Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order was normally used to specify special-order paint schemes for fleet vehicles, but it became famous for dealers who created specially prepped super-performance cars. Some of the most famous are those prepped by Don Yenko, who ordered L78-equipped Camaro Super Sports and swapped in L72 427 CI V-8 engines. Yenko Chevrolet became famous in the muscle car world for producing some of the fastest Chevrolets in the world, and word of the COPO program caught on quickly among dealerships, one of them being Fred Gibb, who opened Gibb Chevrolet in La Harpe, Illinois, in 1948. Gibb ultimately worked with Vince Piggins and other GM executives to secure a number of the new racing-only ZL1 427 CI V-8 engines. While the L72 was a fine 427, the ZL1 took the concept a few steps further, most notably with aluminum construction that made them considerably lighter. The ZL1 option doubled the price of the Camaro, meaning very few were built and they were incredibly difficult to sell. In fact, Gibbs ended up returning some of the ZL1 Camaros to GM, which redistributed them across the country for resale. In the end, only 69 ZL1 Camaros were built for 1969, making them extremely attractive to later muscle car enthusiasts and collectors. Remaining a mythical legend among performance car enthusiasts, Chevrolet applied the ZL1 badge to the Camaro for 2012, creating yet another ultra-high performance Camaro. It was the first regular production ZL1 ever built, and like the original, it set an amazing standard for performance. This 2013 ZL1 Camaro has been fitted with custom carbon fiber bodywork, including the vented hood, rockers, fog lights and rear diffuser. Fitted with an automatic transmission, the LSX V-8 engine is built with a Procharger Supercharger and FAST fuel injection. Brembo disc brakes with cooling ducts scrub down speed efficiently, and passengers lack little, thanks to an interior upholstered in black leather with contrasting red stitching, air conditioning, bucket seats, a center console with gauges, and an abundance of power accessories and technologically advanced settings. To be sold with a parts list, this Camaro ZL1 rolls on custom carbon fiber wheels and shows just over 24,000 miles on its odometer.
