Chevrolet is producing a limited run of 69 COPO Camaro racecars for 2016, and, for the second year in a row, the first one will be auctioned for charity. Designed for the NHRA’s Stock and Super Stock Eliminator classes, the 2016 COPO Camaro makes its debut at the 2015 SEMA show in Las Vegas.
Chevrolet first resurrected the COPO name back in 2012, when the bow-tie brand decided to pit its then fifth-generation Camaro against the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak and the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet on the drag strip. Now in it’s sixth generation, the latest COPO Camaro reaps the benefits of the new lighter and stronger design, the COPO’s body-in-white structure yielding a savings of 133 pounds. Structural rigidly is improved too, up by a claimed 28 percent thanks to extensive computer-aided engineering. Chevy says the aerodynamics of the new COPO car are superior to those of the fifth-gen COPO, but hasn’t published any data yet.
As with the previous COPO Camaros, the chassis and suspension are tuned for drag-strip duty. Up front is a lightweight, adjustable strut-type suspension, an unassisted rack and pinion steering system, while a four-link setup with adjustable coil-overs, a Panhard bar, and a stabilizer bar handle the duties in the rear; wheelie bars keep the nose from going airborne. To handle the hard-core abuse, the COPO ditches the production Camaro’s independent rear axle, replacing it with a solid unit with an aluminum center section featuring a spool-type diff and 40-spline, gun-drilled axle shafts. Weld lightweight racing wheels and Goodyear racing tires are utilized for rolling stock, and lightweight, racing-type, unassisted four-wheel disc brakes are supplemented by a parachute to bring the COPO back to a halt.
Engine choices for the latest COPO Camaro are predicated on the buyer’s intended class of competition, so Chevy makes a variety of supercharged and naturally aspirated LS- and LT-family engines available: a supercharged 350 (5.7-liter), a naturally aspirated 427 (7.0-liter), and an all-new LT-based 376 (6.2-liter). All three come backed by a racing-prepped Turbo 400 three-speed automatic transmission; fueling is handled by a fuel cell with a built-in high-pressure fuel pump.
As you might as expect, each COPO Camaro racecar is built by hand, and that includes the number-one car, which will be auctioned for charity at an upcoming Barret-Jackson sale, with the proceeds going to the Untied Way. Designed by drag racer Courtney Force, the charity car features bright red livery and Force’s signature slash marks towards the back. In addition to the NHRA-certified chrome-moly roll cage and five-point safety harnesses, the charity car comes with Courtney Force’s signature and the COPO logo on the lightweight racing bucket seats.
As before, would-be buyers must register at http://ift.tt/1Wus5PH. An independent third-party will randomly select purchasers from the pool of interested customers to determine which of the 69 individuals are worthy of purchasing a 2016 COPO Camaro race car.
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