March '05 Feature Car

Chevy454 · #1 03-02-2005, 02:30 AM

March 2005 Feature Car:Frank & Barb Payne's 1969 COPO Camaro<table width="100%" border="0"><tbody><tr><td align="middle" width="100%">Specs:</td></tr></tbody></table><table borderColor="#000000" height="150" width="100%" border="0"><tbody><tr><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Engine (factory):</td><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">L-72 427ci/425hp</td></tr><tr><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Transmission (factory):</td><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">THM400 automatic</td></tr><tr><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Rear (factory):</td><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">4.10 posi</td></tr><tr><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Selling Dealer:</td><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Mac's Chev-Olds, Crete, NE</td></tr><tr><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Options:</td><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">COPO 9561, RPOs: U69, U57, N34, Z23</td></tr><tr><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Exterior color:</td><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Tuxedo Black</td></tr><tr><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Interior color:</td><td vAlign="top" align="center" width="50%" height="21">Standard Black</td></tr></tbody></table></body>

Frank and Barb Payne's Mac's Chev-Olds COPO Camaro:

"Our Camaro was ordered from Mac's Chev-Olds in Crete, NE by a gentleman named Phil Durst of nearby Lincoln, NE. Phil ordered the Camaro with performance in mind, checking the L72 427 engine and M40 Turbo 400. He also ordered the U69 AM radio, U57 under dash 8 track, N34 rosewood wheel and Z23 special interior group as well as specifying the Tuxedo Black exterior and standard black interior. Mac's was well know in the Eastern Nebraska area as one of the premier performance dealers. The owner, Al MacNamara, was heavily into drag racing and sponsored several cars including racing a '70 W30 442 himself. The dealership was rumored to have ordered 8 COPO's including the #22 ZL1. Not bad for a burg of 3,000 souls. When the car came in Phil was unable to take delivery because Uncle Sam had other plans for him. A friend of Phil's, Vic Keller, a parts man at another dealer, DuTeau Chevrolet, learned of the COPOs availability and stepped up to buy it. Vic had big plans for the car. Pulling the original engine he installed a NHRA legal Super Stock engine and went racing. The car held the SS/DA mph record for part of 1970. Thankfully the car was not cut up and when Vic sold the car it was returned to stock by reinstalling the original engine. After a succession of owners we were lucky enough to purchase the car in 1991 from Dave Milota who had been collecting NOS parts for the car since he bought it in 1981. Dave also had some luck when his nephew literally stumbled across the original engine which had long been separated from the car in a local machine shop waiting to be freshened to go back in a stock car. Dave at the time had the black COPO, a '71 Phase III Baldwin Motion Camaro now owned by Kevin Suydam and the #22 ZL1 from Mac's which he still owns. The restoration began in 1992 and Barb and I took the car to SCR 3 for it's debut. We made some great friends like Don and Paulette Clark and Andrew Hinckley at SCR 3 who we continue to talk to frequently. We love owning our COPO as nothing gets respect at a show like a Chevy Supercar!"

**Alss** · #2 03-02-2005, 02:50 AM

Sweet..sinister in black for sure..beatiful car.

ALbert

mike s · #3 03-02-2005, 02:59 AM

nothin like a slick black super car/muscle car

**COPO** · #4 03-02-2005, 03:32 AM

Killer!

**Xplantdad** · #5 03-02-2005, 04:19 AM

WOW! Your car is so

!

Congrats on your black ZL1 Camaro...it's beautiful.

Pat O'Connell · #6 03-02-2005, 07:20 AM

Frank and Barb, You have a terrific COPO with a color that is too cool!

I hope your enjoyment with it never ends!!

Pat

JoeG · #7 03-02-2005, 09:58 AM

Beauty,Speed,Music(8 Track)

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Chevy454 · #8 03-02-2005, 05:27 PM

As the article above mentioned, it has been to a couple SCR's in the past, and this thing is indeed SWEET! Black is sooo sinister...and with no spoilers, and the black steelies, can you imagine, late at night, that thing rolling up to the local street race meeting back in the day? Yahtzee!!!! Now, if we could just talk Frank into a return trip to the SCR...

DaJudge · #9 03-02-2005, 06:17 PM

Nothing better than a black COPO Camaro

I want it , I want it !!!!

L72COPO · #10 03-02-2005, 06:20 PM

That is the baddest COPO I've ever seen.

Dedicated to the Promotion and Preservation of American Muscle Cars, Dealer built Supercars and COPO cars.