2018 COPO Camaro Debuts Ahead of SEMA

The COPO Camaro will make its grand introduction next week as SEMA, but the vital details are available now.

Last week, Chevrolet Performance teased the 2018 COPO Camaro, promising more information on October 30^th. The SEMA Show just so happens to fall on the week of October 30^th, so it seemed likely that the new COPO Camaro would debut at SEMA. However, yesterday at the Hot Wheels headquarters in El Segundo, California, Chevrolet pulled the sheets off of the 2018 COPO Camaro drag racing package.

“The introduction of a new COPO Camaro is always exciting and the new engine and Hot Wheels package expand choices for customers,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Chevrolet has supported Camaro drag racers for more than 50 years and the historic COPO Camaro program continues to offer them more ways to win.”

The 2018 COPO Camaro

On paper, the 2018 COPO Camaro isn’t all that different from the 2016 models. The newest race-ready Camaro will be limited to just 69 units and it has the same standard feature list as the previous version, with all of the items needed to run in the NHRA Stock classes. This includes a 3-speed racing transmission, a suspension setup designed for optimal drag racing performance, a solid rear axle assembly, lightweight brakes and a hefty weight reduction effort (when compared to the road-going Camaros).

Like the 2016 package, the new Camaro drag racer comes with three different engines. The two most powerful engines are the same LS-based mills that were available for 2016, with a naturally aspirated, 427 cubic inch V8 and a supercharged 350. Where the 2018 car differs is in its “base” engine, as the 6.2L LT1-based engine from the 2016 COPO package is gone and in its place is a 302 cubic inch. This new engine is still based on the LT1, but the smaller displacement should lead to a higher-revving engine that better caters to the world of drag racing.

Hot Wheels COPO Camaro

The other unique feature of the 2018 drag-ready Camaro is the available Hot Wheels Appearance Package, which was why the new drag racing package was introduced at the Hot Wheels headquarters. The Camaro was the first production car featured when Hot Wheels hit the market back in 1968, so with the arrival of the 2018 Hot Wheels, Chevrolet and Mattel have teamed up to create the 2018 Camaro Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary Edition. That package is specifically for the Camaro road cars, but the race car also gets a Hot Wheels package, with the unmistakable “Supercrush” orange paint and Satin Graphite racing stripes.

Each year, the Camaro track car has come with a unique exterior appearance package, but the 2018 Hot Wheels Edition COPO Camaro might be the coolest factory-built drag racing package ever. Eight-second quarter mile times aside, it just looks wicked.

Register to Buy a 2018 COPO Camaro Now

Each year, Chevrolet Performance only offers 69 examples of the Camaro drag racing package, making these cars very difficult to get. To make the allocation process as fair as possible, Chevrolet has a registration program which asks interested buyers to supply all of their information between now and November 30^th. Once the registration process has ended, an independent third party will select the 69 individuals who will get to buy a new COPO car. Pricing expected to be in the range of $90,000-110,000.

Click here to visit the registration page for the 2018 COPO Camaro.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com