Regular Production Option
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A Regular Production Option is a General Motors standard coding for vehicle configuration options. These codes are combinations of 3 alphanumeric characters and refer to a specific option or modification to the vehicle. These codes signify how the vehicle is built during production and thus the specific configuration of a vehicle as it exits the factory up to and including the paint color can be described by specifying the base model and the complete list of RPO codes used during production. Even a vehicle with no extra-cost options at all will have some RPOs as the engine and paint color are always specified.
[edit] Well-known RPO codes
Most RPO codes are particular to a single vehicle and indicate relatively mundane items like the color or configuration of the seats installed in the vehicle. Some RPO codes however are used across a range of vehicles and may become recognizable to those who with an interest in automobiles. One class of these is engine RPO codes. Since engines are commonly used in multiple vehicles, an engine RPO code may become common shorthand. This is often the case with General Motors’ versatile small-block V8 engines such as the LS2.
A few RPO codes have become notable enough that they have been used as model names. The Camaro Z28 name came from an option code which specified a performance-oriented configuration. This happened again with the Corvette Z06 models. Although most RPO codes that are promoted to model names are speed-oriented codes, the Z71 off-road suspension code for trucks became notable enough that the code was promoted to a model name, turned into a logo and painted onto the rear quarter panel of vehicles with the Z71 package.
