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1969 Camaro COPO

1969 Central Office Production Order (COPO) Camaros

AS early as the 1967 model year, dealers were swapping 427cid engines into Camaros and Chevelles since General Motors had a 400cid limit on engines in anything besides the Corvette and full-size Chevrolets. The Central Office Production Order system was put in place by Chevrolet so dealers with fleet customers like municipalities and service operations could order batches of cars or trucks with unique equipment or colors to meet their needs. Typically, trucks and police cars were the system’s bread and butter. Pretty straightforward. Until a few drag racing enthusiasts got involved.

In 1968, Fred Gibb conceived the notion of using the COPO system to order performance cars, and had 50 COPO Novas built with L78 396-cubic-inch big-block engines that could typically be found only in full-size sedans like the Impala. In 1969, he came up with the 1969 COPO Camaro (#9560 option), which was the utmost in rarity among the various flavors of Camaro that year—just 69 were built. The ZL1 427-cubic-inch big-block (a NASCAR engine) weighed roughly 100 pounds less than the top 396-cubic-inch big-block engine offered in the Camaro, thanks to its aluminum block and heads. It also produced way more power, officially making 430 horsepower at 5200 rpm. It was speculated that output was closer to 550 horsepower at 6500 rpm, at least when fitted with track-tuned headers.

Other high-performance dealers jumped on the band wagon such as Don Yenko (who first conceived the COPO Corvair), Baldwin Chevrolet also partnered with Motion Performance, and just about any other dealer who thought they might have a shot at selling COPO optioned Camaros, Chevelles, and Novas.

Gibb ordered 13 cars for his own customers, and another 37 that he traded or resold to other dealerships. Very soon, though, the word got out, and other dealers ordered their own. In all, a total of 69 COPO #9560 Camaro models with the ZL1 engine were produced.  Gibb was only able to sell 13 of his #9561 COPOs with the rest distributed to other dealers.

In addition to the ZL1-powered COPO Camaro, some dealers ordered vehicles that were nearly identical except for the front springs, ignition system, and, critically, the substitution of an iron-block L72 engine, rated at 425 horsepower. This COPO #9561 package cost far less than the ZL1, making it a relative performance bargain, even though it weighed about 75 pounds more due to the iron block and heads.

After two years of endowing 350- and 396-powered Camaros with Corvette-sourced L72 427/425 HP big-block engines, Yenko convinced Chevrolet marketing manager Vince Piggins to produce 500 427-powered Camaros and Chevelles to be sold through Chevy dealers nationwide. The records show that 201 Yenko Super Camaros were sold in 1969, but approximately 25 of those cars were produced not at Yenko’s Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, dealership but Jack Douglass Chevrolet in Chicago. That little-known fact leads to a controversy that simmered for years in the Yenko community about the legitimacy of the so-called Douglass-Yenko Camaros, to wit: are they “real” Yenko Camaros or pretenders? Today the controversy is done; the supercar community has blessed both as real Yenko Camaros, and it is worth revisiting how they came to be.

The #9560 COPO Camaros only had two mandatory options, the J52 power disc brakes and optional tires with the default being RPO PL5 white-lettered 70-series tires, the same as the base SS with 14x7 wheels and basic hub caps. The price of the #9560 COPO Camaro did not include a transmission; optional were the M20 (although none were ordered), the M21, M22, and TH400. Two COPOs, Numbers 3 and 65 also have COPO #9737 which included E70x15 white-lettered tires on 15-inch rally wheels, a 13/16-inch stabilizer bar and 140 mph speedometer. Number 68 had COPO #9737 which included e70x15 white-letter tires.

Colors for the #9560 COPO are Hugger Orange (16), Fathom Green (13), Cortez Silver and LeMans Blue (12 each), Dusk blue (10), and Dover White, Garnet Red, and Daytona Yellow (2 each). (Ref: Camaros.org.) Other Camaro colors were ordered with the COPO #9560 but the numbers aren't really clear.

COPO #9560 in Daytona Yellow w/black vinyl top.

COPO #9560 in Rally Green w/black vinyl top.

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