- Chevrolet
- Chevrolet Camaro
- muscle cars
- coupe
- auto shows
- 2016
For the sixth straight year since Chevrolet unveiled the sixth-generation Camaro, the automaker is building the COPO Camaro, the limited-run drag racer that’s eligible to compete in the NHRA’s Stock Eliminator classes. Just as important, the first edition of the 2017 COPO Camaro – serial number 01 of 69 – will be auctioned off at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction in January 2017.
Judging by how much previous versions of the COPO Camaro have fetched in similar auctions, expectations are high that the 2017 model will fetch a higher price. That’s a big bar to clear considering that last year’s model sold for $300,000, and that’s not even the biggest amount paid for a COPO Camaro. That distinction belongs to the 2014 model, which NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick won with a whopping bid of $700,000.
Like its past incarnations, the 2017 version of the COPO Camaro comes loaded with race-specific features, including a racing chassis, an adjustable coil-over strut front suspension, a four-link rear suspension with double-adjustable coil-over shocks, and a reworked rear axle with an aluminum center section. In other words, the 2017 COPO Camaro is built for the drag strip. It’s unclear what kind of engine the first-production COPO Camaro will get, but succeeding models, or those that will be made available to the public will have a choice of naturally aspirated and supercharged engines, including a supercharged 5.7-liter, a naturally aspirated 7.0-liter, and a direct-injected 6.2-liter. Each engine will come with a three-speed automatic transmission.
Chevrolet has yet to release pricing details for the production COPO Camaros, but each model is traditionally priced at around $100,000. Don’t expect the first production version to sell at that number though.
Continue after the jump to read the full story.
These bad boys always fetch a premium
If you’ve been following the recent timeline of the Chevrolet COPO Camaro, you know that the models that are auctioned off fetch big sums of money, no matter what variant they came in. Check out the breakdown below of all COPO Camaro variants that have been auctioned off and the price they sold for.
- 2012 Chevrolet COPO Camaro Convertible #69 out of 69 - $400,000
- 2014 Chevrolet COPO Camaro #1 out of 69 - $700,000
- 2015 Chevrolet COPO Camaro #1 out of 69 - $400,000
- 2016 Chevrolet COPO Camaro #1 out of 69 - $300,000
Those prices should give you an idea on how much the 2017 COPO Camaro #1 out of 69 will go for when it crosses the auction block in January. Just as important, “standard” COPO Camaros have also fetched premium prices in these types of auctions. One particular example is a 2013 model that was built by Richard Rawlings from Gas Monkey Garage at the GM Factory. That one fetched a cool $137,500 in 2013, and that was #41 out of 69.
I don’t know for sure how much the 2017 model is going to go for, but if recent history is any indication $300,000 would be a conservative estimate, and that’s assuming Rick Hendrick isn’t a part of the auction. If he’s there, well, throw those estimates away because the auction would immediately become far more interesting.
Press Release
The 2017 COPO Camaro program extends the production legacy that was re-started in 2012 and based on the special-order high-performance Camaro models created in 1969 to win on the drag strip.
Chevrolet’s 2017 COPO Camaro show car — serial number 01 of 69 — was introduced today and features a supercharged 350 engine, custom Weld racing wheels and a unique “anodized” concept version of the production Hyper Blue Metallic exterior color. It will be sold at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction in January 2017, with proceeds to benefit United Way.
Like the previous editions, the 2017 COPO Camaro is designed for NHRA’s Stock Eliminator classes. The production race __cars are fitted with racing chassis and suspension components, including a unique solid rear axle system in place of a regular-production Camaro’s independent rear axle.
Additional details include:
Lightweight, adjustable coil-over strut front suspension
Four-link rear suspension with double-adjustable coil-over shocks, Panhard bar and stabilizer bar
Rear axle with an aluminum center section featuring a lightweight steel spool and 40-spline gun-drilled axle shafts
Lightweight, drag-race manual four-wheel disc brakes (unassisted)
Custom manual steering rack
Fuel cell with built-in high-pressure fuel pump
Unique racing wire harness
When it comes to horsepower, racers can select from a variety of supercharged and naturally aspirated LS- and LT-family engines, including a supercharged 350 (5.7L), a naturally aspirated 427 (7.0L) engine and an LT-based, direct-injected 376 (6.2L) engine. The engines are backed by an SFI-approved ATI TH400 three-speed automatic transmission.
Each COPO Camaro race car is built by hand starting with production hardware, including the same body-in-white used for production models.
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