[302crossram]

[FarmerFran]

Fantastic.

But alas, I have no love for those dinosaurs, it is a damn shame no one drove the wheels off this car. So as much as we can to ooohhh and aaahhh, it is a total waste to me. A thing of beauty sitting in a shed with carp all over it.

[2023_ZL1-AUTO]

I'd love to have that car! Car and Coffee only trips, but that's why I have my 2023 ! But I find it funny it has two signs "NOT FOR SALE" then "ASK SALESMAN FOR ASSITANCE" !!!!

[hawk02]

I researched the original ZL1 several years ago for my blog. The history of the car is very interesting. Fred Gibb, owner of Fred Gibb Chevrolet, in La Harpe, IL figured out how to back door GM and order high-performance cars.

The Legendary '69 Camaro ZL1

A Loophole in the factory ordering system allowed a clever Chevrolet dealer by the name of Fred Gibb (owner of Gibb Chevrolet in La Harpe, IL) to order some of the most serious Camaros ever built.

The Central Office Production Order, COPO for short, was a process originally intended to allow factory orders of specialty commercial vehicles such as taxicabs and some trucks. Fred Gibb was intimately familiar with the COPO system and had been using it for years to produce rare muscle cars. The reputation of Gibb Chevrolet as a "high-performance" dealership was well-known even before the ZL1.

In late 1968, Gibb got approval from the head of Chevrolet's performance engineering division to place orders through the COPO system for Camaros built with an all-aluminum 427 V8 engine. The only stipulation was that a minimum of 50 cars had to be ordered by the dealership.

The 427 engine used in the ZL1 had been developed for Can-AM racing and other track uses. It was never intended for use in a street-legal production car. The combination of aluminum heads from the L88 iron block 427 mated with an aluminum casted engine block gave the all-aluminum 427 about the same weight as Chevy's small block 327. Horsepower ratings for the engine were once again way off the mark. Factory rated at 435 hp, sources familiar with the ZL1 claims it made in excess of 500 hp.

Gibb Chevrolet received 50 of the first 52 ZL1 Camaros. Stickered at more than $7200, the ZL1 was a tough sell. Gibb managed to sell only 13 of them. The rest were either exchanged with other dealers or returned to Chevrolet. Because of the high sticker price, some dealers went as far as to replace the all-aluminum 427 with a less expensive engine in order to sell the car. Gibb Chevrolet sold their last ZL1 in 1972.

A total of 69 Camaro ZL1s were produced. Though barely street-legal, the cars did come with a 5-year/50,000-mile warranty. Chevrolet considered making the ZL1 a standard package to go along with the RS, SS, and Z/28 but decided against the idea. It wouldn't be until 2012 and the 5th generation Camaro that the ZL1 would make its return. This time with Chevrolet's full blessing.

[split_bumper]

Originally Posted by hawk02

I researched the original ZL1 several years ago for my blog. The history of the car is very interesting. Fred Gibb, owner of Fred Gibb Chevrolet, in La Harpe, IL figured out how to back door GM and order high-performance cars.
.

Thanks for sharing the story. Very cool read!

[hawk02]

Originally Posted by split_bumper

Thanks for sharing the story. Very cool read!

You’re welcome. I suspect a lot of ZL1 owners may not be aware of the history of the badging.

I would have loved to be around Fred Gibb Chevrolet. I bet some fascinating cars got delivered to that dealership back then.

[pauly1119]

I’d trade mine for that one.

[LT4Greg]

Yes hawk02, I read about those original ZL1 Camaros years ago. Very interesting read and the way Chevy sold them. Those were definitely beasts on the street and strip in their time! At least the one pictured wasn’t driven in the ground and is still around for people to see now.��

[GearheadSS]

Originally Posted by FarmerFran

Fantastic.

But alas, I have no love for those dinosaurs, it is a damn shame no one drove the wheels off this car. So as much as we can to ooohhh and aaahhh, it is a total waste to me. A thing of beauty sitting in a shed with carp all over it.

Oh I bet it had the wheels driven off of it, a 1/4 mile at a time.

[302crossram]

imagine the heat, fumes and decibels during multiple WOT runs

[triggerjerk]

Love that it had a 5/50000 warranty! LOL