70 COPO

[markjohnson]

Please help me here. I've always had trouble understanding the signifigance of the COPO 9697 on 1970 Camaros. Isn't it the same spoiler that was used on all 1970 Pontiac Trans Ams and Formula Firebirds? If this is so, then Pontiac should get the credit for developing the superior spoiler and Chevrolet just robbed it from their parts bin. My own 1970 Z/28 by the way is a smaller spoiler (holes filled in)car built in the third week of May in Norwood.

[70 copo]

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Please help me here. I've always had trouble understanding the signifigance of the COPO 9697 on 1970 Camaros. Isn't it the same spoiler that was used on all 1970 Pontiac Trans Ams and Formula Firebirds? If this is so, then Pontiac should get the credit for developing the superior spoiler and Chevrolet just robbed it from their parts bin. My own 1970 Z/28 by the way is a smaller spoiler (holes filled in)car built in the third week of May in Norwood.

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You are right! Pontiac General Manager Jim McDonald agreed to let Chevy (Jim Delorean) use the center section developed for the Firebird Trans-AM. This was a favor by McDonald, and many at Pontiac were not happy at all about this deal. Then Pontiac vendor AO Smith then started manufacturing the Camaro end caps in "rush mode" on Temporary tooling and the production problems experienced with end cap fit significantly delayed the overall project and greatly reduced the total production.

Phil

[70 copo]

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And how many 70 Copo's have been found to date? vs, how many do we think were produced (500 or so?)?

Rich

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I think perhaps 250-500 someplace in there. Piggins told me in 1985 that they needed 1000 for SCCA, but had "cheated the hell out of them" with the big problem being fit problems on the line pertaining to vendor AO Smith.

Perhaps the better question is how many of the original cars have actually survived two seperate time periods the late 80's and today where the majority of restorations completed on a 70 Z-28 require the addition of a short spoiler reguardless of what the car came with stock.

As late as a couple of years ago information on the 9796 option was limited to hard core Camaro people only. Heck in the mid 90's I was getting hammered at Super Chevy by the judges for the "wrong spoilers" "not availible till '71". It has been an up hill climb to correct the record and inform folks on these cars. Things really broke wide open two years ago when I re-discovered the Mechanix Illustrated article actually showing a picture of one of these rare cars being road tested.

Phil

[70 copo]

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Phil in your opinion and in todays world what % does the COPO option tack on to the price of a fully restored Z?

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First you have to want one and to many the '70 just does not look like a '70 without the standard short RPO Z28 spoiler.

But if you do want a real COPO 9697 and if the car has good history, documentation options and colors perhaps 50% bump in value.

I am going on what I was offered for mine compared to a simular optioned ( good resto-same color combo and a 4 speed) Standard Z-28' sale that was completed almost two years ago.

Phil

[DarrenX33]

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50% bump in value

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So like 20K or so for the spoiler option. Wow.