1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 663 Miles 427 FOUR SPEED ROTISSERIE RESTORED W@W!!!!!!

Description

WATCH VIDEO ABOVE WATCH VIDEO ABOVE WATCH VIDEO ABOVE WATCH VIDEO ABOVE 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 First. Most powerful. Quickest. Only one Chevy combines it all: the 1969 Chevrolet ZL1 Camaro. It went a step beyond the 427 Yenko and even the mighty L88 Corvette, to where few production muscle cars tread. Drawing a bead on NHRA Super Stock drag classes, Chevy performance guru Vince Piggins authorized the factory to fit a batch of '69 Camaros with a version of the 427-cid V-8 used by the all-conquering Can-Am Chaparral. This actually was another of Piggins' Central Office Production Order projects, and like the COPO Chevelles and Camaros being built for '69, the ZL1 was technically a Camaro option package. Fred Gibb owned Gibb Chevrolet and was one of the dealers who were well versed in using COPO to produce rare muscle cars. Gibb Chevrolet was well known as a high performance Chevrolet dealership before Fred Gibb even conceived the Camaro ZL1. Dick Harrell, a longtime Chevrolet drag racer, had already been tuning COPO cars that Gibbs ordered for several years. The drag racer, who was already familiar with the ZL1 engine, had a hand in encouraging Fred Gibb to pitch manufacturing ZL1 Camaros to Chevrolet. Both men believed the ZL1 engine in a Camaro would prove dominant on the street and more importantly on the track for the 1969 NHRA season. With this in mind Fred Gibb contacted Vince Piggins, who was the head of product performance for Chevrolet engineering, in the late summer of 1968. Piggins was the man with final approval over what could be ordered through the COPO system. ZL1 Camaro production would be approved, Piggins told Gibb, as long as the dealer placed an order for at least 50. Gibb said yes, Piggins approved the COPO 9560 package, and the stage was set for the production of one of the most serious Camaros Chevrolet ever built. The cars began as 396-cid/375-bhp Super Sport Engine and SS trim were deleted, and the cars were equipped essentially as other 427 COPO Camaros, with cowl-induction hood, front disc brakes, a choice of heavy-duty four-speeds or Turbo Hydra-matic, and a 4:10.1 Posi in the strongest axle Chevy could muster. But instead of the iron-block and head L72 427, these Camaros got a 427 called the ZL1. It was similar in design to the most-potent iteration of the aluminum-head L88, but it was the first production Chevy engine to also have an aluminum block. It shared the L88's 430-bhp factory rating, but actually had well over 500 bhp -- making it likely the most powerful engine Chevy ever offered to the public. And it weighed just 500 pounds -- about the same as Chevy's 327-cid V-8. The entire car carried the full 5-year/50,000-mile warranty and was fully street-legal. With the factory's stock dual exhausts and tires, it turned low 13s; headers, slicks, and tuning got it into the 11.6s at 122 mph. Chevy never built a quicker production car. All this came at a price: $4,160 for the ZL1 engine alone, pushing the car's sticker to a stratospheric $7,200. Chevy needed to build 50 to satisfy the NHRA, and actually built 69. About 20 ZL1s went into organized drag racing, turning low 10s to set several Super Stock records. Well-heeled individuals bought others, but the high price took a toll: At least 12 engines were removed and sold separately, and about 30 unsold cars were returned to Chevy. It took until the early '70s to sell them off. When the first two Dusk Blue 1969 ZL1 Camaros arrived at Gibb Chevrolet in La Harpe, Illinois neither of the cars would start due to the cold weather. That wasn't close to the worst of it for Gibb though. The sticker price on both cars, which has been previously unknown to the dealer, was over $7200. The price was significantly more than what a comparable iron blocked 427 COPO car cost. Not surprisingly, selling the expensive ZL1 turned out to be fairly sizable task. Although 50 of the first 52 ZL1 Camaros made were shipped to Gibb Chevrolet, the dealer was ultimately only able to sell 13, with the rest being returned to Chevrolet or exchanged with other dealers. After being prepped by Gibb Chevrolet, the ZL1s were tuned by Dick Harrell. The dealership sold their last ZL1 in 1972, although it was actually repossessed and returned to them a year later. Some of the other dealerships who ended up with the now legendary cars pulled the ZL1s and replaced them with less expensive engines in order to sell the cars. In the end, a total of 69 ZL1 Camaros were built. Even though the cars were barely street cars, they were supported by a 5 year/50,000 mile warranty. Chevrolet actually considered a regular production option ZL1 at one point in 1969 but wisely decided it was not a good idea. The ZL1 engine was also put under the hood of two Corvettes before leaving the factory. Although the cars didn't sell well when new, they certainly do now. The low production numbers combined with the high performance potential make the ZL1 Camaro on of the most sought after rare muscle cars ever made. Before the collector car market burst, it was thought the ZL1 would be the first Camaro to sell for a million dollars. Tribute to ZL1 #57 Ordering Dealer: Brewers Chevrolet, Campton, KY Selling Dealer: Brewers Chevrolet, Campton, KY • M22 4-Spd HD Close Ratio Transmission • D80 Air Spoiler Equipment • U63 AM Pushbutton Radio • 5926 76-76 Daytona Yellow Built to be the best in the country using correct ZL-1 only parts. Even though this car is not one of the original 69 ZL-1's built, it is absolutely as correct, if not more correct than most of the originals. Of the original 69 Zl-1"s built only 41 have been documented to have survived, and of those only 7 have the documented original engine. Several have been rebodied or were so heavily modified for racing that not much of the original car remained. This Camaro has received a body off, rotisserie restoration and is a stunning example of what #57 would have looked like when it left the factory new! Highlights Include: * Correct aluminum ZL-1 427 CI-430 HP engine with correct winters casting casting marks with a date code of 10/05/1969. It was built to Original Zl-1 specs including 12-1 pistons by S&S Motor Sports in Sarasota Florida. Entire assembly was balanced for performance and reliability! * Correct 3933198 casting aluminum intake manifold ( original) * Correct #4296 850 cfm Holley carburetor * Correct 3946074 casting aluminum ZL-1 heads ( original pair ) * Correct 3946074 RH casting exhaust manifold * Correct 3909879 LH casting exhaust manifold * Correct Smog pump with plastic fan (ZL-1) only * Correct deep grove pulleys * Correct 39310605T casting water pump * Correct heavy duty 4 core radiator with curve neck * Correct 3925660 casting M21 4 spd transmission with correct shifter * Correct 3939621 casting bell housing * Correct 12 bolt rear end with heat treated 4.10 ring and pinion * Correct "HG" front springs * Correct rear shocks * Correct chambered exhaust * Correct steel Wheels with NOS hub caps * Correct Goodyear tires This is an amazing example of a tribute to the #57 1969 ZL-1 Camaro! Everything on the car works down to the key buzzer and the car is ground pounding fast! Call 314-594-1404 to purchase or with any questions 314-594-1404