One-off Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro headed to auction block

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Chevy shocked the aftermarket world when it zapped into SEMA last year with its eCOPO Camaro, a concept car that amped up drag racers across the nation so much it hertz.

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One-off Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro headed to auction block Back to video

At the time, the eCOPO concept was based on the 2019 COPO (and not the hideous 2019 SS, thankfully) and driven by an electric motor providing the equivalent of more than 700 horsepower. With about 600 lb.-ft. of torque, Chevy estimated the thing could pull a quarter-mile in the nine-second range .

Now, the works of it is being auctioned off by Russo and Steele as part of the action at Monterey Car Week. The thing is an electrical tour de force, as the electric motor is based on a pair of Borg-Warner HVH 250-150 motor assemblies.

Each of them generate 300 lb.-ft. of torque and completely replaces the gas engine. It is connected to a conventional racing-prepared “Turbo 400” automatic transmission that channels the motor’s torque to the same solid rear axle used in the production COPO Camaro race cars.

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When it was being developed, Chevrolet partnered with Hancock and Lane Racing partly because of the team’s success in NHRA drag racing but also its involvement with Patrick McCue. You may recognize that name as a driving force behind the record-holding “Shock and Awe” electric drag racing car and his Seattle-area Bothell High School automotive technology program.

(It’s worth mentioning that, thanks to the latter, more than a dozen students participated in the development and assembly of the electrified drag car.)

It’s the Hancock and Lane connection that likely allows this eCOPO to appear on the auction block. The general understanding is that the racing company, not Chevy, actually owns the car, meaning it may not be GM who’s offering it for sale.

Russo and Steele plan to auction the eCOPO on Friday night around 8:45 pm, according to its website, and goes on to say the car has many unique parts other than its drivetrain, including a one-off hood and a copious number of special badges.

And, yes, the eCOPO does have a real VIN. Just don’t try to pull any funny stuff at the DMV .