CAMAROFACTS Field guide · 1967–2024

Model year · Fifth Generation

2012 Camaro

Two legend names return

The ZL1 comes back (supercharged, 580 hp) and the modern COPO drag program begins.

Black 2012 Camaro ZL1
2012 Camaro ZL1 Photo: Ssu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The ZL1 name — dormant since the 69-unit 1969 COPO — returned as a supercharged 6.2 L (580 hp) regular production model. Reportedly it was going to be badged Z/28 until GM felt a blown grand-tourer didn't fit that name. Simultaneously Chevrolet revived COPO as an annual factory-built, race-only drag special — 69 cars for 2012, a deliberate callback to the 1969 count. 2012 also brought a 45th Anniversary edition.

For this model year, CamaroFacts separates documented changes from production totals that remain secondary or unresolved. The engine, identification, and confidence notes below are intended to make those boundaries visible instead of smoothing them into a single unsupported narrative.

Why it matters

The ZL1 comes back (supercharged, 580 hp) and the modern COPO drag program begins.

Engines

  • 3.6 L V6
  • 6.2 L L99/LS3 V8 (SS)
  • 6.2 L supercharged LSA (ZL1)

Identification

  • ZL1 vented hood and badging
  • 45th Anniversary Carbon Flash Metallic + stripes

Open questions

Still unresolved:
  • Exact 2012 ZL1 and 45th Anniversary counts not located

Research basis

Sources are linked at the page level so the model-year claims can be checked against their research foundation.