1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

History of the Fastest Nascar
The 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

From its wedge-shaped nose to the 23-inch rear wing, the 1969 Daytona Charger measured 18-feet long and was capable of speeds no other car could match. Powered by Dodge's 426 Hemi motor, the winged Charger brought a year and a half of NASCAR dominance. Not only is it one of the most famous Dodge cars, but also one of the most popular in Stock Car history.

The second-generation Dodge Charger was a good-looking car by anyone's standards, but proved to be aerodynamically inefficient. With blunt grilles inducing drag and tunneled rear windows causing lift, they were unable to reach speeds necessary to win on NASCAR racetracks. Throughout the 1968 season, Dodge finished behind the Ford Torinos and Mercury Cyclones. Unable to pull more power from the already mighty Hemi engine, engineers began developing a more slippery body.

Working throughout 1968, Chrysler's Special Vehicles Group designed and built a smoothed version of the production Charger, with a flatter, Coronet grille and rear window moved flush with the roofline. Called the Charger 500, it proved to be a half step toward their ultimate goal. 500 were built in accordance with NASCAR rules. Ford continued to win on the big NASCAR tracks, including the 1969 Daytona 500. Dodge engineers went back to the wind tunnel for testing.

This rare Charger Daytona, owned by JoAnne from Chicago, is only one of ten made in silver

This rare Charger Daytona, owned by JoAnne from Chicago, is only one of ten made in silver

Midway through 1969, Dodge took the Charger 500 and added an 18-inch nose and chin spoiler. The hood and front fenders were modeled after the upcoming 1970 Charger, with the flush rear window of the Charger 500 retained. Reverse scoops on both front fenders further reduced drag. The Charger Daytona came out of the wind tunnel with a drag coefficient (cd) of 0.28. On-track testing revealed the pointed nose gave the car the down-force engineers were looking for, but the rear end lifted at high speeds. To solve this, a large wing was mounted to the back of the car, bolted through the rear quarter panels and into the rear subframe. The wing was made 23 inches tall so the trunk lid could be opened without hitting the bottom of the wing. Aside from adding additional down-force, the wing helped give the car directional stability.

Offered as an option package, the Charger Daytona was introduced on April 13, 1969. Standard equipment included heavy-duty suspension and brakes and a Torqueflite three-speed automatic transmission. A four-speed manual was optional. Base motor was the 440 cubic-inch Magnum V8, producing 375-horsepower at 4,600 rpm, with 480 lb-ft of torque at 3200 rpm. The optional 426 Hemi motor was rated at 425-horsepower at 5,000 rpm and had 490 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm.

Despite its high-speed capability and wild looks, the Daytona did not sell well. At the time, most consumers found the aero-look unattractive, plus it was not an easy car to live with every day. Parking the 18-foot long car anywhere was difficult, and when driven too slowly, the motor could overheat. Between 500-510 cars were built, enough to comply with NASCAR rules.

1969 NASCAR Season

Before the introduction of the Charger Daytona, Ford was beating Dodge handily in competition. Fords took the top five spots at Atlanta, the top four at Michigan, and finished first and second in eight of their thirteen victories. All of that changed in September at the Alabama International Motor Speedway.

September 14, 1969, marked the inaugural Talladega 500 race. The track was the longest and most steeply banked track in the country. It was also the Stock Car debut of the Charger Daytona. Both the new track and aerodynamic body improvements allowed cars to run faster than ever, with speeds surpassing the capabilities of current tire technology. Both Firestone and Goodyear announced that neither could supply a tire capable of running at such speeds. With safety a main concern, many NASCAR drivers banded together and voiced concerns. When their request to postpone the race was denied, Richard Petty, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Donnie and Bobby Allison, James Hylton and others staged the first and only NASCAR driver boycott. Charlie Glotzbach had run a lap time of 199.466 mph in qualifying, which would have put his #88 Charger Daytona on the pole. Due to the driver walk-out, neither he nor the car were in the Talladega race.

1969 Talladega 500

Because of the walkout, only two Dodge Daytona's ran at the inaugural Talladega 500, the red #71 driven by Bobby Isaac, and the blue #99 driven by Richard Brickhouse. As the boycott depleted most of the regular drivers, the rest of the field was filled with Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, and a Javelin, all of whom had run the 400 mile race the night before. Bobby Isaac's spirited driving set a NASCAR record lap of 199.658 mph, although tire issues saw him finish fourth. The race was completed with no crashes or spin outs, with first place going to Richard Brickhouse.

1970 NASCAR Season

Chrysler Engineering's record-breaking #88 Dodge Charger Daytona

Driving the 426 Hemi-powered, Chrysler Engineering #88 Daytona, Buddy Baker became the first stock-car driver to turn a lap at more than 200 mph. After several attempts during practice at the Talladega track, the crew put on a fresh set of tires, adjusted the wing, and added tape over the front grille opening to reduce wind resistance. A few tries later, Baker ran a 200.096 mph lap, four laps later running 200.448 mph. The record would stand for 17 years.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Richard Petty Nascar

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird

Plymouth applied the Daytona formula to their Road Runner in 1970, creating the Superbird. With Chrysler deciding to field only one winged race car, production of the Daytona ended, although several were still campaigned in the 1970 NASCAR season.

One of the most famous of all NASCAR Dodges is the red #71 Daytona driven by Bobby Isaac. At the 1970 Talladega race, Isaac broke Buddy Baker's fast-lap record, running 201.104 mph. Isaac went on to win the Grand National title with 11 wins and 38 top-tens in 47 starts. After the 1970 season, NASCAR changed eligibility rules - engine displacement of wing cars was limited to 305-cid, while non-aero cars were allowed to run engines up to 429-cid. The aero-cars had had their day.

Dodge Charger Daytona Breaks Records At Bonneville

In September 1971, NASCAR driver Bobby Isaac took his Daytona Charger to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Isaac broke 28 world speed records, most notably the two-way flying mile speed of 216.946 miles per hour.

The Dave Marcis Daytona by Doug Schellinger

Marcis' Daytona started out as a '68 Charger owned by A.J. King and driven by Pete Hamilton. Shortly after this photo was taken at Daytona '69, King folded his operation and the car was bought by Marcis' sponsor Milt Lunda. Dave ran it as a Charger 500, and later converted to a Daytona.

In the late 1970's, Don Danielewicz, a Milwaukee Wisconsin USAC racing enthusiast owned and restored the original Dave Marcis race Daytona chassis.

To give you a little background, Don spent a great deal of time in those days chasing down new and used Wing Car sheet metal. Don bought Superbird noses for $250 direct from Creative Industries the original supplier to Chrysler, at a time when you could still buy them over the counter at the dealer for $700. I can remember seeing noses stacked up in the back of a pickup at his house.

Don also bought a lot of parts from different midwestern race teams. He got a NOS Daytona nose from Don White. He bought whole pile of stuff from Nichels Engineering. .Don's garage in those days was a fabulous sight. Superbird fenders, twenty sets of turn signal frames mounted on a dowel rod, Superbird rear window plugs, Superbird hoods, the actual door skins and wing off Bobby Unser's Nichels Superbird. And these were all at working mans prices, even for the day. It was incredible.

In the winter of 1977, we got a call from Don to come over to his place and there was a surprise. On the hauler outside was a well used '69 Charger NASCAR racer , direct from Dave Marcis in North Carolina. Dave had acquired the car in 1969 from A.J. King who ran Pete Hamilton in the car in 1968. Dave raced this car as a Charger 500 and a Daytona. After the wing car era, it was converted back to a standard '69 Charger and raced in NASCAR through 1972. If that wasn't enough, after 1972 it was raced as a NASCAR Late Model Sportsman through the mid 1970's. It definitely led a long life on the track. It had been in a wreck at Daytona, repaired and was in primer when Don bought it.

Dodge Charger 500

The base car for the Daytona 426 Hemi with slant rear window

Chrysler is the parent company of Dodge and Plymouth, and all parts Mopar

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona - from Fast Furious 6

The 1970 SS454 LS6 Chevelle a History

The Super Sport Chevelle is one of Chevrolet's most famous muscle cars of all time, it made a respectable name for it's self in the muscle car world, during it's run as a muscle car the SS (super sport) cars could hold it's own with the best of them, there were a lot of different versions of the Chevelle and they were one of the best examples of a muscle car out there. The 1970 Chevelle SS454 with the LS6 454 engine was the top chevy engine of its time. A production 454 replaced a 427 Big Block engine option. The Turbo-Jet name was just a name. With engines this big there is a saying, Theres No Replacement For Displacement.

The LS6 454 V8 engine
The biggest performance option for 1970 was the "LS6 454"; it produced 450 HP @ 5600 RPM and built 500 lb-ft of torque @ 3600 RPM. It has high compression pistons and rectangle port cylinder heads, along with a solid lifter camshaft. Few other muscle cars could rival the power of the LS6.
By 1970 style was every bit as important as performance, and the SS Chevelles were available with twin racing stripes, that went over the hood and deck trunk lid.
The Muncie M22 Rock Crusher 4 speed transmission
With 500 ft-lb of torque, only two transmissions were able to handle the LS6 engine. The Muncie M22 rock crusher, which supposedly got its name from having diamonds dropped in to the gearbox, and it, crushed the rocks before it chewed the gears out of the transmission. The second transmission that was tough enough to handle the LS6 was the Turbo-Hydromatic 400 automatic transmission with a 34bit intermediate sprag.
For the rear, a very strong 12 Bolt Posi traction rear Differential 8.875" ring gear.
With the SS package came an upgraded suspension system known as the F41 suspension, it basically had stiffer springs to handle the extra weight of the big block engine that was stuffed in to this wicked ride, a full length 2.5 inch dual exhaust also came standard on the SS models.

The cowl induction hood
The cowl induction hood was one the most distinctive features on the SS Chevelle, a slightly raised portion of the hood, with the opening for the scoop facing the driver of the car, it would draw air from the bottom of the windshield area, where the air has a natural swirling effect.

Super Sport Dash Gauges
The 70 LS6 RPM gauge has a 6,500 rpm redline.

Engine Specifications

Cast Iron Engine Block
Cast Iron rectangular port Cylinder Heads or L89 aluminum Heads
Two Valves Per Cylinder
4.25 inch bore with a 4 inch stroke
454 Cubic Inch Displacement
11.25:1 Compression Ratio

Well that's more or less the story of the 1970 Chevelle LS6, during that time these cars were feared by their opponents, and loathed by the other motor companies, with all of them trying to out do each other in the muscle car wars, not to many of them could lay this car to rest, the 1970-72 Chevelle SS454.

1972 Chevelle Wagon with cowl induction hood and SS emblems

1970 EL Camino SS454 pick up style and Heavy Duty springs shocks

I've been in the automotive business for over 25 years, I have worked in all facets of the industry, from parts to restoration, all different makes and models, I just want to keep people interested in the old cars because it's where my heart is.

General Motors G.M rear differential how to quickly look and ID when looking under car

12 bolt rear is easy to see 2 bolts bottom center

10 bolt is 1 bolt bottom center and 2 corner ears

GM Transmission Pan ID (when looking under car)
1 is a 2 speed Powerglide 2. Turbo Hydromatic TH 200, 3. TH350, 4. TH400,
Newer Cars 5. TH200R4 overdrive, these are Buick Grand National 6. TH700 overdrive or 4L60 are Corvette, Camaro Firebird. 7. TH400 overdrive or 4L80E (E for Electronic computer controlled) 6. also has a later 4L60 E 1993 up.
Best thing to beef up your TH400 Transmission I like is the 34 Bit Sprag and Full Manual Valve Body Reverse Pattern. You have to shift and you have to shift at 3rd number gear first next to neutral, then 2nd, then 1st number. When you stop the car go back to 3rd and go again. Its very fun to drive and eliminates the vacuum modulator. Put a hose clamp on the Transmission mount to keep it from ripping apart.
For the overdrives a beefy servo, Sonnax Band, and Pump corvette Boost Valve, with 13 vain Rotor.
The Corvette Boost Valve can install on the car taking off the pan.

34 bit sprag comparison TH400

TH200r4 overdrive Transmission all GM

The TH200r4 overdrive is my favorite, bolts in place of a TH350,TH200, or TH400, just move the crossmember down to the TH400 position for install, and still use the cars same TH350 driveshaft and use the TH200r4 shift cable and be sure its pulled all out at the carburetor linkage or it will hi rev shift. It also has a GM universal Bell Housing so it can be used on all GM cars B.O.P. Buick Olds Pontiac, Cadillac, and Chevrolet.
Tricks, you also can take out a valve, guess which one, grind down the center valve and you can drive a car thats smooth like a Cadillac and when you floor it get neck snapping shifts.

12 Bolt Posi springs

GM Posi Unit or Positraction Limited Slip Differential. If your not sure if your car has it, lift both rear wheels off the ground and spin forward one wheel. If both wheels go forward, yes its in there. (first block front wheel, key in, car in neutral first)
(Safety first always use stands, block front wheel - front and back of wheel) anytime under car work

71-72 Chevelle with Heavy Duty Springs

Premonition of my car falling on me, so I had installed Heavy Duty Springs Shocks. Car now has a tall intimidating stance, and the header pipes didnt hit the floor anymore and get holes from bad bumps and dips on the rough New York City pothole streets, and pothole filled highways.
(learned the hard way car rolled and fell on me, lucky I put Heavy Springs and shocks Im still here)
(Lucky someone was there with another big jack to get the car off me. I had just enough room to not be crushed by the 4000 pound Chevelle, but too heavy to breath so I didnt exhale till it jacked up. It broke the creepers wheels off underneath me and felt like the car on my chest for a week. Lesson learned.)
Joey Pagan

12 Bolt Ring and Pinion Gear

Any gear more than 3.42 to 1 ratio is good for Drag Racing like 3.73 up, but dont think your going anywhere fast on the highway. Unless you have an overdrive it helps that.
Gear ratio is number of rotations of pinion (or driveshaft) to 1 wheel rotation.
I like to dust people on the highway now so I swapped the 3.73 to a 3.08 gear.
You can even find a 2 series Posi and find a 2.73 or 2.56 gear and go for 200mph at Bonneville.
Theres even a 2.41 and 2.29 gear for the 82 up Firebird and Camaro.

1971-72 Chevelle Super Sport SS454

Side turn signal light bezel on this car is a 1971 light bezel, is the only difference

1971-72 Chevelle SS454 - this one custom with Buick GSX wing and ghost stripes graphics

The 1972 Heavy Chevy Chevelle

The Chevelle features are the most dynamic in the 1964-72 Big Block Muscle Car SuperCar era.
From the family 2-4 door Malibu, a Station Wagon version, to the El Camino SS Pick Up.
In 1971 - 1972 the Chevrolet Chevelle had the Heavy Chevy options, with blacked out grill and headlight bezels, Hood pins and Cowl Induction hood (without flapper door) (some SuperSport models also had an option without hood flapper door), also no chrome wheel well trim or rocker panel trim on Heavy Chevy models. The SuperSport round gauge options was also offered in Heavy Chevy. The decals Heavy Chevy are on the very front of the hood, the trunk, and fenders, with a stripe along the upper sides. It was a SuperSport look without the SS emblems. Under the hood if you see a small block, it may be a 400 option, making this 1972 Heavy Chevy shown, one of the last big Muscle Cars in the 1964-1972 era.

1969 C.O.P.O 427 Camaro
( Central. Office. Production. Order ) 427 and 12 bolt rear 4.10 gears

Difference in the 1969 body is crease on body panels coming from top the squared wheel wells
C.O.P.O. Camaros special order with 427 engines, 12 bolt 4.10 posi rear, spoilers, raised hood.

1967 Yenko Camaro 427

Only difference from the 67 and 68 Camaro body is the front vent window only 1967

1969 Yenko Camaro 427

Yenko took 396 Chevrolet cars and swapped in 427 engines, also some cars were C.O.P.O. special ordered with the 427 engine, 4.10 posi, spoilers, and raised hood.
Camaro and Firebirds have same F body, they are cousins.

Don Yenko, the son of the founder of Yenko Chevrolet dealership, was the man behind the '69 COPOs, and was probably the best known and largest supplier of muscle cars back in the 60's and 70's. Don started using GM in 1965 to get special Corvairs, then moved on to transplanting 427s into Camaros in '67 and '68. In '69, Yenko used the COPO pipeline to get factory 427s in Camaros and Chevelles, then transplanted a few 427s into some Novas. In '70, he again used his COPO ties to get an LT-1 350 equipped Nova. From there, he began hot rodding Vegas and then produced a few hi-performance Camaros in '81.

1969 Yenko C.O.P.O. 427 Camaro 427 engine, 12 bolt 4.10 rear

This C.O.P.O. 427 special ordered also with Rally Wheels and 140mph speedometer

Yenko Chevrolet Nova 427

Yenko 427 Chevelle 1969

1970-72 Monte Carlo SS454

The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a luxury cousin to the Chevelle, using same dash, but wood grain. Monte Carlo Super Sports look like a sleeper with NO racing strips, a flat hood, and only the SS454 emblem on the lower rocker panel. But you will hear the Big Block 454 under the hood.

1973-74 Chevy Nova when body styles changed this one that still had that muscle look

impala SS 1965

Motion Performance in Baldwin New York, Long Island

Motion-Phase III 1970 C3 Corvette coupe

If you were around in the late 60s 70s 80s and picked up a car magazine then you have heard of Motion Performance, and the great Hi Performance work and custom design. I had the pleasure and honor of working as a Transmission installer at the Baldwin Motion Performance shop.
- Joey Pagan

The 1971 Plymouth Barracuda HemiCuda

This 1971 Hemi Cuda Barracuda 426 Hemi engine Factory GW3 White, black leather interior, 4spd, and 4:10 Dana 60 Super Track-pak rear differential

Its a quarter mile race car right out the show room. Thats the amazing thing about getting your muscle car fast car options before 1973, the times that caused the car companies to put smaller engines to save gas, and smog pumps to lower emissions. The shaker hood, rear wing, and shark looking gill sides, this HemiCuda is a beast that will take a bite at the light.

1969 Dodge Challenger 426 Hemi Plum Deep Purple

1969 Ford Torino-Talladega

Yes, Talladega is a NASCAR track in Alabama, but we are going to talk about the 1969 Ford’s that were built and named after the Talladega race track.

1968 had been a good year for Ford in NASCAR racing, with the new Fairlane, fastback body style. This left the "Guys in the white Hat’s (Dodge) looking for a way to make their “Coke” bottle 68 Charger cut the wind better. Thus enters the 1969 Dodge Charger 500. A modified limited production Charger that would cheat the wind with its flush mounted grille and reworked rear window.

Ford seeing what Dodge was up to, went back to the drawing board with its 69 Torino fastback. Working with the factory backed race shop of Holman and Moody to find a slicker more wind cutting front end Ford Torino They came up with what was one of Fords most modified, to be sold by its dealers new cars sense The ThunderBolt.

The Ford company had to build a minimum of 500 of these special modified Torino’s for the general public to buy through their dealership network in order to legalize the body as to NASCAR rules.That stated at least 500 units of a limited production car had to be built, and sold to the general public in order for the special modified bodes to be used on the tracks.

Ford geared up its Atlanta plant to build the new modified Torinos in January and February of 1969. The special built Torinos were given a hand built set of longer front folders, that extended its snoot and made the front end droop. The grill was moved forward and flush mounted, with the help of special stamped bracing that extend it out in front of the core support.

A special stamped header panel was added in front of the hood and sloped downward helping to flush the grill and covering the bracing. Holman and Moody took blank 1969 FairlaneTorino rear bumpers, cut them in the middle, narrowing and slightly vee ing them, than welded them back together filling the upper corners at the same time.Front bumpers were also reported to have been built by Kar Kraft . The bumpers were put on along with the other special parts during the special run at the Atlanta plant.

One of the most interesting changes made at the Atlanta plant was the addition of rerolled rocker panels. With the rocker panels being rerolled, it would let the race teams set the track cars lower to the ground, almost one inch lower than a non modified Torino.

Ford built a little over 740 of these specially modified Torino’s during this special production run.

But most special of these 740 plus cars was their name, Talladega. Named for the new supper speedway that was soon to be opened (in 1969) by Bill France. Talladega’s hit Ford dealerships in only 3 colors red, white, and blue at as Ford called it ,Royal Maroon, Wimbledon White, Presidential Blue.

Maroon and blue cars received white strips that ran along the tops of the fenders, doors and quarter panels. With white cars getting a black stripe.

Power for the street cars, 428 C.I. Cobra Jet rated at 335 horsepower with a compression ratio of lO.-5.1 backed by the power full C6 auto trans. Staggered rear shocks something only found on 4 speed Fairlane/Torino’s also found there way on to the Talladegas wore special T plates on the doors, along with special Talladega name plates inside on the doors, marking not found on any other Torino or Fairlane.

Ford won the Manufactures Cup in 1969 and David Pearson finished on top driving a Talladega in 1969, why shoot Richard Petty won his 100th, driving a Petty Blue Talladega.

1965 Ford Mustang GT350

Shelby's first Mustang was the 1965 Shelby GT350; a powerful race car credited with enhancing the Mustang’s image as a performance machine. Ford, having seen the success Carroll Shelby had made of the Cobra race car, knew he was the man to make the Mustang a respected race machine. The company reached out to him to see if he could create a high-performance Mustang for street and track. Shelby was up for the task, and began work on the project in August of 1964. In September, the first Shelby GT350s were built.

Features

Modified K-code 289cid V8 Engine w/306 hp
Side-exhaust pipes w/2-inch Glasspak mufflers
Hood-mounted air scoop
No rear seat
Only available in Wimbledon White
Standard GT350 rocker panel stripes
Optional Guardsman Blue Le Mans stripes
Rear battery on select models
15-inch wheels (white-painted steel or cast magnesium Cragar Rims

1965 Ford Mustang GT 350H

The rent a race car from Hertz Rent A Car, a black with gold strips Ford Shelby GT 350H (Hertz)

1967 Ford Mustang GT 500

You might recognize this car from the movie - Gone in 60 seconds.

For '67, Ford offered the Mustang with their tried-and-true 390 V-8, which has a bore and stroke of 4.05 x 3. 78 inches. Ford also builds a 428 V-8 on the same block with a bore and stroke of 4.13 x 3.98 inches. Why not, reasoned Shelby, use this engine in the '67 Shelby Mustang? Why not indeed. The car is called the GT 500 and its engine is called the Cobra Le Mans.

Please note that the Cobra Le Mans engine displaces 428 cubic inches. That sounds like a hair better than the 427. In fact, they are two entirely different engines. Both have the same external dimensions, but the 427 is more oversquare, with a bore and stroke of 4.23 x 3. 78. The 427 is a racing engine, full of the kind of intestinal fortitude that makes it capable of enduring 500 miles at Daytona and 24 hours at Le Mans. The 428 is a passenger-car engine, and nearly $1000 cheaper than the 427. Few people would be happy with the 427 unless they were racing it. It’s noisy, balky, and an oil burner at normal highway speeds.

The GT 500 is not a racing car, although but for a few subtle differences its engine is the same as the one that propelled Shelby’s Fords to victory at Le Mans. Seven liters in a Mustang! The early GT 500 engineering prototype was the fastest car ever to lap Ford’s twisty handling loop, except for the GT 40s, of course. And the same car cut a quarter-mile in 13.6 seconds at 106 mph. Super car!

1969 Ford Mustang BOSS 429

The Boss 429 was a hand-built muscle car intended solely to satisfy the rules of NASCAR. The coupe was longer than previous models and sported convex rather than concave side "lines".

The 429 engine was unlike any other Ford motor, being much wider in the cylinder head, thanks to its semi-Hemi combustion chamber design, and this meant strut towers needed widening and the battery relocating to the trunk. The Boss used the ’Top Loader’ close-ratio, four-speed manual because the autos couldn’t handle the torque. The suspension had uprated springs and shocks plus an anti-roll bar.

Ford Muscle Cars also sport a rear differential with a 9 inch ring gear.

Mercury Cougar Eliminator

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the all Aluminum Monster Engine.

All aluminum 427 Big Block and heads, 500 horse power

The ZL1 Engine was based on the regular Chevrolet 427 engine.
However, instead of the regular iron-block and head L72 found in the regular 427 engine, the ZL1 sported aluminum heads and the first aluminum block ever made by Chevrolet.

It shared the L88 aluminum head/iron block's engine rating of 430bhp but made closer to 500bhp -- making it probably the most powerful engine Chevrolet ever offered to the public. And the engine weighed just 500 pounds, the same as Chevy's 327 small block.
The ZL-1 was made available only for 1969 under COPO 9560 and Chevrolet needed to install 50 copies to qualify the ZL1 Camaro for racing.

Chevrolet eventually built 69 Camaros and 2 Corvettes with the ZL1 engine. ZL1 cars were blessed with a 5 year/50,000 mile warranty and were fully street legal. With factory exhausts and tires, ZL1 Camaros could turn low 13s; with headers and slicks, they could turn 11.6s @ 122mph. This was the fastest car ever produced by Chevrolet.
Performance had its price - $4,160us for the ZL1 engine alone pushing the price of the Camaro ZL1 to an unbelieveable $7,200 (about double the price of a SS Super Sport 396cid Camaro).

"Built by Dick Harrell" badge located in the glovebox of ZL1´s.
Denoting the Gibb-prepped and tuned by Dick Harrell who was known as "Mr. Chevrolet".

The original ZL1 Camaro was brainstormed by Chevy dealer Fred Gibb. In 1969, Fred Gibb Chevrolet contacted the General Motors factory to produce the Camaro with the ZL1 all-aluminum 427 engine. The factory would agree to do it if Gibb placed a minumum order of 50 cars. Gibb initiated the order and this was the beginning of the COPO 9560 Camaro.
The first two ZL1 Camaros arrived at Gibb's dealership on a snowy evening in the last days of December 1968. The agreement GM made with Gibb was to have ZL1 cars available for sale prior to the end of 1968. The GM factory delivered as promised.

Unfortunately, Gibb had neglected to ask about the cost of these cars. The window sticker price was over $7,200. Needless to say, not many Camaro enthusiasts were eager to step up and pay a price that was almost twice the cost of the COPO 9561 cast iron 427.

Due to this "sticker shock", negotiations transpired between Fred Gibb and the Chevrolet factory managers.

It was agreed that Gibb could return most of the cars. It was the first time in history that the factory took back cars from a dealership. The unsold cars were re-invoiced at the factory and redistributed to other high-performance Chevrolet dealerships.

In addition to the original 50 ZL1 Camaros shipped to Gibb Chevrolet, an additional 19 ZL1's were ordered through the 1969 production year by various other high-performance Chevrolet dealerships.

This ended the 1969 ZL1 Camaro production run at a total of 69 cars. Fred Gibb Chevrolet did manage to sell 13 of the original 50 that he ordered.

1969 Camaro ZL1 427 all aluminum engine

1969 ZL1 Camaro, 12 bolt, raised Hood, no trim, no spoilers, plain steel wheels

1969 Corvette ZL1 testng - notice slant rear window, side pipes, fender flares, wheels

1969 Corvette ZL1 number 1

Chevrolet 427 ZL1 all aluminum V8 700hp

1969 Corvette ZL1 number 2

1969 Corvette ZL1 Race Roadster number 3

The most sought after Corvette ever to roll off the assembly line is the ultra-rare ZL1. According to GM production records only two were built. Its engine option added over $4700 to the cost of a standard car. The ZL1 motor incorporated a specially reinforced all-aluminum 427 block and heads, with a radical solid lifter cam and a Holley four-barrel 'double pumper' carburetor. These cars were rumored to have 700 hp and be capable of 200 mph. This car was originally ordered specially for racing by John Maker of Leechburg, PA through the office of Grady Davis of Gulf Oil. It was raced for four years in drag racing events. The current owner purchased it from Mr. Maker in 2007. The odometer reads just over 3,000 original miles. It is in original condition except for a repaint (in the original color).

http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/591845,2168,0,0/photo.aspx

1961 and 1965 Mako Shark Corvette concept supercar

1968 Corvette 427 with Hardtop slant window

Corvette 1963 Asteroid

1970 Buick GSX skylark 455

1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass RALLYE 350

The Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 cant beat the looks of its twin, the RALLYE 350

1970 Pontiac GTO judge 455

1969 Pontiac Trans Am

MuscleCars of the 1980s

1989 Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans Am

The 20th anniversary Firebird Turbo Trans Am - Grand National Turbo V6 engine, and TH200-4r overdrive automatic transmission made for the Firebird transmission torque arm

1989 Indi 500 Official Pace Car gold GTA wheels Brown interior

1989 Turbo Trans Am Turbo V6 same as Buick Grand National

Trans Am GTA 91-92

1987 Buick Regal Grand National GNX

1987 GNX has Honeycomb style wheels

Buick Regal T-Type Turbo T-Top

1987 Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2

This Grand Prix has the aerocoupe rear window, and aero front grill. Cars are grey, Only 1 in black.

1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe Nascar

Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 W-30 Hurst 1987

Camaro iroc-z 1985-90

True iroc-z has iroc-z emblem on rocker, if not its just a Z28 with an iroc-z door decal

1963 Shelby Cobra 289

Shelby Cobra 427

2004 Shelby Cobra Concept Car V10 Driven by Caroll Shelby

Ford GT40 1964

The year was 1963. Henry Ford II decided he needed to win the famous 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans. That March, he entered negotiations to join forces with Ferrari, but Enzo Ferrari halted talks abruptly on May 21. This steeled Henry's resolve to beat Enzo if he couldn't join him. Funds were allocated to construct a Yank-powered GT car built with help from Britain's Lola. In 1966, the dream was realized with GT40s finishing one-two-three at Le Mans. Ford's winning streak stretched through 1969, by which time Ferrari had withdrawn from the series. Is it any wonder, then, that Ford's Living Legends styling studio should follow up its T-Bird and Forty-Nine designs with a reincarnation of the fabled GT40?

This Ford GT40 a Lemans race winner sold for 11million, and was own by the actor Steve McQueen

Ford GT40 rebuilt suspension by Sbarro

Ford GT 40 MK3

Ford GT 2003 - 2006

The Ford Motor Company produced the Ford GT sports car from 2003 to 2006. It looks a lot like the Ford GT40 of the 1960s and is also sometimes mistaken for one. The concept of this two-seater automobile was revealed in the 2002 Detroit Auto Show. The vehicle had a 5.4L Supercharged Modular V8 engine and a six-speed manual transmission. It had a wheelbase of 106.7 inches, a length of 182.8 inches, a width of 76.9 inches, and a height of 44.3 inches.
The cars were assembled in Wixom, Michigan. The company only produced 4038 cars of the GT model. Originally, four-thousand-five hundred GT models were intended to be built but only 550 were produced in 2004, almost 1900 were built in 2005, and a little over 1600 were created in 2006, amounting to 4038 all in all. The production of the 2006 GT cars ended on September 21, 2006. All models were discontinued by the Wixom Assembly Plant on May 31st of 2007.

Comfort and legality mandates drove a 10-percent increase in the overall dimensions of the new car relative to the Mark I GT40. The wheelbase is stretched nearly a foot, the height goes up three inches from 40.5 inches (a figure that was rounded down to 40 in the naming of the original car) to 43.5 inches. Overall length stretches 17.1 inches longer than the original's 164.5. The passenger compartment is situated slightly farther aft within the wheelbase to lessen the intrusion of the front wheel wells. The seats are located outboard of a wide central backbone structure that houses the fuel cell, rather than inboard of two giant sills that housed the gas tanks in the original. Another wonderful concession to ingress/egress is the way the conventionally hinged doors wrap up into the roof, as the original doors did.

Fastest Ford GT 1000 Twin Turbo 235.4 MPH

It’s not every day you see a 1000 horsepower American made car go up for sale on eBay. This 2005 Ford GT sports a GT1000 Twin Turbo system which produces a cool 1000HP/865TQ while hitting a mind boggling top speed of 235.4 MPH to make it the fastest Ford GT ever built. The starting bid is $229,500 dollars, which is just slightly outside of my budget for a car. It’s still better than the Bugatti Veyron though, which will set you back at least 6 times that amount.

Ford F3L (the Matchbox Group 6 car)

2012 Corvette ZR1supercharger

32 valve 4 overhead cam aluminum V8 with supercharger

1995 Callaway Corvette LM (LeManns)

1997 Callaway_Corvette C7R

1997 Callaway_Corvette C12

Corvette Summer made from C3 Corvette

Firebird Trans Am 1977-78 Smokey and The Bandit

Bandit Trans Am complete with CB radio antenna

The CAR a John Carpenter movie car spotted in europe

1966 Batmobile made from the 1955 Futura concept car, with creator George Barris

1966 Batmobile made from the 1955 Futura concept car, sells for $4.2 Million
Car collector Rick Champagne has every right pop open a bottle of his last name after becoming only the second owner of one of Hollywood’s most iconic cars. He had to sweat out a feverish bidding war for the George Barris’ original 1966 Batmobile , the same one used in the Adam West Batman TV series. In the end, however, his checkbook did all the talking to the tune of $4.2 million at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The winning bid price might seem steep, but given the kind of car the ’66 Batmobile is, we presume that it was worth every last penny from Champagne’s bank account.
With the classic movie car now belonging to him, Champagne only becomes the second owner of the Batmobile after Barris, the same man who famously built the Batmobile in only 15 days in time for it to be used in the Batman TV series. On top of the car itself, Champagne also went home with number of memorabilia and documentation from Barris’ own personal collection.

Speed Racer Mach 5 made from C4 Corvette by Mark Towle

Carlito's Way Custom Nova chop top and 57 corvette grill

Tuned Port injection intake

General Lee Dukes of Hazzard 1969 Dodge Charger

50 Mercury (Lead Sled Chop Top) Cobra movie car

Big Foot 1st Monster Truck 1974 Ford F-250 Pickup with 1979 body

The first monster truck to ever use rear steering added in 1979

AMC AMX 390V8 American Motors Cars 1969

AMC AMX3 concept car 1970

Dodge Viper V10 2010

Dodge Viper V10 2013

2015 Dodge Challenger 392 Hemi

6.4L 485-HP Hemi V8 Scat Pack

2013 C.O.P.O. Camaro

(central office production order)

Number 69 with Racing Big Block, 2 speed Powerglide, Drag Race wheels tires, from Chevrolet

2013 Camaro ZL1

2016 iroc Camaro

2008 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 KR

2013 Shelby GT 500 Super Snake Wide Body

2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Cadillac CTS V Coupe LT5 6.2 liter supercharged ZR1 aluminum V8

1996 impala SS with LT1 engine, this car I know 20 years and 250,000 miles driven hard and still drives and runs all original no problems like new. Now thats Corvette engineering.

This impala rides smooth like a Cadillac, takes the bumps and dips in the road easy, and rockets like a Corvette. It can take the family out like a town car with a Corvette LT1 under the hood

Mercury Marauder this is one fast taxi limo

Mercury Marauder 100X 429V8 1969

Lingenfelter Pontiac GTO LS2 2006

1999 Trans Am 30th anniversary

Pontiac Trans Am Firehawk SLP 2002 ( street legal package )

Pontiac Firebird Formula Firehawk SLP 1991-92 ( street legal package )

Pontiac Trans Am 1982 Knight Rider

This 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am Is Europe's Fastest Street Legal Car, over 250mph

That's right, a 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am is officially Europe's fastest street legal car. This black beauty is packing over 1400hp and has recently set an official top speed of 407.134km/h at Germany's Papenburg test track.
That's Bugatti Veyron fast and the best part is not that it's substantially cheaper than the Bugatti, but that Paul and the team from Polly Motorsport are confident the car can reach 435km/h - which would make it the fastest car in the world! Looks like the SCC Ultimate Aero is going to have a real fight on its hands.
The car is extensively worked, though figuring out exactly what's been done to its stonking 8.9-litre boosted V8 is a bit of a mystery to us due to translation issues. You can check out the car's details at the Polly Motorsport website, and be sure to let us know if it makes sense to you.
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/15526/1986-pontiac-trans-am-is-europes-fastest-street-legal-car

57 Corvette Pro Street Drag Race Car built by Rod Saboury
These Pro Street race cars have the Biggest displacement engines, Chevy Mountain Motors
Dart Olds style Big Chief Heads, Dart Big Chief Intake 3500-8500rpm range
13-15 to1 compression pistons, 730-800 lift camshaft, 1150 cfm Holly 4500 Dominator carb
Turbo 400 or 2 speed Powerglide Transmission, 4.56-5.13 gears and 4-5 inch exhaust.
Running the quarter mile from 6.99 seconds and faster, over 200 mph without Nitrous, Naturally

Chevy Big Block with Dart Big Chief Heads and Big Chief Intake, Holly Dominator Carburator

below Chevy Big Block V8 with Dart Big Chief Heads and Tunnel Ram Intake

Holley Dominator Carburetors

Schubeck 904 cubic inch Engine 1200 horsepower natural

Chevy Small block Engine - Perfect driving street car engine - 4 bolt main (4 bolt main bearing caps), Holly 750cfm carb, 280- 290 duration camshaft, 9.0 compression, intake range idle - 6000, Distributor 2 wire electronic module (never have starting problem), 50,000 volt Accel Supercoil

Chevy Small Block V8 below with Holley 750cfm, Edelbrock RPM Airgap intake

Engine terms on parts - 4 bolt main (4 bolt main crankshaft bearing caps),

Drive by wire (computer controlled gas excelerator, instead of excelerator cable)

(B.O.P.) Buick Olds Pontiac - other General Motors parts use same style except Chevrolet

Dart Olds style Big Chief Heads - Olds style means B.O.P. style, some made to fit Chevrolet

Surprised when I hear people talk about these part terms and can tell they dont know

Chevrolet LT5 ZR1 32valve 4 overhead cam aluminum V8

Corvette ZR1 1990 up These cars competed in the 24 hour race

1963 Chevrolet Corvette (split window)

Corvette 1953 Commemorative Edition (C5) '2003–04

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham with brush stainless top and suicide rear door

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

1977 Cadillac Seville 2 door ever see one lifted and hot rod 2 doors rare

Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Quicksilver Automatic

Toyota Supra Twin Turbo 2JZ, Dual OverHead Cam 6 cylinder

Mazda RX7 veilside wide body 1998

(Movie Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift)

Mazda RX7 1998 with new headlights, lower spoilers

Mazda 13B rotary engine (4 stroke cycle in rotary motion, 2 rotors)

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Get all the aftermarket racing parts, custom lights, carbon fiber hood, wing in a new car

1975 Toyota Celica Lift Back GT2000

by Top Secret Peformance with Dual Over Head Cam 4 cylinder Toyota engine

1970-72 Datsun 240Z Nissan today

Datsun GTO250 kit

1987 Porsche 959

Porsche-959 920-965wtmk has less is more look

Porsche Flat 6 engine

4 overhead cam horizontally in two banks of three cylinders each side flat, less gravity

Porsche Carrera GT Gemballa Mirage

Porsche 917/30 TurboPanzer

packed over 1,100bhp and as much as 1,300bhp in qualifying spec. It was capable of 0-62mph in less than 2.0 secs and had a top speed of 257mph.

Volks Wagon Beetle movie car Herbie The Love Bug

VW Beetle with Porsche 356 engine Now Talk

VW Beetle with Porsche quad overhead cam engine

BMW i8 2015

Mercedes SLR McLaren

Mercedes Benz CLS550 2006 first aerodynamic low roof top and light design

Mercedes Benz CL 600 V12 2006 and AMG

2013 Bentley Continental W12

2015 Rolls Royce Wraith special edition

Vector W8 Twin Turbo only all American Supercar

W8 - Worlds most misunderstood supercar

I worked for Vector Aeromotive and know how the cars were built and the care and attention to detail that went in to them. I also own one of the 17 production W8's that roam this earth. Doesnt matter what anyone says about it, too many myths and mis-information out there. Until you have owned one you truly have no idea what a pleasure they are to own.

The W8 is the only ALL AMERICAN Vector ever produced. There was one W2, and the two Avtech cars AWX3 and AWX3R that were produced by the original Vector Aeromotive in Wilmington CA. The M12 is a chopped up Diablo with a cheap chopper gun fiberglass shell over it. The engine was flipped 180 degrees and a getrag 5 speed was mated to it. Nothing more than a Lamborghini kit car.

The W8's have a Semi aluminum monocoque chassis with a 4130 Chro-Moly roll cage, All production W8's have a Rodeck Y block. Not some cheap Chevrolet V8. All of them are resleevable. They are twin turbocharged, transversely mounted, and each car came with a minimum of 625hp and 650lbft of torque. I say minimum because a few of the W8's put down more power than that as factory stock cars. 013 and 015 are good examples of higher power Vectors. There is only one "California Emissions" car and that is mine. All of them will pass CA emissions, but my car was specifically built to do it.

The car is capable of pulling 1.25 G on a skid pad, it just depends on how you set the suspension on them. The cars ride very nice, and handle very well, 0-60 happens in 3.9 seconds and they top out well above 218mph. The body is Kevlar, Carbon Fiber and S-Glass. The interior is wide and comfortable. While the cars are not built with someone over 6' tall in mind, at 5'9" I have no problems fitting in. All Vectors have 3 speed transmissions. Many of the parts in the cars are from aircraft, Switches, Circuit Breakers, the Electroluminescent display panel, aluminum wire harnesses are all from jet fighters. The aluminum honeycomb floor pan is also aircraft derived. Cherry-Max rivets and epoxy bonding hold the chassis together (aircraft derived) other parts on the car were very heavy-duty stock car components and F-1 components for the day.

Fit and finish are second to none. I have yet to see another exotic with better panel fit and finish.

From a pure driving perspective, the steering is a little light but has good feedback, the car will understeer a little but is easily overcome by adding a little throttle. Acceleration is linear and does not stop; the automatic transmission copes well with the boost and never lets the engine fall off its torque curve. Its like being strapped to a SCUD Missile.

The cars do not over heat; I have let mine idle endlessly at events just to prove the point. Usually that is the first thing people say is "that car overheats" Not true. One preproduction car had an air bubble in the cooling system and did over heat during a test session. But none of the cars have an overheating issue.

I have driven XJ220's, EB 110's and McLaren F1's I could afford any of them but have the Vector as my pride and joy because it provides much more fun than any of the others did.

From a maintenance perspective, I have a 14 year old car that has cost about $2000.00 to service over its life time. Most of that being fluid changes, a battery and a couple of small items. Let me know if you find another $450,000 car that can claim that over its lifetime.

I know people that have sent their McLaren F1's back to the factory to be returned to perfect condition for the tune of $85,000.00. Ferraris need a $7500 service every 7500 miles. So if the Vector is such a bad car, why has it held up so well and cost so little to keep in perfect running order?

The car was amazing for its time. Built to last the life of the owner. I will enjoy this car for the rest of my life. As I continue to collect other toys, I will always cherish the W8 as my favorite.

The car was a success, but the owner of Vector made a bad decision to allow an investment group to come in, they leveraged their investment in to a hostile takeover. They then proceeded to trash the company and its owner.

Unfortunately when you develop such a car it is very costly to do. It took Vector $30 million to develop and produce a total of 20 cars. By comparison it took Bugatti the same $30million to produce its first prototype of the EB110.

Magazines were not allowed to test a running Bugatti until it was fully developed.

The same goes for Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche. Those companies wont let a Magazine touch or test their babies until they have all of the bugs worked out and the cars are a rolling showcase. Usually they have taken 7 cars to DOT for crash testing here in the U.S. and they have run hundreds of thousands of miles on preproduction cars to make sure they are ready for their world debut.

Unfortunately we did not have the luxury of having 20 to 30 test mules that we place millions of miles on before letting the press get their hands on them. So there were 2 magazine articles that did not help Vector out. One tested the original W2. This car was literally the first mock up of what the car was going to be. Only built for the purpose of showing potential investors what the concept was. But with no other test car to offer curious automobile writers, Jerry would take a prototype and let Magazines test the only car that we had. It was still far from complete and no where near developed. So it had teething pains. Go ask any automotive manufacturer to let you drive their concept that is sitting on a revolving pedestal at an auto show. Usually they are only clay and plastic sheeting, let alone a running physical vehicle.

So Jerry was brave enough to allow the press to play with a one off concept car. It backfired on the company. We did not have the luxury of sending out cars to the press after a lengthily development program. So they tested development cars that were still being put through their paces.

Vector had standing orders and a long list of buyers by 1992, The hostile takeover destroyed the company, the Indonesians tore the place apart a long ugly battle ensued and the Indonesians ended up moving everything to Florida except the people who built the cars. What they produced was a complete abortion known as the M12 which was given the distinct title of the worst car ever tested in the history of Autoweek.

People who don’t know what actually went on with Vector, associate the M12 abortion with the Vector Aeromotive car company, which it actually was not built by. It was built by Mega Tech LTD. No affiliation what so ever with the original All American Car Company.

Unfortunately people base their opinions on rumors and BS lies. Hey I read that on the internet on in a magazine, it must be true.

Hey the Pontiac Grand Prix won Motor Trends car of the year award in 1986, it must have been a great car. Oh there were 27 safety recall notices on it, but hey GM had spent the most advertising dollars that year with Motor Trend, so magically something had to become car of the year.

Many people out here on the Internet type BS remarks and people assume that they are telling the truth.

The Vector just happens to have fallen victim to this type of hype.

Dont get me wrong, I am not stating that the Vector is rolling perfection, but it is an excellent car. The one thing that amazes me is that every article ever written about the Vector complements the vehicle on its fit and finish. The only item that any magazine has ever said negatively was that the car overheats. So on that single item the Vector has some how become the most unreliable supercar ever built.

What is scary is that every person on earth praises the McLaren F1. But it is one of the scariest cars I have ever driven, the *** end always wants to become the front end of that car when driving it. The president of BMW purchased one of the first F1's and promptly spun it in to a telephone pole totaling the car. Many other McLaren owners have done the same thing. The car is light but the rear end is heavy and the handling is unforgiving. Maintenance on the car is atrociously expensive but its the ultimate supercar. The XJ 220 has ageing pains, the fuel bladders go bad in that car along with many other problems that cost owners tons of money to maintain, but its still considered one of the fastest cars on the planet today with no negative press. EB 110's are wonderful cars but parts are difficult to obtain only Dauer has the remaining parts and to obtain them will cost you your left arm and your first-born.

Ferraris need expensive ridiculous maintenance to keep them on the road, yet for some reason everyone praises them as one of the best exotic cars manufactured today. How many people would accept taking any other car in every 5000 and 7500 miles for $2500 and $7500 services and call that a good deal for something you have just spent $200,000+ dollars to purchase? Yet those cars are not considered unreliable?????????? In this day and age of the 100,000 mile tune up on a Toyota, Ferrari cant make a car that will run longer than 7500 miles without a major service?

Own a Ferrari or Lamborghini for 14 years and only put $2000 in to maintaining it and see how well it runs after that time frame with that amount spent on maintenance. The Vector runs flawlessly and still looks new.
How does that make it the worst Supercar ever built? I'm not sure. But for the 17 owners that have them 98% wouldnt sell the car to save their own lives. They all love them.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/car-chat/219187-vector-w8-worlds-most-misunderstood-supercar-to-date.html