What's considered a super car?

[Canada George]

[ QUOTE ]
What about a 69 Corvette with RPO ZL-1? the ultimate, #1 supercar! I know, I know.

[/ QUOTE ]

To limit the distinction of SUPERCAR to the dealer-modified high-performance cars is OK but this term as used on this site also applies to the COPOs. Why would a factory-built car ordered through the COPO process be considered more significant than an RPO car that in reality was much more difficult to bring in???

Not only were many non-performance COPOs in no way SUPERCARS the ones that are, were available to anyone that simply used the applicable number (9561, etc.) through the Central Office.

Contrast this with the L88/ZL1 Corvettes that were EXTREMELY difficult to order despite being RPO cars. The fact is they were only listed as Regular Production Ordered cars because this is what was necessary to be eligible to race them in the top-level professional circuits (FIA/SCCA). The first production L88 (Penske’s ’66) was in fact a COPO.

An organization certainly has the right to define a term based on whatever criteria they want but if this site has decided that a SUPERCAR is deemed to be a performance dealer-modified car or a COPO I think it is somewhat short-sighted in not also including what (I feel) were unquestionably the TOP SUPERCAR Chevrolet produced in the muscle car era, the L88/ZL1 Corvette. Don’t forget that the fabled COPO 9560 ZL1 powerplant was simply the factory race-packaged Corvette’s engine supplanted into the Camaro.

SUPERCAR is not a word you will find in most dictionaries; the term is highly subjective. You would probably get very different opinions from your average European and American. The owner of a 1970 LS6 Chevelle may laugh when you tell him his car is not as SUPER as a dealer-installed 427 ’69 Chevelle; the same argument could be made by the owner of any “solid-lifter”. These cars are significant in different ways; people are free to judge these things by their own standards. Some would say the best way of determining which car is more SUPER is on the track; others wouldn’t. I’ve always felt a SUPERCAR is any intermediate car with over 400 C.I. of high-performance engine, regardless of make.

It’s my personal opinion that however wide a net is used to define a SUPERCAR there is no reasonable argument that would exclude any limited-production full-race packaged and race-fueled car regardless of how it could be ordered. This would therefore also have to include the Z11 Impala. Anyone care to argue with this logic?

There is no doubt that this site is very accepting of all performance car owners and a great resource for information and fellowship but perhaps it may be time to re-think this organization’s definition of what cars should carry the distinction of the term SUPERCAR.

Regardless… and...

[69 L88]

I concur with you maestro, with L88/ZL1

[BJCHEV396]

Thanks for your knowlegeble input gentlemen.I do appreciate it.Bill.

[Canada George]

By the way Bill, being your L78 Nova was actually bored out to a 402 in 1970 it would meet my declared definition of a SUPERCAR… in fact any L78 Nova (because of their weight/power ratio) would fit this category of SUPER! Hell, any L78 Nova/Camaro/Chevelle is pretty super in my books (their motors are only one rebuild away from the 400 C.I. threshold and this number is simply a rough line I have drawn in this ENTIRELY SUBJECTIVE discussion).

HOWEVER, not so subjective an opinion for me is:
<font color="red"> THE #1 CHEVY SUPERCAR: L88/ZL1 CORVETTE </font>

P.S. Other opinions encouraged.

[TDW]

From the main page of this site. Not my personal definition.

Dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the Chevrolet dealer built Supercars and COPO cars

[olredalert]

-----Fast+Chevrolet=SUPERCAR........Bill S

[sYc]

<font color="red"> .....I’ve always felt a SUPERCAR is any intermediate car with over 400 C.I. of high-performance engine, regardless of make.
</font>


Hum...no LT-1s, such as the Yenko Deuce, none of the Z-28s modified by Yenko, Berger, etc, no early Ttans Am cars, which I think are cool.

[m22mike]

Good point Tom

Mike

[JoeG]

Back in '69 Cars magazine(Martyn L. Schorr)exec.editor started a annual SuperCars series..They did a SuperCars Annual from '69 to '72...Their definition of a SuperCar went something like this--
"The first supercar was invented by Pontiac with the introduction of the '64 GTO. Since then the basic formula for building a supercar has remained the same:---
------To one intermediate-size two-door hardtop or convertible,add one big engine as standard equipment.Give it a name as short as possible,consisting of a series of letters or numbers don't have to mean anything. Place emblems all over the car to distinguish it from its Plain Jane cousins.Add other image items as standard equipment like racing stripes,mag-type wheels etc, to add furthur image to the car"----
---The Dealer prepped cars like B/M --Yenko/Shelby/Nicky etc were referred to as the Specialty SuperCar Market...but these definitions were at a time when everyboby was just lookin' forward to what muscle next year car models would bring....
*****Please note that this "Supercar" definition is not written in stone and is subject to individual interpertation***

[Mr70]

Somewhere around here I have a dated 1969-70 Chevrolet Corporate to Dealer booklet that references potential prospects for a "SuperCar" to their salesmen,and how to better understand that buyer and make the sale..