When Chevrolet brought back the Central Office Production Order (COPO) name in 2012, it was a big deal for drag racers. The idea of a factory-built, turn-key race car was back. Now, one of the final Gen 5 examples, a 2015 Chevrolet COPO Camaro, is hitting the Mecum block in Monterey, and it’s a serious piece.

The 2015 Chevrolet COPO Camaro

Chevy only built 69 fifth-generation COPO Camaro each year, and this car is number 41 from the final run in 2015. Sold on a Bill of Sale, this Chevy is definitely not a street car — it’s meant for one thing: the dragstrip. COPO number 41 features Chevy’s optional Collector Edition Appearance Package, so it wears wild Matte Gray and High Voltage Orange graphics over Summit White paint. And with a big carbon fiber cowl hood, wheelie bars, and a parachute hanging off the back, there’s no mistaking what this beast was built to do.

All Business Under The Hood

That lightweight hood shrouds a hand-built, 350 cubic inch LSX V8 that’s based on a tough cast iron block. It’s filled with good stuff like a Callies Dragonslayer crank and forged MAHLE dome pistons. A big 2.9-liter Whipple twin-screw supercharger sits on top, fed by Aeromotive fuel components. All that power goes through a bulletproof ATI TH400 automatic transmission, toggled by a Hurst Quarterstick shifter, and a Strange Engineering 9-inch rearend.

A Purpose-Built Drag Car

Between the doors, this Camaro features a full NHRA-certified chromoly roll cage that was installed at the factory. The suspension is from Strange Engineering, with double-adjustable coilovers at all four corners, and Strange also handled the brakes. The stripped-down cockpit features a pair of competition bucket seats, harnesses, and a big 10,000 rpm tach right in your face — a not so subtle reminder that this 2015 Chevrolet COPO Camaro is a purebred race car.

Carrying On A Great Tradition

This COPO is a perfect snapshot of Chevrolet’s factory drag racing program. The builders created a modern weapon with classic muscle car attitude, just like the legendary 1969 originals. For a racer looking for a turn-key ride or a collector who wants a piece of modern factory performance history, this car is the real deal. When it rolls across the block in Monterey, it’s a chance to own a machine that was born to do one thing: go fast in a straight line.