Remember last year when Chevy unveiled the latest version of its track-only, high-performance COPO Camaro? It had a 572 cubic-inch big block, or 9.4 liters for those more familiar with metric displacement. That was all well and good but due to NHRA drag racing class restrictions, it produced just 430 horsepower—even though it was more than capable of producing north of 700 hp. Since a 9.4-liter V8 making just 430 hp is practically a crime, Chevy upped the ante. The COPO Camaro is now available with the all-powerful, 10.4-liter engine the company already offers as a crate motor. We’re talking 1,000 hp here.
The so-called ZZ632 is a beast as a crate motor, although it may have been choked down to fit into a certain drag racing class in this application. The motor alone costs nearly $38,000, but you get what you pay for. The big block has a completely forged rotating assembly packed into an iron block topped by CNC-ported aluminum heads. It runs 12.0:1 compression, revs to 7,000 RPM, and uses 93 octane pump gas. Yes, despite this being a race car, you don’t need race fuel.
Race car is a strict term here. This isn’t your average caged E30 or Miata taken to the track and driven home. The COPO Camaro is not street-legal.
The 632 replaces the 572 for the 2023 model year of the COPO. There are two other engines offered alongside the 10.4-liter; a naturally aspirated 7.0-liter and a supercharged 5.7-liter. Reservations are currently open. A deposit of $15,000 is required to put your name down. Expect to pay north of $100,000 for the car if you’re interested.
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