Chevy is going back to the drag strip with an updated COPO Camaro for 2022, and it will be powered by a big block engine. The latest muscle car to be named after the the Central Office Production Order system — wow, that is one boring acronym — will be powered by Chevy’s biggest engine, its 572-cubic-inch V8.
Chevy warns drivers this COPO is not a road-legal car; it can’t be registered for use on public roads. It’ll cost $105,500, and will be sold as a performance part. Technically, the COPO is a combination of performance parts, because it’s a running, driving car. The best performance part here being the 572, of course.
The V8 has a cast-iron block, aluminum heads, forged aluminum pistons, and both the crankshaft and connecting rods are made of forged steel. The V8 engine is bolted to a three-speed automatic transmission and fitted into the bay of what Chevy calls a Camaro Rolling Chassis, or CRC.
The new COPO can also be ordered with small block V8s for drivers that don’t want to spend over $105,000 on a car that’s just for the drag strip. The smaller engines are LSX-based, and can be ordered with or without forced induction. There’s a supercharged 350 cubic-inch V8, or a naturally aspirated 427 cubic-inch V8.
The Camaro will also come with gear that drivers might want or need to go drag racing, like a carbon fiber hood and wheelie bars. Drivers can also order more equipment, including “a trunk-mounted weight box and parachute” per Chevy.
Chevy expects the demand for the COPO 572 will be high, so instead of making this a limited run of 69 cars like it has in the past, production of the COPO 572 will be ongoing on a first-come, first-serve basis.
