Built at the Norwood, Ohio, assembly plant in the first week of June 1969, this 1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro is one of only 1,066 produced through the corporate Central Office Production Order system, a group that included 69 COPO 9560 versions powered by the Can-Am developed aluminum-block ZL1 engine, the rest being iron-block L72-powered COPO 9561 versions, 201 of which were famously assigned to Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. This well-known example was originally sold to Vietnam veteran James Hager Jr. by Malcolm Konner Chevrolet of Paramus, New Jersey. Soon thereafter, it was campaigned as the “Blue Mule” by NHRA Pro Stock driver Tom Martino for owner Joe Corbo of Somerville, New Jersey. While most COPO cars were spartan in nature, Konner COPOs were often highly optioned; in this case, that included a black vinyl roof over Lemans Blue paint, a D80 rear spoiler, the Z21 Exterior Style Trim Group, a Z87 Custom Blue interior with Z23 Special Interior Group, D55 center console with U17 Special Instrumentation, A01 Soft Ray tinted glass, N40 power steering and J52 power front disc brakes. The central attraction of this generously appointed Camaro, however, lies in the formidable COPO 9561 package, headlined by its Corvette-derived L72 427/425 HP Mark IV big-block V-8 engine. Built on a correct replacement CE-suffix, 512-stamped block dated F209, its rotating assembly comprises a forged steel crank and connecting rods and forged aluminum 11.0:1 pistons. Its Holley 4150 Series 780 CFM carburetor mounts on a Winters high-rise aluminum intake feeding rectangular-port heads, with 2.19-inch intake and 1.72-inch exhaust valves actuated by a solid-lifter camshaft with 0.520-inch lift. The car is one of 822 COPOs using a 4-speed manual transmission, in this case a matching-numbers Muncie M22 “Rock Crusher” unit. Heavy-duty cooling, a cowl induction hood, BE-code rear axle with 3916234 carrier, heavy-duty ring and pinion with optional 4.10:1 ratio and G80 Positraction complete the COPO 9561 specifications. Meticulously restored several years ago to “Day Two” configuration by Ken Schoenthaler, this genuine X11 Code COPO was later fully restored to factory originality and was formerly a part of the renowned Rick Davis Collection. It has been certified by Camaro Hi-Performance as an original L72 COPO Camaro and is included in the Supercar Registry. Its exceptional documentation includes notarized statements and personal written stories of ownership by four owners, including original owner James Hager Jr., and a copy of the original window sticker showing an MSRP of $4,214.98.
