Whatever you think of the Chevrolet Camaro->ke248, you know that at the deep recesses of its heart, it's a muscle car that's only waiting to be unleashed on a drag strip. After all, the COPO Camaro was one of the best stock cars back in the 60's, a time when the Central Office Production Order (COPO) - Chevrolet's vehicle special-order program - became famous for all the performance-minded Camaros that were made, mostly with intentions of turning them into Stock Eliminator racers.

Half a century later, the COPO Camaro is making a comeback as a concept vehicle designed to the specifications for NHRA Stock Eliminator drag racing competition. One of the unique things about this particular Camaro is that it was designed to accommodate a few engine options, including that of the 7.0-liter naturally-aspirated engine that was found in the original COPO Camaros from yesteryear.

In terms of design, the COPO Camaro Concept pretty much adhered to its set-up as a full-spec drag car. Gone are all the bells and whistles that usually come in a standard Camaro. In their place, Chevrolet added a full array of race equipment, including a full, chrome molly roll cage, a high-rise cowl-induction system, a set of 29" lightweight, COPO-specific racing wheels wrapped in 4.5x28x15 "inch front tires. Inside, the car receives a pair of racing bucket seats with no rear seat, a safety harness for the driver, a competition floor shifter, and Chevrolet Performance gauges by Auto Meter.

The muscle car's overall handling and set-up were tweaked to give it even more capabilities on the track. A coil-over suspension with Strange Engineering adjustable struts can be found in the front while a custom suspension with Strange Engineering shocks, a Panhard bar. and a stabilizer bar complete the exterior set-up of the muscle car.

UPDATE 11/08/2011: The Camaro COPO Concept unveiled at the SEMA Show is proof that the Camaro can be customized in any way possible. Check out the live images we have added in the picture gallery and let us know if you agree.

UPDATE 12/16/2011: GM Performance Parts has unveiled a new video presenting the Camaro COPO during testing. Enjoy!

2012 Chevrolet COPO Camaro Concept

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  • Model: 2012 Chevrolet COPO Camaro Concept
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