There is a saying, ‘A rising tide raises all ships,’ meaning that all buoyant vessels enjoy a lift as the water level rises. There is also a similar, yet opposite effect to a brand’s ongoing legacy when a manufacturer discontinues a vehicle line. Such is the case with the incredible history and legacy of Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) Camaro. Chevrolet has officially announced that the final COPO Camaro to ever be built, has been produced — COPO Camaro Number 69 of the 2023 model year.

The announcement that the sixth generation of Camaro production would be its last has been known for some time. But with it, that out-going tide is carrying one of the most iconic muscle cars turned drag-strip terrors with it.

From Covertly-Built To Open Competition

The COPO Camaro legacy started by effectively “cooking the books” to get special-performance vehicles built outside of corporate dictates that clearly stated the company wasn’t interested in building race cars. As the Camaro brand matured through the generations, it eventually, went into full-on, open-competition with the F-body’s reincarnation during the fifth-generation Camaro. As those 1969 COPO Camaros kept soaring into the financial stratosphere, the modern pony car’s performance kept increasing by leaps and bounds.

Chevrolet squeaked out only 69 COPO Camaros with the incredible, yet lightweight ZL1 engine. The values of these cars has accelerated faster than those bias-ply tires could ever dream of propelling them. These two were offered at a Mecum auction a few years ago.

Performance of street-going, fifth- and sixth-generation Camaros exceeded those early examples of the ultimate boulevard bruiser. In a corporate, “hold my beer!” moment, Chevrolet Performance announced it would be openly offering competition-only variants of the famed, sleight-of-hand corporate option. In 2012, the COPO Camaro program was revived to compete in various NHRA Stock Eliminator classes.

Acknowledging the legacy of those rare, first-gen COPO Camaros, Chevy began by only offering 69 new COPO Camaros per year —­ the same number produced back in 1969 when the chink in GM’s corporate ordering system was first detected. This limited production meant would-be owners were required to enter a lottery system to acquire a spot for one of these new, yet rare rides.

Unlike the first examples from the countercultural decade, subsequent COPO Camaros could be offered with a bevy of engine and transmission options. In an homage to the significance of Camaro’s opening salvo, the last COPO Camaro produced carries a specially built 427 engine and TH400 transmission.

Building The Final COPO Camaro

The Chevrolet Performance team has blended together a mix of history, legacy, modernization, and classic coolness, ensuring that the final note of the COPO Camaro legacy will be just as high as its first. The cherry on top is the fact the last COPO Camaro built, is again, number 69 of production.

This particular car is far from “regular” COPO Camaro production though! In a nod to its heritage, the final COPO Camaro is powered by an all-aluminum 427 cubic-inch engine, hand-assembled by veteran engine builder and drag racer, Mike Lyons. That iconic number is where the similarities stop, though. In an interview, Russ O’Blenes, Director, Performance & Racing Propulsion Team at General Motors, explains in a recent interview, “The idea was to pay homage to the original engine, but with a modern flair.”

Today’s Mark IV big-block engine kicks out 971 horsepower at 9,500 rpm and 597 lb.-ft. of torque at 7,750 rpm. That is well above the 600 horsepower typically achieved by a free-breathing, vintage ZL1. The big-block found in the final COPO Camaro breathes through a pair of 4500-style throttle bodies atop a billet aluminum, tunnel-ram intake. A set of 86 lb./hr. injectors have replaced the venturi effect for fueling. In a nod to the over half-century of COPO goodness, a set of billet aluminum valve covers feature “427 COPO” lettering.

The exterior of the final COPO Camaro is a stand-out, thanks to the ZL-1 Camaro front fascia fixed to the leading edge of the historic build. The car’s external skin was also painted a special hue, Radiant Red, in remembrance of the very first 1969 COPO Camaro that was campaigned by “Mr. Chevrolet” Dick Harrell. His 1969 ZL-1-powered Camaro ran a 13.6-second quarter-mile at 110 mph at Kansas City International Raceway, and with some tuning and a few bolt-on parts, was capable of cracking into the 11s, at 122 mph. In comparison, modern COPO Camaros can run a low-seven-second quarter-mile, at a trap speed of more than 175 mph.

It could be argued that a COPO Camaro, of any generation, was built to be raced, although that is likely not the case for the final COPO Camaro. Instead, this last-of-the-breed is headed for GM’s Heritage Collection where it will stand through the ages as a testament to the Chevrolet Camaro and all of its COPO variants.