A recent report suggested that the current sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro could be replaced by an electric performance sedan in the near future, but before the Camaro ditches fossil fuels, Chevy has taken its muscle car to the extreme with the new 2022 COPO Camaro drag-racing special.

Back in the late 1960s, Chevy had a system called Central Office Production Order (COPO) which allowed dealerships to order cars and trucks with non-standard colors or features. The purpose of COPO was for speciality vehicles for fleet customers, like trucking companies or police departments, but some savvy dealers who were passionate about drag-racing utilized COPO to create purpose-built dragsters. Chevy revived the COPO name in 2012 and has built speciality drag-racing Camaros every year since.

For 2022, the COPO Camaro is available with a gigantic 572-cubic-inch (9.4-liter) big-block V-8, which Chevy says "channels the spirit of the original 1969 COPO Camaro." Chevy didn't reveal horsepower figures for the 572, but said that it uses a cast-iron block with aluminum heads, a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, and forged aluminum pistons.

Chevy will also offer the COPO Camaro with two LS-based small block V-8s: a supercharged 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) unit rated by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) at 580 horsepower and a naturally aspirated 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) engine with 470 horsepower. All three engines are mated to an ATI Racing Products TH400 three-speed automatic transmission sending power exclusively to the rear wheels.

The COPO Camaro is not street legal but does qualify to race in NHRA Stock and Super Stock eliminators. All COPO Camaros feature a carbon fiber hood and wheelie bars, while a trunk-mounted weight box and parachute are optional. In the past, Chevy limited production of COPO Camaros to 69 units per year (mimicking the production run of the original 1969 COPO Camaro) and had customers enter a lottery, but Chevy won’t restrict production of this 2022 model and will sell it on a first-come, first-serve basis. The 572 COPO Camaro starts at $105,500, while the 427 starts at $117,500 and the 350 starts at $130,000. Customers are told to "see your dealer" about tax, registration, and destination charge. Buyers can submit an order form online and can receive a private tour of the COPO Build Facility in Oxford, Michigan, with their new drag-racing Camaro.

Update 7/31/21: While Chevrolet did not include a power figure for the 572 engine in the press release, it was included in the COPO order form. The 9.4-liter V-8 is rated at 430 hp by the NHRA, making it the least powerful engine option for the 2022 COPO Camaro.

chevrolet's 2022 camaro is ready to be ordered, as the company has made the configurator tool on its website live. Customers are now able to browse through the options list, see available packages, and find out what can and cannot be ordered together.
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the base model in coupe form starts at an msrp of $26,695, while the 2022 camaro convertible starts at an msrp of $32,695. Both versions mentioned above refer to the 1lt camaro, which comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine. The unit is good for 275 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and can be ordered with a six-speed manual transmission or a paddle-shift automatic transmission.

The v6 camaro is still available in the range, and its 3.6-liter unit starts at $28,290 in the 1lt trim level on the coupe. That engine comes with 335 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and is also available with a choice of six-speed manual transmission or a paddle-shifted automatic.

For just over $35,000, general motors offers the most affordable v8-engined car on the market, the lt1 camaro. At an msrp of $35,195, it packs 455 horsepower, which is about $77 per horsepower, which is the cheapest in the range. For the 2021 model year of the camaro, one in four customers chose the lt1 model. That does make a lot of sense, and we expect the trend to continue.

As we previously reported, the 2022 camaro's production started last week after a two-month delay. For the 2022 model year, the camaro gets two new color options, but the "crush orange" and "shock yellow" have been eliminated from the list.

Gm has also cut the lt 1le track performance package from the options list of the 2022 camaro, as is the case with the 20-inch alloy wheels called "caliente." customers can order the zl1 1le extreme track performance package for the 2022 camaro, which has a price of $7,500 according to the camaro configurator tool.

The Camaro may not be as popular as it used to be, but Chevrolet is doing its best to spark customers’ interest in Japan with a new special edition that is limited to 20 examples. The Chevrolet Camaro Rapid Blue Edition is based on the LT RS trim and as suggested by its name, sports a unique light blue theme.


The special edition of the muscle car combines the “Rapid Blue” exterior shade with Black stripes and five-spoke alloy wheels measuring 20 inches in diameter (same as in the LT RS). The interior features black and white ceramic leather upholstery, which looks quite nice in combination with the baby blue bodywork.

Besides the fancy name and the custom spec, the Camaro Rapid Blue Edition has nothing special compared to a regular Camaro LT RS. Under the bonnet lies the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 271 hp (202 kW / 275 PS) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, transmitted to the rear axle through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The price for the special edition is ¥6,600,000 ($45,833), which makes it ¥300,000 ($2,084) more expensive than the LT RS trim it is based on. Still, the Camaro Rapid Blue Edition is a lot cheaper than the V8-powered Camaro SS which is priced from ¥8,100,000 ($56,291) in the Japanese market.

Buyers who will pre-order the special edition online and test drive the muscle car during a special event on September 23-25, will get a “Camaro Original Canvas Tote” as a gift, featuring a comic-style print. Deliveries of the model will start on December 2022.

Camaro enthusiasts were understandably worried about the future of the iconic pony car ever since Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser took on a new role, leading electric vehicle development. Considering that General Motors didn’t bother improving the breed ever since, just about everyone knew that something was badly amiss.

Gen Six rolled out in May 2015 for the 2016 model year with a choice of six- and eight-speed transmissions. The 8Lxx was eventually replaced by the 10Lxx in V6- and V8-engined variants. The introduction of the 10-speed automatic marks the beginning of the bitter end for the Camaro, which is going the way of the dodo next year.

There were plenty of missed opportunities on GM’s part, missed opportunities that led to the Camaro’s downfall in sales. Last year, for example, the arch nemesis of the Mustang totaled 24,652 deliveries in the United States compared to 52,414 Mustangs and 55,060 Challengers.

For starters, General Motors refused to shoehorn the dual-injected LT5 engine of the C7-generation Corvette ZR1 in the engine bay of the Camaro. It would have created a Hellcat-beating muscle car, one that would have ripped at the strip with a good set of drag radials.

GM also canned the Z/28 early in development, a track-oriented variant rumored with the flat-plane crankshaft V8 of the C8-generation Corvette Z06. It’s hard to imagine that LT6 engine in a front-engine vehicle, but then again, that’s how the rumor mill works. We also have to remember that the LT6 of the Corvette Z06 was designed with a dual-clutch transmission in mind, not the Ford-developed 10Lxx of the sixth-gen Chevy Camaro.

Gen Six production will come to a screeching halt in January 2024 because Lansing Grand River Assembly will be retooled for building electric vehicles. There is a wild rumor in regard to an electric four-door sedan featuring the Camaro nameplate, which may come to fruition given that Corvette is expected to become a standalone brand consisting of the mid-engine sports car, an electric sedan, and an electric SUV (gasp!) to boot.

The rumor could very well turn out false. General Motors recently announced a big investment for the next generation of small-block V8 engines, which are certain to be used by the C9 and full-size pickup trucks. Why not the seventh-generation Chevrolet Camaro as well? But alas, due to the lack of any concrete information, only time will tell what GM has in store for their pony car.

As expected from the final year of a performance-oriented model, Chevrolet has rolled out a Collector’s Edition package for the RS, SS, and ZL1 trim levels. Although the finer details aren’t available at press time, Chevrolet did mention that said package is a tribute to all things Camaro. It also pays tribute to the first generation thanks to a little panther in the R of the Camaro badge.

Panther was the codename used by General Motors for their Mustang-rivaling pony car, which entered production as a ’67 model. When asked by the media what Camaro actually means, general manager Pete Estes told the automotive press that it’s a small and vicious animal that eats Mustangs. On that note, the Mustang lives on to see another combustion-engined generation, the S650. Dodge, on the other hand, has reimagined the Charger as a three-door electric coupe

From the moment it was introduced in 2016, the iconic sixth generation Camaro established itself as the leaner, meaner generation; culminating with the ZL1 1LE track athlete. Throughout the generation, Camaro featured a wide variety of special editions that ranged from charismatic with the 50th Anniversary and Wild Cherry Design Package to edgy with the Shock and Steel and Redline Edition. As the Gen Six Camaro retires at the conclusion of the 2024 model year, Chevrolet is celebrating the car's legacy of agility and style by offering a final special Collector's Edition on the LT/RS, LT1, SS and ZL1 trims in North America.

The 2024 Camaro Collector's Edition resurfaces ties that date back to the development of the first-generation Camaro. Panther, the original code name for the program that became Camaro in the 1960s, provided inspiration for the Chevrolet Performance Design Studio's efforts to cement the sixth generation of the car in history.

"We found it fitting for this Collector's Edition Camaro to officially recognize the significance of the original code name and share it with Camaro enthusiasts," said Rich Scheer, design director, Chevrolet Performance. "Of course, the name 'Panther' influenced the colors used, Panther Black Metallic for SS and Panther Matte Black for ZL1."

The Collector's Edition equips LT/RS, LT1 and SS trims with a new Panther Black Metallic Tintcoat paint, Satin Black accent stripes, 20-inch Satin Black or optional Polished Forged Wheels, the front splitter from the 1LE package and coupes receive the rear spoiler from the ZL1 package.

The 650 horsepower LT4-powered ZL1 Collector's Edition, limited to 350 units, will feature a Panther Black Matte exterior color - the first matte paint offered on Camaro from the factory. The ZL1 will also feature the front splitter from the ZL1 1LE, and the rear wing from ZL1 1LE on coupes. The Black Metallic ZL1 stripe, red brake calipers and black lug nuts complete the exterior look. On the inside, all 350 Collector's Edition ZL1 vehicles receive a serialized steering wheel badge representing where that vehicle was built in sequence.

Across all builds, Camaro Collector's Editions receive unique front fender script badging that integrates a panther into the "R," and a panther on the steering wheel badge. These Camaro builds also feature special floor mats with a laser-etched aluminum Collector's Edition logo and unique black interior treatments.

Those who purchase a Camaro Collector's Edition will receive a welcome kit which contains two posters commemorating the Camaro generations and the Collector's Edition.

Camaro ZL1 Collector's Edition owners will also receive a bespoke Canfield Sport 45mm watch from Shinola commemorating the Collector's Edition, with an inscribed serial number that matches the number on their vehicle's steering wheel badge. Thoughtfully crafted to carry the same ebonized presence as the 2024 Camaro Collector's Edition, this wearable keepsake hosts Camaro and panther motifs, from the panther engraved watch band to the Camaro logo housed on the watch face.

"Shinola is proud to share a legacy for quality, craftsmanship and performance with the Camaro nameplate, and we cherish the Detroit heritage that both Shinola and Chevrolet have," Shinola CEO Awenate Cobbina said.

The Chevrolet Camaro is officially dead. The final Camaro, a ZL1 1LE with a manual transmission, rolled of the assembly line in Lansing, Michigan earlier this week, Chevy confirmed to Motor1. The brand is yet to release any pictures of the final Camaro, and a spokesperson didn't comment on whether the company planned to keep the vehicle or sell the model to a customer.

"Camaro is a passion product," a Chevy spokesperson said in a statement. "It has developed a fan base across the world and has brought people into Chevrolet dealerships for generations. The sixth generation specifically represented athleticism and composure – exuding confidence on the road and dominance on the track."

We already knew Chevy was retiring the Camaro after the 2024 model year. The automaker announced the decision in March, and rumors had hinted at the vehicle's demise before that. As a goodbye, Chevy introduced the Collector’s Edition (pictured at top), which included a 350-unit production run for the ZL1 in Panther Black Matte paint and a serialized steering wheel badge. Lesser trim levels received a Panther Black Metallic Tintcoat paint with satin black stripes.

In November, Chevy built the final supercharged LT4 V8 engine for the Camaro ZL1 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. That was a clear sign that the Camaro's end was coming soon.

This is the second time that Chevy has killed the Camaro without a successor in sight. The first run lasted four generations from 1967 through 2002. The model returned in 2010 for two more iterations.

The 2024 Camaro hasn't had too bad of a year in terms of sales. Ford and Dodge have sold more Mustangs and Challengers, respectively. However, Chevy has moved 24,688 examples of its pony car through the third quarter – a 28.7-percent gain over the same period in 2022.

While the Camaro name is going away, it's allegedly not dead forever. When announcing the model's retirement, Chevrolet Global Vice President Scott Bell said: "While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story."

So long, Camaro. While you're taking a sabbatical for now, we look forward to seeing how you return.