an ATI Racing Products TH400 three-speed automatic transmission. Hell, the car's actually sold as a Chevrolet Performance part. It's not a car you can ring your local Chevy dealer for.
The sketch shows what a fully finished dragster could look like.
In the past, the way interested buyers could get their hands on one was through a lottery system. The odds were tough, since Chevy always limited production to fewer than 100 cars every year. In fact, the brand's only built 700 of them total since the COPO program restarted in 2012. This time, the company said it's ready to put more racers in this drag racing machine. Orders will be first come, first served, with no production limit for the 2022 model. If you nab one, the NHRA lets this car run in the Stock and Super Stock eliminators classes. Chevy will even kit the car out with a parachute, should you tick the box for it. You can slap a small-block V8 under the hood if you want, but honestly, why? This is way cooler.
It seems like a great time to snag a COPO Camaro. There's the Big-Block V8 heritage to recall the original cars. Parent automaker General Motors is hell-bent on electrification, which surely hurts the V8's chances of survival. Although they'll never be able to hit the street legally, a Big-Block COPO Camaro sounds like the perfect testament to the internal-combustion engine because, guys, there's nothing quite like it.
