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HomeMediaRare ’69 Camaro ZL1 highlights Mecum’s Denver auction

Rare ’69 Camaro ZL1 highlights Mecum’s Denver auction

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The Camaro ZL1 has its original aluminum 427 V8 and four speed | Mecum Auctions
The Camaro ZL1 has its original aluminum 427 V8 and four speed | Mecum Auctions photos

Mecum expects 1,000 collector cars to cross the block July 20-22 during its third annual Denver auction at the Colorado Convention Center, where the docket features an array of muscle cars, sports cars and classics.

Leading the list is a bright-orange 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 coupe, No. 30 of 69 produced that year. It also is one of the few surviving examples with its original all-aluminum 427cid ZL1 V8 linked with the factory four-speed manual transmission. Original equipment also includes heavy-duty suspension, brakes and other performance components.

Thos 1966 Corvette originally was owned by the son of a Harley-Davidson co-founder
This 1966 Corvette  was owned by the son of a Harley-Davidson co-founder

The Camaro was factory built through General Motor’s Central Office Production Order program, the famous COPO back-door system in which select dealers arranged through a GM program manager to create world-beating race cars ostensibly for street use. The ZL1 engine was factory rated at a conservative 430 horsepower, but is said to develop as much as 550 horsepower.

This ZL1 was restored in 2004 from a car showing just 8.4 miles, according to Mecum’s catalog description, and has been driven only 384 miles. The Camaro is a multiple award winner, including racking up 986 out of 1,000 points at the Camaro Nationals.

Another special Chevy at the Denver auction is a 1966 Corvette convertible originally owned by Walter C. Davidson Jr., son of the co-founder of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company. The yellow roadster equipped with the 327/300-horsepower V8 and automatic transmission has been driven just 38,680 miles.

Classic GM muscle cars crossing the block include a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 hardtop and a 1970 Pontiac GTO convertible boasting the 462/525-horsepower engine.

For information about Mecum’s Denver sale, visit the auction website.

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Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

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