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1969 COPO Camaro drag races a 1972 Buick GS


In this article you're going to see a 1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro go up against a 1972 Buick GS. It is going to be hard to see either one lose this race because Chevy and GM both made great Muscle Cars back then, but in racing there can only be one WINNER and if you're not first, you're last. I would like to warn you before hand though, if you have GM running through your veins, this race will be hard to watch.

COPO's are very rare to see, let alone see one racing. However, one blessed owner brought one to this drag race event.

This beautiful orange Chevrolet COPO 427 featuring a cool " A COPA" license plate has a 427ci V8 Engine under the hood that pumps out a whopping 425-horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the most iconic and powerful muscle cars from it's era. This bad boy has a TH400 3-speed automatic transmission and 4.10 rear gears and weighs 3,526 pounds with the driver behind the wheel.


Fact: Only 1,015 1969 COPO Camaro's were made.

The Buick it not as powerful as the COPA 427, which does not come as a surprise since the car was built around the time emission regulations were required for Muscle cars to tune down the music of the V8. The 1972 Buick GS Stage 1 has a 455ci V8 Engine with 270-hp and has a Torque of 390 lb.-ft. The engine is also paired with a TH400 3-speed automatic transmission that delivers 3.42 gears in the rear just like the COPO 427. The Buick weighs 3,956 pounds including the driver behind the wheel, that is 430 pounds more than the COPO 427.


Fact: Only 728 GS Stage 1 Buicks were built in 1972.


Which classic muscle car will win this race?

The COPO 427 should be the WINNING car of the quarter-mile race based on the horsepower and weight differences between the cars and that is actually what the video confirms. In the video you can see that the Camaro is roughly two seconds or more faster than the Buick. Right from the starting line you can see that the Chevy is leaving the Buick in the dust. The COPA 427 continues to show it is more powerful down the strip until it hits the finish line. The Chevy recorded a 12.03-second run at 117.26 mph with the Buick following more than two seconds behind at 14.22 clicks. The Buick hit a trap speed of 96.47 mph down the strip.


For those who follow the COPA 427 and the driver behind it and you read the comparison between the two muscle cars, you will know that this COPO 427 was built for speed. The Camaro was designed for dealers who love to go fast, like Don Yenko for example, which got the car ready for those who loved to take their racing talents to the strip on the weekends.

So which one do you think will win? Keep reading to see the difference between the cars, and to watch the video below to find out. In this footage you won't only see the Camaro go up against the Buick, but you will see these two classic muscle cars go one on one with other classics as well, like the Buick vs 1970 Chevy Camaro Z28, the results are about the same as when it went up against the COPA 427. The COPO 427 is undefeated the bonus features show it going up against a 1969 Pontiac GTO and undertakes it by just one second.

This video is jam packed with action and some great finishes, take the time to watch the action by watching the video below.

This article was first on June 20, 2021

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