The 2024 Mecum sell off in Glendale has a couple of 1967 COPO Corvettes, however they aren't your thought process!
At the point when hot rodders catch wind of an exemplary Chevy COPO fabricate their heads load up with thoughts of some super-interesting, large power huge block, perhaps made of some extravagant lightweight compound. For those of you new to the abbreviation COPO, it represents Focal Office Creation Request, and it was a desk work framework that let Chevy vendors request vehicles that truly weren't intended to be constructed. It was a car workaround a "bypass," in the event that you're into computer games and it was great.
The COPO Loophole Was About More Than High-Performance Engines!
The facts confirm that due to the COPO proviso we got vehicles like a 1969 Chevelle with a 425-hp Corvette L72 motor, and a 1969 Camaro ZL1 with an all-aluminum large block. The COPO program was made renowned by Yenko Chevrolet, yet others, as Berger, utilized the unique request desk work to make the absolute most prominent and most uncommon super-muscle vehicles of all time! With regards to Corvettes, however, the story is cool, yet not exactly aluminum-427 cool.
Mix And Match Using The COPO Program!
The less interesting story is that the COPO program was most frequently used to arrange unique tones, choices, or different things not normally on the form menu. As you can envision, some taste-tested variety mixes were put thought the framework. In 1962, the Shriners, a Freemason bunch, requested a clump of Vettes painted a light purplish Caddy tone called Illustrious Heather Amethyst, with red insides a variety combo the vast majority wouldn't be all that excited with (which makes sense of why it was anything but a typical plant choice). In this way, to put it plainly, assuming you were able to pay the showroom additional money, they would gladly utilize the COPO Program to get you your ideal tone.
How Many 1967 COPO Corvettes Are There?
The number of COPO Corvettes exist relies upon who you ask, however the number is in every case low; somewhere in the range of 10 and 25 is the standard way of thinking. For instance, there were five vehicles that were painted Silver Pearl with red insides utilizing the COPO program, since typically Silver Pearl must be had with blue-green or dark insides. The popular GM Beautician Bill Mitchell (kind of no joking matter in the Corvette world) had an exceptional variety COPO Corvette worked as a gift for his better half.
Is Every Special-Order-Paint Car A COPO?
That sounds a no. A COPO vehicle required a close down from Chevrolet's designing division, however in the event that the variety or trim was at that point utilized on different models, the vendor could skirt the COPO desk work and simply get approval from the territorial zone director.
A genuine COPO Corvette expects that COPO desk work was finished up and that an extraordinary request number was produced. Models would be 9560 for ZL1 motors, or 9561 for an iron-block 427. A decent sign is an odd paint code on the trim tag; a far superior piece of information would be the first COPO desk work.
Two 1967 COPO Corvettes Up For Sale!
Two genuine COPO 1967 Corvettes are being made up available for purchase at the 2024 Glendale Mecum sell off. This one is painted in Silver Pearl with a Radiant Blue inside, something not on the menu in 1967. The tank sticker, Safeguard O-Plate, and trim label show the code 001AA for the extraordinary paint alongside 414 for the Dazzling Blue inside. You can see the form sheet actually adhered to the first tank.
A Combination So Nice It Should Have Been A Factory Offering
This COPO 1967 Corvette was finished in Elkhart Blue with a Seat Tan inside utilizing the COPO program. This was required since Chevrolet figured you ought to simply have the option to have a Dark or Blue-green inside with Elkhart Blue.
It's All About The Documentation
There's loads of documentation to back up the COPO guarantee, including request structures, deals receipt, Safeguard O-Plate, and a paint code of 001AA and Seat vinyl code of 420 on the trim tag. There's even the COPO code of S285A on the all around protected tank sticker. Some would contend that variety changes aren't genuine COPOs, yet assuming there's COPO desk work and it was done however the COPO requesting framework then there's a decent contention that they are without a doubt COPO vehicles.
390-HP 427 Big-Block Engines
Both of Corvettes field Chevrolet's marvelous 390-pull 427 major block V-8 motor. The Elkhart Blue Corvette runs a programmed trans, while the Silver Pearl vehicle has the four-speed manual. The two vehicles show the first proprietors had excellent taste.