Chevrolet has started taking orders for the 2023 COPO Camaro drag car, offering a 1,004-hp 10.4-liter ZZ632/1000 V-8 engine. Chevy unveiled the massive crate engine at the 2021 SEMA show in Las Vegas, at the time calling it the “biggest, baddest crate engine” it’s ever made. In addition to the monster engine, the 2023 COPO Camaro will offer two other engine options: a 7.0-liter V-8 rated at 470 hp and a supercharged 5.7-liter V-8 rated at 580 hp, designed to meet NHRA Stock and Super Stock class requirements. The sole transmission is a 3-speed automatic from ATI Racing Products and features a Hurst shifter. All COPO versions also come with fuel injection and a Strange Engineering rear differential with 40-spline axles, as well as an aluminum torque tube and a carbon-fiber hood.
Like previous models, the 2023 COPO Camaro is sold without a title or VIN. Orders will require a $15,000 deposit, Chevy confirmed. The automaker has traditionally offered 69 units per year, matching the original run of 1969 COPO Camaros built with the aluminum 427 ZL1 engine. That engine weighed about 100 pounds less than the iron-based 396-cubic-inch big-block offered in the Camaro and produced more power to boot, making it a popular option for the dragstrip. The workaround to get the ZL1 engine in a drag car was originally devised by Illinois-based dealer Fred Gibb using Chevy’s in-house special order system, known as Central Office Production Order (COPO).
For the true drag racers out there, the 2023 COPO Camaro provides an exciting new option with the 1,004-hp 10.4-liter ZZ632/1000 V-8 engine.