Brian Henderson and Joe Swezey are co-proprietors of Super Car Workshop in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The twosome has owned and operated the shop for nearly three decades. Their specialty: Bringing big power GM muscle cars back to the streets where they belong. High on their lists is Chevy’s F-body platform and the top performance models that GM pushed out over the glory years of factory-built muscle cars.

Both guys will tell you that Chevrolet’s COPO program has left an indelible mark on the duo. With their lowkey, sleeper aesthetics, and their big power mills under their respective hoods, the dudes just can’t stop smilin’ when a needy COPO rolls into their shop. “The COPO Camaro is without a doubt the thing that muscle car dreams are made of. It’s got the right look, and of course a killer performance package. It’s a top-tier performer in every sense of the word,” Henderson states.

So here are two splendiferous examples of Chevy’s COPO F-body for your viewing pleasure. Each was bought with high performance in mind but used by their owners in totally different ways. One common denominator is the fact they are true factory COPOs and both restored by Swezey and Henderson at Super Car Workshop.

The story goes that the original engine let go back in the day and was damaged by a broken connecting rod. It then took the cam out, being snapped between the number one and number two cam bearings, thus breaking off a lobe. That piece in turn damaged the cam tunnel on the number one cylinder and managed to injure the engine’s water jacket. A replacement engine was brought in and installed to keep the car on the road, while the damaged L72 427 block stayed with the car, the owner placing it back in the garage for safe keeping.

Super Car Workshop continued to work on the car under its new ownership. Once finished, this stunning COPO was brought to MCACN and judged alongside other COPO rides. “The judges were hard on this car because of the replacement block. It only lost 1 point on the rest of the restoration. Tom decided then and there that he wanted the original block repaired and put in the car. So, we had the block furnace welded, which is the best possible way to repair damage like this,” Brian states. It was done to perfection at Indy Cylinder in Indianapolis.”

“I love that there are a lot of rare options on the car, like the front and rear spoilers, Endura bumper, and X11-style trim. I drive the car using 110-octane leaded fuel and it runs great. I just want to say that Super Car Workshop did a fantastic job on the restoration. I couldn’t be happier,” Tom says.

’69 Garnet Red COPO

Visually, it’s easy to see that this COPO was built for a life on the strip. The original hood was ditched for an early Moroso Pro Stock hood. Out back, a set of Mickey Thompson slicks are wrapped around a pair of 15×8 Motor Wheel Flys, while up front 15×4 Flys are shod in Moroso Drag Specials in 7.10×15. A ladder bar suspension helps keep the traction out back, frame connectors add some stiffness, and a Dana 60 with 4.10 gears puts the power to the pavement.

Originally, this ride was built with the COPO 9737 Sportscar Conversion/Yenko package, which consists of the 140-mph speedo, ¹³/₁₆-inch front sway bar, and E70-15 tires mounted on “YH” Rally wheels. Currently, it sports a Sun tach with Stewart-Warner gauges, Hurst Ram Rod shifter, and an eight-point rollcage built around its rare and restored 718 code red standard interior. Like stated before, this car was built to hit the track, and it ended up making a multitude of runs over its years on call.

When the second owner purchased the car, it had a fiberglass front end on it for racing, along with wheeltubs out back. “I own several other COPO Camaros, including one of the few factory-born and bred ZL1 cars,” Tim mentions. “That is a red-on-red car, which was the only one built in this color combo. The previous owner got to see the car finished at the GM Nationals in Carlisle. I enjoy showing the cars but love driving them even more. There’s nothing better than shredding the tires in a COPO Camaro.”

“We here at Super Car Workshop enjoy looking for real Day Two parts,” Swezey maintains. “Not the stuff that is made today to mimic some of the old speed parts, but the real-deal vintage pieces. The quality back then was so much better. Sure, it takes longer to find these old speed parts, but it makes all the difference in the world to the purists. We definitely work for the 1 percenters.”