Buying a ZL1 in 1969

[442w30]

I was chatting with a Mopar guy yesterday and he said his old car may possibly may be the most expensive muscle car ever built. It cost around $6200 in 1971, which is about $1000 more than most loaded muscle cars during that time.

However, I pointed out that the Camaro ZL1 was a lot more expensive (purposely we avoided including Corvettes in this conversation). He claims that a person couldn't go to a dealership and buy a ZL1, and that a dealership ended up having to buy 50 of them in order to get them. I didn't think that was the case - sure, Fred Gibb ordered 50 of them (and possibly initiated the ZL1's existence), but in the end the ZL1 wasn't just a fleet-order special, judging by the subsequent 19 built.

Or was it?

Hoping you experts may be able to shed some light on this and dispel or support his hypothesis.