In 2011, Chevrolet Performance unveiled its reintroduced COPO Camaro concept car at the 2011 SEMA show. The overwhelmingly positive response from racing enthusiasts led to the decision to produce a limited production run. Every year between 2012 and 2023, they made 69 COPO Camaros. There were several different engine choices over the years, from LS to LT to big-blocks, and the supercharged 350 LSX engine option produced the most power of the LS engine options, maybe of them all.

2023 COPO Camaro number 67 out of 69 for the final year at PRI.

The Lesser-Known LSX

The supercharged 350 LSX is aimed directly at the NHRA Stock Eliminator class. Using the Chevrolet Performance LSX iron bowtie block as a base, this COPO-exclusive LS packs some unique parts to go with the punch. For starters, you might read 350 cubic inches and think it might be an LSX version of the LS1’s bore and stroke. But this LSX has Mahle 2618 forged pistons in the LS3’s 4.065-inch bore mated to a custom Callies Dragon Slayer 4340 forged crankshaft with a 3.370-inch stroke and Callies Ultra Rods in between.

With a bullet proof foundation, this 350 cubic inch LSX can handle anything that Magnuson can throw at it.

Sandwiched between this bullet-proof short-block and the monster supercharger is a pair of Chevrolet Performance, CNC-ported LSX-SC heads with 2.205-inch titanium intake valves and 1.615-inch sodium-filled exhaust valves actuated by a custom Comp cam. That mammoth blower is a Magnuson 2650 that draws in air through a 109mm throttle body.

SDPC Raceshop in-house genius Rick Sanchez swaps the rear cog pulleys for more boost.

What makes this engine so special is that it was the very last 350 LSX COPO produced for the COPO Camaro program, serial number 67 out of the final 69 units for the 2023 model year. The COPO Camaro this engine was installed in was at Scoggin Dickey’s booth at PRI last year, and now it’s on their engine dyno for dyno testing.

You can change the pulley sizes on the accessory drive like most supercharger systems, but changing the cog drive at the rear of the supercharger is quicker and easier.

Cranking Up The Boost

Swapping the cogs on the back of the belt drive system ups the boost from 10.5 psi to over 13 psi, and allows for more power to be run in a different class. On 10.5 pounds of boost, the 350 LSX made 1,004 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 721 pound-feet of torque at 6,600 rpm. On 13 psi, it pumped out over one hundred more ponies to make 1,110 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 791 pound-feet of torque at 6,600 rpm.

The team at SDPC Raceshop isn’t done with this 350 cubic inch LSX. They’re looking at pushing it further in the future, as it made great power on only 10.5 psi and added over one hundred horsepower by adding just 2.5 psi more. If the 350 LSX COPO can run in the 8s unmodified, imagine how fast it can go with more boost.