2023 COPO Camaro Gets Fire-Breathing 1,000 HP ZZ632 V8 as an Option
Introduced last fall, the ZZ632 makes for a perfect pairing with the purpose-built 2023 COPO Camaro racer.
The COPO Camaro is an icon in the world of Bow Tie performance after originally debuting in 1969 and resurfacing in 2012, but all of those cars share one thing in common – they’re designed for the track, not the street. Last year, GM added an impressive engine option for budding racers, too – a 572 cubic-inch beast that was, at the time, the largest ever offered in a COPO Camaro. However, it only took one year for the automaker to one-up itself, as the 2023 COPO Camaro can now be ordered with the fairly new 632 cubic-inch, 10.3-liter ZZ632 V8.
GM hasn’t yet announced power figures for this particular application, but the crate version of the ZZ632 makes an earth-moving 1,004 horsepower and 876 pound-feet of torque, right out of the box, and that’s on pump gas. This entry in the Chevy Performance catalog quite literally made waves when it debuted a little over a year ago, and it’s undoubtedly amazing that GM is giving racers the option to spec one in the 2023 COPO Camaro, to say the least.
Of course, COPO customers don’t have to go this particular route if they don’t want to (but who wouldn’t want to?), as there are two other LSX-based engine options that one can tick. The first is a naturally-aspirated 427 cubic inch (7.0-liter) V8 making 470 horsepower, or a supercharged 350 cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8 that generates 580 horsepower. As for the 572 that debuted last year, well, that was apparently a one-and-done kind of deal, but we’re certainly not complaining.
Unfortunately for those that want to make this thing into a stoplight-to-stoplight bruiser, the 2023 COPO Camaro remains a non-street-legal, purpose-built race car that can’t be registered in any of the 50 U.S. states for road use. It doesn’t have a VIN, and isn’t sold with a title – but rather, a bill of sale, too.
Those that are interested in purchasing one of these turnkey racers can register their interest at GM’s official COPO site, but that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get one – rather, the automaker will select a lucky few out of that group, and those granted a build spot must put down a $15,000 deposit to hold their place in line.
Photos: Chevrolet
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