[jims69camaro]

well, i'm basically a car enthusiast. to dismiss the COPO the way you did as some kind of failure just shows you don't really understand what they did. they were the fleet line that built cop cars, taxis, etc., basically built-to-order cars. that's what i am talking about. maybe this discussion was more about style and less about performance? i'm talking about bringing back the build-to-order capability and slamming an LS2 into a solstice (assuming the engineers could make it fit). the nice thing about the early camaros is that they could accept whatever engine in the lineup - just change the motor mounts and mate it up to a transmission and you were done. that's why guys like gibbs, nickey, yenko and baldwin were able to build cars in their dealership. then they found out that the cars could be ordered that way from the factory, via the COPO division, and that's when you learned about the 69 cars being produced. how many cars were custom tailored in these guys' service shops? no one knows for sure, but if you have a plain-jane exterior and a 454 under the hood, chances are one of those dealerships built the car. trust me, this is under heavy discussion in the first gen groups, as it's not easy to document and if the car doesn't have the original paperwork (who knew back then to save the window sticker?) or the build sheet, it's not believed.

what i am saying is give us back the ability to build our own cars. that would sell more cars, IMO, because imagine the highest output engine in the lightest chassis... and having enough wherewithall to carve the sharpest corners AND look good at the cruise nights. far more enthusiasts would forget about the good old days and get off their butts to buy a new car. again, just my humble opinion. why else would the CTS-V and the z06 be so popular among the baby boomers that have disposible income? if we're talking dollars and cents for the car producers...