COPO testing w/Cal Hartline - for you Chevy fans!

[Nick Micale]

Cal was hired to help tune the COPO Camaro in Florida after the PRI show in December.

If you watch closely, you will see Cal in this clip:

Chevy releases COPO Camaro concept drag racing featurette

 

[gnxtc2]

Saw him a few times: 0:30 and 1:31-1:33

and I could've went.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[toofastforyou]

I don't like those "COPO" cars or any other brand-new factory built race cars because unless you're a big name racer, you can do or say whatever you want, they simply won't sell you one. It's also unfair to have these cars to compete against the other "regular" or small guy racers who either can't afford such cars or as I said earlier, do not "qualify" to buy one.

Claude.

 

[HighPSI]

Thanks for posting the link, Nick! I was told there was a video out there, but hadn't seen it.

This was a great opportunity for me. The car was very impressive and the GM guys were great to work with. In fact, I can't thank GM Perfomance Division enough for letting me get my hands in such a cool project.

I was suprised by toofastforyou's response. These NHRA class cars, just like heads-up racing, have never been for the budget racers. If you have enough money, I'll bet you can buy one. Everything has a price

I have a feeling I may have my laptop plugged into a couple more of those COPO's as they get released :biggrin:

 

[grey racer]

Good for you Cal.... when you have the knowledge through hard work and many years of trial and error and the opportunity to work for GM Performance is offered, go for it !!!
Sounds like sour grapes from Mr. TooFastForYou....Dude, you have a 9sec Buick, that ain't to shabby.... Hello !!!!!

 

[John Wilde]

I would to see Cal get his hands on some other domestic iron soon.
With downsizing of engines and forced induction being the waves of the future, he is a good guy to know!

 

[XXQUICK6XX]

I feel they picked the right person to help with tuning. I feel Cal's on of the best out there.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

????

Cal, are the COPO cars equipped with the production PCM and attending parts?
If it is, what tuning suite did you use?

Does this mean you will begin autographing shirts, etc????

 

[Dreamn4GN]

What are these COPO's supposed to match up with the 2013 gt500 with 650hp?? Im really not a fan of the new camaro's . I feel Ford did a better job with the mustang on the re creation part.. nice car for sure tho

 

[ttypewhite]

I feel they picked the right person to help with tuning. I feel Cal's on of the best out there.

X2, its good to see Cal spread his wings in other avenues outside the Buick community. Such a talent should be exposed in all brands/makes of motorsports. Congrats chief.

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Congrats dude

What times did the cars run?

 

[HighPSI]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Cal, are the COPO cars equipped with the production PCM and attending parts?
If it is, what tuning suite did you use?

It had a stock PCM that had the tune locked. We swapped in an unlocked box and I used HP Tuner. I was originally told it had an aftermarket box, but found out later it didn't. GM expects a LOT of owners to switch out the throttlebody (get rid of drive by wire) and swap in an aftermarket box.

What times did the cars run?

It ran mid-high 9's with more left in it.

 

[HighPSI]

What are these COPO's supposed to match up with the 2013 gt500 with 650hp?? Im really not a fan of the new camaro's . I feel Ford did a better job with the mustang on the re creation part.. nice car for sure tho

They are designed to compete with the Mopar Drag Pack and the Ford Cobra Jet in NHRA stock eliminator. These are NOT street cars. They come with fuel cells, NHRA certifierd cages, etc..

 

[machinegun]

Not street cars, yeah like that will fly.

Good to hear about swapping in a stocker PCM and run your own tune. That is good to hear.

Just FYI I love the hp tuners suite and use it quite a bit.

I got it originally due to its support of the blower 3800's

I have been able to get some good results with the newer cars without a lot of changes.

Now all I need is dyno, and a place to put it.

Oh by the way congratulations.

 

[toofastforyou]

I was suprised by toofastforyou's response. These NHRA class cars, just like heads-up racing, have never been for the budget racers. If you have enough money, I'll bet you can buy one. Everything has a price

Cal, maybe "everything has a price" like you say, but the last straw is when they find out you're Canadian...They generally don't even want to hear about you and will find a multitude of excuses for not letting you have such a car. You simply don't have enough "prestige" for them.
I know the costs of campaigning an NHRA class car, having raced in the Super Stock category with a Chevelle and a Camaro...(ask our friend Martin...he knows about me). The skyrocketing costs were one of the reasons why I quit. There was no fun anymore having to race against guys with a seemingly unlimited budget, knowing that you were likely to be "on the trailer" after the first round of eliminations. To me, the "stock" classes were the little guy's classes in which they were doing their beginnings in drag racing, but that isn't the case anymore since several big name racers downgraded from the "modified" or "super stock" ranks back into the "stock" classes, ending the little guy's reign and this is the main reason why I find it unfair to have these factory race cars to compete with the little guy racers.
Funnily, when I quit NHRA class racing, I decided to have fun with my Buick, but little did I know that 25 years down the road, I'd be spending as much on my Buick as I was spending on my NHRA car!!...:biggrin:

Take care,

Claude.

 

[turbofabricator]

Great Job as always, Cal.