BY JON YANCA AND JAKE HOLMES, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIK JOHNSON, JARED GALL AND THE MANUFACTURER
Although the wait for the reborn Chevrolet Camaro has been a long one, GM isn’t wasting any time showing off the car’s accessory catalog. At this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, Chevy will unveil four Camaro concepts, each sporting a variety of parts that can be added in the comfort of your own garage.
Please fasten your safety belt and secure all loose belongings. Paying homage to the once-famed COPO (Central Office Production Order) cars of 1969, the LS7 powerplant is exactly what we hoped to find under the hood of a new Camaro. Most popular in 1969, dealers like Don Yenko and Nickey Chevrolet would special-order Camaros from COPO with the intention of making them into tire-smoking, drag-racing street terrors. The weapon of choice back then was a 427-cubic-inch big-block engine. Today’s COPO-esque powerplant is a GM Performance Parts crate engine, the 7.0-liter small-block found only in the Corvette Z06. An upgraded camshaft helps pump out 550 horsepower, 45 more than a stock Z06.
Also assisting in the power department are exhaust headers and an air intake system that will be offered on the Camaro at its launch. And what’s an upgraded engine if you don’t add a performance exhaust? Nothing, so a GM Performance system was also thrown into the mix.
Further drivetrain enhancements to the LS7 concept include a Hurst shifter, which should let the driver bang off quicker shifts with the production-spec Tremec six-speed transmission. For those looking to throw down all of the engines 500 lb-ft of torque at once, your underbody is protected by a driveshaft safety loop just in case one force of nature is stronger than the other.
Appearance wise, a lowered ride height gives the custom 20-inch wheels an even larger look, with a hefty Brembo brake package slowing all that extra un-sprung weight. Sprayed in Victory Red paint, a matte-black hood and taillight panel—on a ’69 Camaro the blacked-out taillight panel signified a big-block car—warn of the ferocious engine harnessed up front. LS7 logos pepper the fenders and rear of the car, though if it were a true COPO car like the historic ZL-1 aluminum-block 427, no engine designation would be present.
With the NASCAR fan base bigger than ever, GM just can’t resist cashing in on some of the sport’s biggest names. Chevy is determined to keep the theme alive after a string of Monte Carlos named for Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
This NASCAR-themed custom finally uses a car with the power sent to the correct wheels, via the 6.2-liter V-8 out of the production Camaro SS. Oddly, GM saw fit to retune the engine for eco-friendly E85 fuel, which garners a handful of extra ponies but likely at the expense of fuel economy—still, who buys a Camaro to be green? Performance is also upgraded with the same headers, Hurst shifter, and Brembo brake package as the LS7 concept.
Although the wait for the reborn Chevrolet Camaro has been a long one, GM isn’t wasting any time showing off the car’s accessory catalog. At this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, Chevy will unveil four Camaro concepts, each sporting a variety of parts that can be added in the comfort of your own garage.
Please fasten your safety belt and secure all loose belongings. Paying homage to the once-famed COPO (Central Office Production Order) cars of 1969, the LS7 powerplant is exactly what we hoped to find under the hood of a new Camaro. Most popular in 1969, dealers like Don Yenko and Nickey Chevrolet would special-order Camaros from COPO with the intention of making them into tire-smoking, drag-racing street terrors. The weapon of choice back then was a 427-cubic-inch big-block engine. Today’s COPO-esque powerplant is a GM Performance Parts crate engine, the 7.0-liter small-block found only in the Corvette Z06. An upgraded camshaft helps pump out 550 horsepower, 45 more than a stock Z06.
Also assisting in the power department are exhaust headers and an air intake system that will be offered on the Camaro at its launch. And what’s an upgraded engine if you don’t add a performance exhaust? Nothing, so a GM Performance system was also thrown into the mix.
Further drivetrain enhancements to the LS7 concept include a Hurst shifter, which should let the driver bang off quicker shifts with the production-spec Tremec six-speed transmission. For those looking to throw down all of the engines 500 lb-ft of torque at once, your underbody is protected by a driveshaft safety loop just in case one force of nature is stronger than the other.
Appearance wise, a lowered ride height gives the custom 20-inch wheels an even larger look, with a hefty Brembo brake package slowing all that extra un-sprung weight. Sprayed in Victory Red paint, a matte-black hood and taillight panel—on a ’69 Camaro the blacked-out taillight panel signified a big-block car—warn of the ferocious engine harnessed up front. LS7 logos pepper the fenders and rear of the car, though if it were a true COPO car like the historic ZL-1 aluminum-block 427, no engine designation would be present.
With the NASCAR fan base bigger than ever, GM just can’t resist cashing in on some of the sport’s biggest names. Chevy is determined to keep the theme alive after a string of Monte Carlos named for Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
This NASCAR-themed custom finally uses a car with the power sent to the correct wheels, via the 6.2-liter V-8 out of the production Camaro SS. Oddly, GM saw fit to retune the engine for eco-friendly E85 fuel, which garners a handful of extra ponies but likely at the expense of fuel economy—still, who buys a Camaro to be green? Performance is also upgraded with the same headers, Hurst shifter, and Brembo brake package as the LS7 concept.
