If you’re as excited as we are by the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1, it might be wise to understand the historical significance of those three letters at the end of Chevy’s retrofied muscle car. Way back in 1969 – a year some consider to be the apogee of Camaro history – the automaker built just 69 ZL1s, each powered by an aluminum-block 427-cubic-inch V8 that was otherwise unavailable in the Camaro and built specifically for drag racing.

The ’69 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is highly coveted by collectors, and a perfectly stunning example was auction at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson event in Scottsdale. Though this particular ZL1 saw plenty of use on the drag strip, it’s been completely restored to like-new condition. We just drove the new 2012 ZL1 (full report coming soon), so we were keenly interested in seeing this one cross the auction block. The final bid came in at 0,000, putting the actual sale at 1,000.

Check out our high-res image gallery of live photos above, and be sure to click past the break, where you can watch a video of it being auctioned and read more about the 1969 Camaro ZL1 after the break.

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 races across the auction block [w/video]

Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 races across the auction block [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog Classics

No related posts.

What’s “the most famous television car in the world”? We suppose that depends on who you ask, but to many, nothing but the General Lee could possibly hold the title. Of course, there wasn’t just one General Lee. In fact, scores of orange Dodge Chargers were filmed for “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and most of them never survived their first televised escapade.

Not so Lee 1, so named because it was the car that famously jumped over a Hazzard County police cruiser in the very first episode of the hit series. If you’ve ever seen the opening credits, you know the car we’re talking about… it flew 16 feet in the air over a distance of 82 feet. And, as you may have guessed, it didn’t exactly stick the landing.

No matter. Because of its notoriety, Lee 1 was saved from destruction and restored over a period of 16 months. And, due to that same famous history, we thought it might draw plenty of attention from the crowds at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson auction. In reality, bidding ended at just 0,000. That makes the final sale price a seemingly paltry 1,000.

Read more about Lee 1 and watch a video of it’s auction after the break, and check out our live image gallery above.

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2012: Dukes of Hazzard 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee falls flat [UPDATE: w/video]

Barrett-Jackson 2012: Dukes of Hazzard 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee falls flat [UPDATE: w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog Classics

No related posts.

No related posts.

Holden has resurrected the company’s ground-breaking 1969 Hurricane Concept with a complete restoration. The low-slung, mid-engine coupe served as a showcase for technology that wouldn’t find its way into production vehicles for almost three decades, including a turn-by-turn navigation system, automatic climate control and a rear-view camera. At the time, engineers relied on genuine ingenuity to load the Hurricane with equal parts performance and technology. The navigation system relied on magnets embedded in the road surface to illuminate a series of arrows on the dash while the rear-view camera borrowed from closed-circuit TV.

A group of dedicated Holden workers took it upon themselves to put the Hurricane back in working order using as many original parts as possible. That includes the experimental four-barrel 253ci V8 mounted mid-ship. Holden eventually used the design as the platform for its small-displacement V8 effort, which began later in ’69, though as GM points out, the V8s wouldn’t receive the four-barrel treatment until much later in the ’70s.

Holden has been working to restore the Hurricane since 2006, and now that it’s finished, the concept will be on display at the Motorclassica Car Show in Melbourne from October 21-23. Follow the jump for a quick video on the car as well as the press release.

Continue reading Holden restores its first ever concept car, the 1969 Hurricane [w/video]

Holden restores its first ever concept car, the 1969 Hurricane [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.

msnbc.com: Autos

No related posts.