Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro Electric Drag Racer Concept Headed to Auction

Last October, Chevrolet introduced an electric Camaro at the annual SEMA trade show. Officially titled the eCOPO Camaro — inspired by the special-ordered muscle cars from 1969 — it was built to drag race. But it was a concept car, and after making headlines we expected it to fade into obscurity.

Folks, the eCOPO has reared its head in the most unexpected of places; it’s headed to auction this Friday during Monterey Car Week courtesy of Russo and Steele.

This is big news for two reasons: the eCOPO is the only official electric Camaro out there (not to mention the only factory-built electric Camaro drag racer), and concept cars are not normally offered to the public, especially so close to their debut.

So what gives? First, you have to know that General Motors didn’t build this car alone. It was made in partnership with an electric drag racing team (yes, those exist) by the name of Hancock and Lane Racing. As CNET explains, “It’s understood Chevy doesn’t actually own the eCOPO Camaro, since it was developed in partnership with Hancock and Lane Racing. Thus, Chevy may not actually be the company putting the electric drag racer up for auction.”

If that’s the case, then this whole situation makes a lot more sense. But Russo and Steele’s listing doesn’t offer a lot of details, so it’s not quite clear. What is clear are all the engineering details we learned about over the last year: the eCOPO packs four 200 volt batteries, two BorgWarner electric motors and a conventional Turbo 400 automatic transmission.

As for power output, we’re talking the equivalent of 700 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque. Its fastest quarter mile, according to the listing, is 9.51 seconds. But watch it in action below running one at 9.8:

Oh, we almost forgot the best thing of all: it’s got a VIN. So while we’re not 100% sure it’s street legal, that’s at least one good sign, and interested buyers should definitely ask about that before bidding this Friday.

Editor’s Note: RealClearLife, a news and lifestyle publisher, is now a part of InsideHook. Together, we’ll be covering current events, pop culture, sports, travel, health and the world. Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.