Did 69 Camaro come with a 427 option
- Two versions of the ’69 Camaro were produced by Chevy: One for sale to the public equipped with a 427 big-block V-8 engine that was rated for 425 horsepower and the COPO version, originally developed for the Chaparral racing team to use in the CAN Am series.
- The ’69 COPO Camaro was designed for use as a commercial “fleet” automobile, such as police cars (with heavy duty suspension) and taxis (with stain resistant interiors).
- The ’69 COPO Camaro could be equipped with the optional all-aluminum ZL-1, a 427 V-8 engine that was rated for 430 horsepower but because it was a racing spec engine, was known to deliver as much as 550 horsepower.
- There are no emblems indicating whether the engine is the ZL-1.
- Don Yenko of Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg, PA discovered how to order the ’69 COPO Camaro (#9560) with the more powerful engines. The bodies of these were customized with Yenko’s signature stripes and sYc (Yenko Super Car) badge.
- The ’69 COPO Camaro with the ZL-1 engine, low mileage, in mint condition has fetched as much as $400,000 at auction.
- Fred Gibb, a Chevy dealer from Illinois ordered 69 of the ZL-1 equipped COPO Camaros but sold only 13.
- It is believed that less than half of the ’69 COPO Camaros produced exist in drivable condition as of this writing.