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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Camaro ZL1 At Barrett-Jackson
One of just 69 original 1969 COPO cars with aluminum 427 engines, this restored silver beauty would be the highlight of any GM collection.
The 1969 Camaro ZL1 was a back-door deal between motorsports enthusiasts in GM's COPO fleet division and an Illinois Chevy dealer. (Photo: Barrett-Jackson)
The 1969 COPO Camaro ZL1 is the “crown jewel” of GM Muscle cars, an aluminum-block 427 racing machine with only 69 ever built in connection with a back-door deal between Chevrolet’s fleet division and an Illinois car dealer named Fred Gibb.
It became the terror of the drag strip as it set out to blow the doors off the Mopars and Mustangs that had previously ruled. Today, the rarity of the purpose-built ZL1, as well as its stunning performance, makes this handful of very special Camaros some of the most sought-after Muscle cars in existence.
The silver COPO Camaro ZL1 (Lot #5010) that’s being offered at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction has been brought back to pristine original condition as it came from the factory, says the consignor, veteran car collector and new-car dealer George Lyons of Erie, Pa. After spending its early life as a modified drag racer, the car has undergone an extensive and expensive restoration using mainly new-old-stock parts rather than reproduction pieces, resulting in a perfect time-warp Camaro ZL1 with full documentation.
“It is a spectacular restoration,” Lyons said, adding that he’s uncertain who performed the work before he bought it, but that it was done right all the way down the line. “It’s been driven only a few miles since it was completed.”
Unlike most Muscle cars of the era, the ‘69 Camaro ZL1 looks like something that Granny might drive, unadorned by special paint or graphics, sitting on steel wheels with dog-dish hubcaps and with a base-model interior that doesn’t even have a console or radio.
“It’s the cheapest basic Camaro interior,” Lyons said. “They were pretty much made with the intention of turning them into drag-race cars.”
The magic comes when you light up that huge powerplant and blast down the track or a deserted back road. The restorer stayed true to the original intent, Lyons added, resisting any urge to upgrade or modify.
COPO, which stands for the rather unexciting GM designation of Central Office Production Order, was a way for the giant automaker’s racing-enthusiast insiders to sneak high-performance option packages to selected dealers of similar bent, something that GM management frowned upon. The original function of the COPO group was to create special-order vehicles for government fleets, taxi companies and the like, not to produce outrageous factory hot rods.
Tapping into the COPO system required some inside knowledge, and former AHRA drag racer Gibb knew how to get it done. The way past the GM bureaucracy was by placing an order through COPO for 50 Camaros with the all-aluminum, 425-horsepower 427cid V8s, plus GM’s new cold-air hood, heavy-duty cooling, transistor ignition and a special rear axle.
The cars were equipped with performance tires and could be had either with the then-new Turbo Hydromatic 400 automatic transmission or a variety of Muncie 4-speeds. Thus was born the legendary ZL1 Camaro.
“Fred Gibb is the reason these cars were built, there’s no doubt about that at all,” Lyons added.
It became the terror of the drag strip as it set out to blow the doors off the Mopars and Mustangs that had previously ruled. Today, the rarity of the purpose-built ZL1, as well as its stunning performance, makes this handful of very special Camaros some of the most sought-after Muscle cars in existence.
The silver COPO Camaro ZL1 (Lot #5010) that’s being offered at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction has been brought back to pristine original condition as it came from the factory, says the consignor, veteran car collector and new-car dealer George Lyons of Erie, Pa. After spending its early life as a modified drag racer, the car has undergone an extensive and expensive restoration using mainly new-old-stock parts rather than reproduction pieces, resulting in a perfect time-warp Camaro ZL1 with full documentation.
“It is a spectacular restoration,” Lyons said, adding that he’s uncertain who performed the work before he bought it, but that it was done right all the way down the line. “It’s been driven only a few miles since it was completed.”
Unlike most Muscle cars of the era, the ‘69 Camaro ZL1 looks like something that Granny might drive, unadorned by special paint or graphics, sitting on steel wheels with dog-dish hubcaps and with a base-model interior that doesn’t even have a console or radio.
“It’s the cheapest basic Camaro interior,” Lyons said. “They were pretty much made with the intention of turning them into drag-race cars.”
The magic comes when you light up that huge powerplant and blast down the track or a deserted back road. The restorer stayed true to the original intent, Lyons added, resisting any urge to upgrade or modify.
COPO, which stands for the rather unexciting GM designation of Central Office Production Order, was a way for the giant automaker’s racing-enthusiast insiders to sneak high-performance option packages to selected dealers of similar bent, something that GM management frowned upon. The original function of the COPO group was to create special-order vehicles for government fleets, taxi companies and the like, not to produce outrageous factory hot rods.
Tapping into the COPO system required some inside knowledge, and former AHRA drag racer Gibb knew how to get it done. The way past the GM bureaucracy was by placing an order through COPO for 50 Camaros with the all-aluminum, 425-horsepower 427cid V8s, plus GM’s new cold-air hood, heavy-duty cooling, transistor ignition and a special rear axle.
The cars were equipped with performance tires and could be had either with the then-new Turbo Hydromatic 400 automatic transmission or a variety of Muncie 4-speeds. Thus was born the legendary ZL1 Camaro.
“Fred Gibb is the reason these cars were built, there’s no doubt about that at all,” Lyons added.
Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Parade
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