Camaro ZL1 Coupe

Make
Chevrolet
Segment
Coupe

Last month, the all-electric, one-off eCOPO Camaro drag racer, first revealed at SEMA last year, hit the stage at the Monterey Car Week auction. Auction house Russo and Steele estimated the electric COPO Camaro would sell anywhere from $425,000 to $525,000. Sound a bit steep? It was, and it's now been confirmed this one-off next-generation drag racer failed to sell. Muscle Cars and Trucks reached out to the auction house after noticing the Monterey auction did not provide a final sales number for this specific offering. Russo and Steele thus confirmed its failure to find a buyer. Are we surprised? Somewhat, yes.

Remember, the eCOPO Camaro is capable of doing the quarter-mile in only 9.51 seconds at 140 mph. Yes, that is faster than a Dodge Demon. With over 700 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque, the car lacks a typical V8 and replaces it with an 800-volt electric motor. There are also four 200-volt batteries located throughout the car, such in the rear seat and spare tire section.

Even with this electrification, the eCOPO Camaro still retains the regular COPO Camaro's T400 transmission, drivetrain, and suspension. Hancock and Lane Racing co-developed the car with Chevrolet and opted to sell it, or at least it tried to. So the question is this: why didn't this sell? Was it too expensive? Not really, considering it's a one-off with advanced electrification technology and insanely fast performance times.

The likely reason is this: the drag racing world isn't ready for EVs, no matter how fast and powerful they are. Heck, the entire pony car community may not be overly enthusiastic for electrification. Hard to blame them, honestly, considering that the eCOPO Camaro, despite its appearance and performance specs, doesn't sound like a typical V8-powered drag racer. It sounds more like a high-powered vacuum cleaner.

Is this an indicator that the muscle car, in general, is not in favor of electric motors? It's possible. Ford is planning a hybrid Mustang in the relatively near future, but, the Camaro's long-term future remains uncertain. Apparently, Chevrolet has not decided yet whether the seventh-gen Camaro will go hybrid or go beyond with an all-electric powertrain. The eCOPO Camaro's failure to sell could very well be a warning sign.