Showing posts with label Racecars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Racecars. Show all posts

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Difference Between the Yenko Camaro and COPO Camaro

 


Difference Between the Yenko and COPO 

Most people probably know about how badass the Yenko and the COPO Camaros are, but how many people know where the names come from and what’s the difference between the two. Of course, if you are a diehard Camaro fan with a lot of knowledge of the first generation Camaros, you probably know some or all of the facts, but just in case you don’t, here is a little bit of education.



The Yenko

In 1967, Don Yenko, owner of Don Yenko Chevrolet, contacted General Motors and ordered 54 Camaros straight from the factory with a special mission in mind. That special mission was to convert those Camaros into Yenko drag strip-ready IHRA/NHRA Stock and Super Stock Camaro competitors.


(How many Yenko Camaros were built and sold from 67 through 69 is really unknown. The same goes with COPO Camaros; ask ten different experts and you're likely to get ten different answers).


When these Camaros first showed up at the Yenko Dealership, the first order of business was to take out the existing 396-cu.-in. engines and replace them with 427 big-blocks. Although a lot of numbers swirled around about how much horsepower they produced, it was estimated around 425-450-hp (depending on who you asked). Along the way, Yenko also had all Yenko labeled Camaros beefed up with other goodies like traction-bars and 3:73-positraction rear-ends. 


There was only one problem with Team Yenko’s plan to turn the Camaros into drag strip-ready Camaros, they were not allowed to race in the IHRA/NHRA Stock or Super Stock classes. These classes were strictly for cars that had no engine changes or any other big mechanical changes after they left the factory. They were not banned from all drag racing, just the Stock and Super Stock classes that the Yenko Team was aiming for, so eventually the Yenko program was canned. 


A lot of people think that the reason Yenko stopped the program was because of the inability to race in their intended classes. That was part of the reason, but most of the reasons were because Yenko was losing money on the pulled 396 motors and rear-ends they could not seem to get rid of and the program was losing even more money since GM would no longer warranty the Camaros if they were modified after they left the factory. That either fell in the hands of the owner or Yenko himself.



 

69 COPO Camaro   

It’s true, the name strikes fear in the hearts of racers who dare to pull up next to one in the staging lanes. They dominated the Stock and Super Stock classes for a long time.


COPO stands for (Central Office Production Order) and this program was invented specifically to put competitive Camaros in those Stock and Super Stock classes. If you ordered a Camaro from the central office, the build sheet would go to the factory, and when the Camaro rolled off the factory line complete, whatever you asked to be installed would be installed and considered stock. With that being said, there was nothing IHRA or NHRA could do about excluding the cars from racing in stock classes.


Ultimately, it was Fred Gibb and Don Yenko that pushed Chevrolet into making this program happen. Chevy saw the need for competitive Camaros in these classes for the use of sponsorship and of course bragging rights. They were Camaros, they were stock, and they were Mustang and Mopar eaters for a long time at the track. The 427 big-blocks made 425-hp and 460-lb.-ft. of torque, they took home a lot of trophies.  

Last Note 

A lot of people believe the COPO division was designed for the 69 ZL1-Camaro and then squashed, and then brought back in 2013 for the Camaro again. But the General Motors COPO Division has been around since GM made fleet vehicles e.i. cop cars, taxis, tow trucks, etc. All vehicles that are ordered specially from a corporation, charity, a government, or something like that are considered specialty-made vehicles or COPO vehicles. (It wasn’t just a program made up for one of the baddest Camaros ever produced, the Camaros just stole the spotlight). 


  


 


Wednesday, October 16, 2013

2014 Z/28 Camaro - The Fastest Road Course Car Available?




Expected to be released in early spring - 2014, the Z/28 may be one of the best road course cars for the price tag it will have taped to the window. No exact number yet, but the price is expected to be right around the same amount as you would pay for one of the other performing Camaros that Chevy has in it's line-up.

The latest trip to the most grueling road course in the world, the Nürburgring, the Z/28 laid down numbers on a damp track that beat not only it's sibling, the ZL1, but also the Porsche 911 Carrera S and Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. 

The Camaro boasted a 7:37.40 lap time and Chevrolet believes that the time could improve by as much as four seconds depending on weather conditions. Not only was the track damp but toward the end of the lap it started to rain. 

This was a 24 hour test for the Camaro, so not only did it run this one lap to impress, but it also ran for 24 hours with breaks only to accommodate the the tires and brakes. A a test of endurance that Chevrolet has been doing to their sports cars since the early 1990s when their fastest car was a 300hp Corvette. 

300hp sounds quite soft apposed to this Z/28 that brings a 505hp 7.0 liter engine to the table. That power helps it get around the track as fast as it does. But Chevrolet claims the real secret to it's fast times is the frame that is 300 pounds lighter than the ZL1. The combination of horsepower and lightness gives the Camaro the ability for more efficient braking going into corners and faster alliteration coming out of corners. 

These cars are race ready - you can order a radio and an air condition for the Camaro, but Chevrolet has claimed they will not be standard. Regardless it's a peer race car ready for the track right off the showroom floor.