Actually no. COPOs predate the Camaro. In fact COPOs were also fleet taxis.

The point I was making, is prior to Monday's announcement, the GM Performance parts website was advertising their body-in-white Camaro as a "COPO" Camaro. This new "COPO" Camaro for stock eliminator is simply another "COPO" Camaro. The distinction being different part numbers.

P.S. And technically, the 1969 COPOs were based on the Camaro SS 396.
http://www.camaros.org/geninfo.shtml#COPO

 

3070 pounds with no driver and all fluids full. Should run 9.30's out of the box.

 

Seriously?? If that is true, then freaking awesome. Do you have a link to that information?
By the way, welcome to the site

 

Here's a pic I took of it showing the rear assembly:

 

That is interesting to see, and exciting. Do we know any more info on that rear end?

Also Jason, in this weeks podcast, you mentioned you were going to talk about the 327 in five episodes. Is there more info that we an expect from this? Are we going to expect more news between now and then? We know you were talking to some people who would know while at SEMA. And if you listen closely...its almost like you have a smirk while you say it. hmmm...

Edit: nevermind...just went back to re-read.
Now back to my other questions....

 

Nothing to look too deep into...in a few episodes it will be episode #327...so we will talk about the 327. That's all...

...for now.

 

Who cares? To my knowledge fleet taxis are not highly collectible as the elite of their cars where people are spending up to and above $200,000 Few people dream of owning a fleet taxi. On the other hand a Production COPO Camaro that ran 11's stock sold with poly glass bias ply redline tires in 1969 is another story entirely. A trim line unmatched.

Thats like saying the RPO Z28 is not its own car because its basically a RPO Z27 SS with a DZ302.

Nothing made a car an SS or a Z28 other than the motor. Yes I think the Z28 had the same heavy duty radiator the COPO ZL1 did but you can not authenticate them that way. If you buy one of those cars today there is no way to tell from the VIN as you should know. The VIN indicates V8 and Convertible or hard top. Thats it. To authenticate a Z28 you have to match the VIN to the partial VIN on the DZ302 either under the alternator or above the oil filter.

You could also use the protecto plates some cars had with the X codes in 69 however Z28, SS and COPO all used various X codes.

Although it was the worst kept secret, the only reason the COPO ZL1 Camaro car didnt get its own emblems and stickers was most likely to keep from blatantly violating GM / Ford agreement to stop racing each other as well as GM's policy of big engine goes in big cars, and little engine goes in little cars.

I am glad GM is for the first time finally giving the COPO ZL1 its due. Aside from the limited GMMP 4th gen intentionally limited to 69 models. Nothing limited the original 1969 cars to 69 cars other than the market. If they had sold the COPO would have eventually got their own badges.

The ZL1 which nails the spirit of the 1969 COPO ZL1 is just sweet. Although the original like most muscle cars of the 60's were better in a straight line. Part of that I think is due to the limits of technology at the time. Even with cars that were supposed to be able to handle. People expect todays cars with todays technology to handle. I know I do.

This COPO drag car split personality pays homage to the drag car and is to me just icing on the cake.


They were their own cars not SS cars. From your link.

The cross Ram Z28 was a regular Z28 I believe with an extra cross Ram intake and extra Carb in the trunk.

 

From the same link...
Z28 was a separate RPO. The COPOs were not.

 

Does that say 327ci (5.3) with square port ls7 heads?

 

Right. Based off SS not that they were SS. I dont even think there were 396's pulled from existing COPO cars. At least in 1969. They may have been swapped out before that. The 427's were intented for the chasis they went into. I would be curious if the engines partial VIN's matched the VIN.

And Z28 was an RPO the COPO ZL1 was COPO not RPO.

If the Z28 didnt have badges wed be having the same argument about it being nothing more than a DZ302 engine. That's how silly that is.

In fact COPO 9567 may have been essentially equivelent to the RPO according to your link complete with striping. They may have been named ZL1, it could have gone the Z28 route and named COPO 9567 or some other name.

The car was one success story of your whole argument being moot. It probably would have received what amounted to nothing more than a marketing appearance change with an official name externally.

 

Actually in 1967 the Z28 didn't have badges or a DZ302.

 

 

No badges on a 1967 Z28? Kinda like the COPO ZL1? Sounds familiar...

Z28 must not have been a trim level in 1967... Unless you are saying official badges arent what makes a trim level.

I guess the problem even though the COPO ZL1 engine was installed at the factory in the Factory COPO cars because they didnt have an RPO # then to you it doesnt count. That also would mean if the 1967 Z28 package was a COPO code instead of an RPO it would be in the same boat. It definitely would be if it had the same political issues to deal with. One step further if Z28 failed business wise due to limited sales where the next year 1968 it was canceled then you have a similar case. Especially since both the Z28 and COPO ZL1 came about to go racing.


That would make the Z28 / SS enhancement RPO 1LE in later years a trim level itself although in reality it was very close and probably should have been. Heck there are RPO's for automatic transmissions, power windows and a bunch of other things that have nothing to do with trim levels.



This is all marketing. Kinda like it used to be that Mustang Cobra's did not exist, despite Shelby Mustangs having the snake emblem. The Cobra was the two seater sport / muscle car. The Super Snake used to be only literally 2 cars with dual supercharged AC Cobra's before a couple years back Super Snake was added to the Mustang.

 

Anyone.........

 

Yes it was. It was RPO Z28.
That is exactly what I am saying.
You're clouding the facts. "COPOs" started life as Camaro SS trimmed cars who had motors and other components swapped out through the COPO process. "COPO" is a document/order that creates these unique vehicles. In its original inception and intent, it was done to order special cars to be used for special purposes.

The Z28 was never a COPO? Why? Because it was created exclusively to run TransAm, and as a rule, it was required that at least 500 "production" versions were built in order to be "legal" to race in the series.