I have been posting about this for over 20 years that I think the Tailfins & Bowties data and the Fran Preve numbers are high estimates for the number of COPO 427 cars built.
I feel the “700” number is more accurate since that is the number that Chevy used in the COPO service letters.
The Tailfins & Bowties data are numbers for RPO L78 and Z27 SS and I don’t see anything that indicates Chevy included the COPOs and 427 engines or that they excluded them.
To use those numbers you have to assume the COPO 427 options are included in the L78 totals and were not included in the Z27 (Camaro SS) total.
This may or may not be correct but it seems inconsistent to say Chevy considered the COPO 427 as a L78 and not an SS.
If they began as an L78, I would think they would be SS L78 before the COPO 427 conversion but we don't know how they were used in the RPO totals.
I don’t understand why people don’t use the “700” number as more accurate since that is the number that Chevy used in the COPO service letters
The Tailfins & Bowties RPO data and the Fran Preve engine numbers are both great sources of information but the “700” number is the number that Chevy used in 1969 as the number of vehicles built.
The Chevy COPO letters, that were reprinted in the COPO Connection book , said about 700 high performance vehicles were “in process” as of 7-9-69.
The 4 COPO letters document the build of the 9560 (ZL1) , 9561 (L72 Camaro) , 9562 (L72 Chevelle) and 9737 (Yenko Sportscar Conversion ). The 4 letters are dated 7-9-69 to 7-24-69 and states the total of these high performance vehicle orders are about 700.
I know some COPO 427 cars were built after 7-9-69 but I don’t think many were ordered after 7-9-69 .
The “700” number includes the 9560 (ZL1) , 9561 (L72 Camaro) , 9562 (L72 Chevelle).
This is about half of what the total is using the Tailfins & Bowties data and the Fran Preve engine numbers.
Attached a pic of the *700” number in one of the 4 Chevy COPO Letters reprinted in the COPO Connection book
|