The 2018 COPO Camaro has landed

Muscle-car fans, feast your eyes on the 2018 COPO Camaro – a car that exists to cover quarter-miles in as little time as possible. And literally nothing else. Because it’s not road-legal. 

Chevy did the first batch of COPO Camaros in 1969, when it introduced the 'Central Office Production Order' system that allowed dealers to order cars with engine/drivetrain combos they wouldn’t normally be able to.

It was designed for fleet buyers really, like police departments or utility companies, but enterprising dealer Fred Gibb used it to create a special, strip-ready Camaro with the ZL-1 427 engine, a heavy-duty cooling system and special rear-axle.

Gibb ordered 50. Other dealers followed suit, taking the total to 69. Since the programme was brought back in 2012 (nobody bought them in the Sixties, hence the gap), Chevy has done 69 cars a year in honour of Gibb’s originals.

Lucky buyers of this year’s COPO get the choice of a new 302 V8 (based on the LT1 in the Camaro SS) “built for drag racing with unique components”, a N/A 427 7.0-litre V8 or a supercharged 350 5.7-litre that gives mid-eight-second quarter-miles at almost 160mph. All COPOs get a SFI-approved ATI TH400 three-speed automatic and “racing chassis and suspension components, including a unique solid rear axle system in place of a regular-production Camaro’s independent rear axle”.

You can also get a special Hot Wheels appearance package. The COPO was unveiled alongside a regular Camaro equipped with the $4,995 HotWheels Edition package that gives special trim and many badges.