COPO Camaro
COPO Camaro mikenewera

Automakers of late have been boasting respectable power output figures from turbocharged, direct-injection powerplants with displacements as small as 1.6 liters.

However, muscle car culture never fails to remind you that there's really no replacement for displacement. This week, a YouTube video shows off the rare COPO Camaro out stretching its legs in its natural habitat -- the drag strip.

Chevrolet had only begun delivery of its drag-spec pony car last week and only 69 examples will be sold nationwide. Let's quickly run through the most important specs and numbers: the 327 cubic-inch (5.3 liter) V8 with a 4.0 liter Whipple blower supercharger transfers 550-hp to the rear wheels right out of the box.

Equipped with enormous Hoosier drag tires, the COPO Camaro bit the pavement hard and pulled across the quarter-mile in a straight ludicrous 8.88-second run.

I can't be sure which one is more impressive -- is it the sheer, mind-bending speed or is it the fact that the performance is available straight from the factory?

Compared to the rivals Ford Mustang Cobra Jet and the Mopar Challenger Drag Pak, the COPO Camaro is untouchable. Cobra Jet recorded times under 10 secinds while the Challenger Drag Pak recorded a 9.43. Once again, the muscle car war is starting to get interesting.

As fast as the COPO Camaro is, the driver deserves recognition for a flawless launch as well. Check out the incredible 8.88 second run in the video below.