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.

No related posts.

No related posts.

No related posts.

What’s a COPO, you ask? Back in the heyday of American muscle cars, COPO was an acronym for Central Office Production Order, which was, for all intents and purposes, a way for Chevrolet and its enterprising dealer network to sneak high-performance option packages and oversize engines past the bigwigs at General Motors and into the waiting hands of automotive enthusiasts.

With ancient history out of the way, what’s COPO mean in 2011? Well, it still means performance, but there’s certainly no way Chevy is going to bypass the powers-that-be at GM HQ, especially not with a Camaro proof-of-concept that’s destined to live out its life at the drag strip in NHRA Stock Eliminator drag racing competition.

According to Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, the COPO Camaro that is debuting this week at SEMA “is a clear indication that Chevrolet intends to homologate the Camaro for sportsman drag racing.” Seems pretty clear to us, too – in lieu of the standard independent rear suspension setup is a straight axle that’s perfectly suited to straight-line racing. Plus, there’s a full roll cage for safety.

Buyers of the COPO Camaro, if and when it becomes available, will be able to fit one of two suggested engine packages: one 427-cubic-inch naturally aspirated V8 (7.9 liters for A Stock racing) and one 327-cubic-inch supercharged V8 (5.3 liters for for AA Stock racing). The car you see in our live images is powered by a prototype version of the supercharged 327.

Check out all the details in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Chevrolet COPO Camaro Concept lives life a quarter-mile at a time

Chevrolet COPO Camaro Concept lives life a quarter-mile at a time originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.