69 ZL1?

[cyberLS]

Never knew they made the ZL1's back in 1969, i was looking over a poster of all the past camaros that my dad had and they showed a rare camaro.

[Mr. Wyndham]

They made 69 COPO (Central Office Production Order) Camaros with the ZL1-designated engines back then. It was a 427 aluminum monster of an engine, and very advanced for its day.

Those were impressive cars. I'd love to have the chance to just sit in an authentic one...

[Fightinfire921]

Here's the information on the 1969 ZL1.
CRG

http://www.camaros.org/copo.shtml

[Evil35th]

Cars with the COPO# 's 9560 and 9561 are the rare 69 cars

[GoldenBear]

Originally Posted by Evil35th

Cars with the COPO# 's 9560 and 9561 are the rare 69 cars

Actually, the 9560 COPOs were the 69 1969 Camaros produced with the aluminum block ZL1 427 CID engine.

The 1969 9561 COPOs were produced with the iron block L72 427 CID engine, and at this time I don't believe that it is known exactly how many 1969 9561 COPOs were produced, but it is know that just over one thousand 1969 9561 L72 COPO engines were produced.

The 9560 COPO listed for about $7,200, which was outrageously expensive for a Camaro in 1969, as the base price for the Camaro was $2,727, while the 9561 COPO was a relative bargain, listing for just over $100 less than a 396/375 HP L78 Camaro SS.

[radz28]

I think it was Dick Harrell who spearheaded the 9560 and when he got the bill, he about crapped in his pants because GM charged him for the engineering costs and such. I believe he got GM to take some back because they were like twice the price of 'Vettes, but it seems so cool how one would almost literally be able to order their car almost exactly how they wanted it back then.

[GoldenBear]

Originally Posted by radz28

I think it was Dick Harrell who spearheaded the 9560 and when he got the bill, he about crapped in his pants because GM charged him for the engineering costs and such. I believe he got GM to take some back because they were like twice the price of 'Vettes, but it seems so cool how one would almost literally be able to order their car almost exactly how they wanted it back then.

Yes, drag racers Dick Harrell and partner Fred Gibb, who owned Gibb Chevrolet in Illinois, were involved with the creation of the 1969 9560 COPO Camaros. They expected the cars to list for under $5000 based on verbal statements they received, but a new policy from Chevrolet required that options had to be priced according to production costs, resulting in an actual list price of around $7200.

Needless to say, the 9560 COPOs were difficult to sell at that price, and Gibbs couldn't even pay for all of the cars either, so Chevrolet did agree to take some of the 50 9560 COPO that were ordered by Gibb Chevrolet back to the Norwood plant where they were produced (All of the 9560 COPOs were produced at the Norwood plant; none were produced at the Van Nuys plant; If you ever see a 9560 COPO with a Van Nuys VIN, you'll know it's a fake).

[radz28]

Originally Posted by GoldenBear

Yes, drag racers Dick Harrell and partner Fred Gibb, who owned Gibb Chevrolet in Illinois, were involved with the creation of the 1969 9560 COPO Camaros. They expected the cars to list for under $5000 based on verbal statements they received, but a new policy from Chevrolet required that options had to be priced according to production costs, resulting in an actual list price of around $7200.

Needless to say, the 9560 COPOs were difficult to sell at that price, and Gibbs couldn't even pay for all of the cars either, so Chevrolet did agree to take some of the 50 9560 COPO that were ordered by Gibb Chevrolet back to the Norwood plant where they were produced (All of the 9560 COPOs were produced at the Norwood plant; none were produced at the Van Nuys plant; If you ever see a 9560 COPO with a Van Nuys VIN, you'll know it's a fake).

I LOVE the amount of knowledge that guys like you, and others, share with us

[cyberLS]

oh so they are the copo's. got it thanks for all the info

[detltu]

Here is a discussion thread from a while back on the ZL1:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128404

The story I always heard about the price on the ZL1 was that there was an accounting change between the time Piggins told Gibbs what the price would be and the time the cars were delivered. Something to the effect of Piggins was going to use R&D budget to build the ZL1s and then sell them at whatever it cost to make them, but the bean counters or someone on high decreed that development costs had to be rolled into the prices charged for this kind of project. The Zl1 engine ended up doubling the cost of a new Corvette let alone the Camaro.

50 Zl1s were ordered by Gibbs, 19 by other dealers. Some were taken back by Chevrolet and redistributed to other dealerships. Some cars had the engines removed and were sold with other engines.

[arod55]

An original 69 ZL1 with matching numbers is worth a whole lot of money maybe around 3-4 hundred thousands dollars. Very rare bird.

[Dr. Jamie]

And, the story continues with the original ZL1 engines ....

In 2008, GM Performance Parts restored the original, ZL1 block tooling, build 427 special crate engines named the Anniversary Edition 427, and you might be able to find a few still in dealer inventory. They are individually numbered and documented and highly collectible. For folks building a '69 ZL1 clone, this is a great place to start. More details here:

http://www.gmperformanceparts.com/En...6392&engCat=bb

Thanks,
Jamie

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Dr. GMPP

And, the story continues with the original ZL1 engines ....

In 2008, GM Performance Parts restored the original, ZL1 block tooling, build 427 special crate engines named the Anniversary Edition 427, and you might be able to find a few still in dealer inventory. They are individually numbered and documented and highly collectible. For folks building a '69 ZL1 clone, this is a great place to start. More details here:

http://www.gmperformanceparts.com/En...6392&engCat=bb

Thanks,
Jamie

Awesome!!!!

[radz28]

The only thing I wish is that GMPP took that ZL-1 to extremes like GM did with the original. Better heads and valvetrain advancements would've been the perfect opportunity to really make a stand-out. IMVHO, that effort was a waste because it should've been what the 720 horse' 572ci was. The marketing just wasn't true to the original. On the flip-side, not many people would've wanted to put up with that kind of motor in their cruiser, so in that way it was outstanding. I'd just have liked it truer to the original - that's all

Respectfully.