GM Performance Division

Chevrolet Performance is an automotive performance parts brand that sells everything from camshafts and cylinder heads to high-performance crate engines and high-performance vehicles. It was founded in 1967 to support the Trans-Am Camaro race teams. Chevrolet Performance was formed as a way to support all the various Trans Am teams across the United States, but the brand saw enough of a demand to start selling the high-performance parts to the general public. Today, Chevrolet Performance not only sells performance parts, but also helps develop Chevrolet’s high-performance vehicles and supports teams in nearly every form of automotive racing.

In 1967, General Motors had a meeting to discuss the factory support needed for the various Trans Am racing teams that GM supported, including Penske Racing. Initially not meant to be sold to the public, Chevrolet saw the opportunity to sell them to a growing number of automotive enthusiasts who wanted them for their vehicles. And from that meeting GM Performance Parts was born.

The next two years played an integral role in the development of the company, with the release of the iconic third-generation Corvette in 1968 and the COPO Camaro in 1969. These models brought the 427 engine to market, which allowed Chevrolet to package them as crate engines, a concept the company conceived itself. The brand could then sell them individually for installation in any GM vehicle-based project.

The year 1970 saw GM’s return to NASCAR®, which put GM Performance Parts in the national spotlight. The company backed every Chevrolet-powered NASCAR team in the field and shipped the parts to the teams’ local Chevrolet dealerships to alleviate the storage and distribution issues. The company’s biggest boost came from its association with Junior Johnson, whose team won three straight titles in 1976, ’77, and ’78. That is until Dale Earnhardt’s car featured the GM Performance Parts logo on his #3 Winston Cup car.

The 1980s saw another big boost of visibility for the brand, with GM bringing an 18-wheeler trailer to many of the big races and car shows around the country, offering parts for sale right on site, as well as onsite company representatives to offer guidance for customers’ projects. The brand also made its way into NHRA Drag Racing by sponsoring Warren Johnson, whose multiple Pro Stock championships put the brand at the forefront to a new demographic of customers. In 1989, the first standalone catalog was offered, making it easier than ever to purchase crate engines and performance parts and have them delivered to customers’ doorsteps.

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Wikipedia