Dan Vaden Chevrolet Cadillac

With the new 2012 Camaro, Chevy proves that drivers seeking paramount safety need not sacrifice performance or sex appeal and settle for a dowdy soccer-mom car. Recently, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) put the pony car under its recently-revamped (and might we add harder-to-pass) series of crash tests. Since tightening their criteria earlier this year, the NHTSA has denied all 46 cars assessed a perfect five-star rating, across the board. That is, until the new Camaro.

We're not talking an overall rating either. Fourteen other models also have rights to that prestigious claim. What we're…

There's been a lot of talk about the forthcoming Chevy Camaro ZL1 as of late. But, there's a new Camaro concept in the gullwings that warrants attention, too. Calling upon a bygone era when Chevy could sneak a high-performance variant past the powers that be at GM, straight into discerning auto connoisseurs' hands, it's called the COPO (Central Officer Production Order) Camaro.  However, this highly-advanced model, designed to meet the stringent codes outlined by the NHRA Stock Eliminator drag racing competition, won't go unnoticed.

Designed to tear up the NHRA Eliminator tracks, leaving chunks of asphalt…