Finding a 1969 COPO Camaro in a barn — and it's not for sale

These days it’s common that high-performance “race” versions of cars are stuffed away in climate-controlled garages and treated as collectibles or investments rather than the beat-the-crap-out-of-it track weapons they were designed to be. But back in the day this wasn’t the case, and track-prepped cars were commonly thrashed on the track. Go figure. Then again, we also drank out of garden hoses and participation trophies didn’t exist. 

This 1969 COPO Camaro is one of these later examples. The Cortez Siver ’69 you see here was bought new from Huebner Chevrolet in Carrollton, Ohio, back on April 9, 1969, by Chalmer Nicholson. He bought it with the intention to drive it hard and the original 427 big-block bit the dust by July 2, 1969, with a scant 1,804 miles on the odometer! That blown mill was replaced, under warranty, with a “counter exchange” 427 engine soon afterwards.  

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Nicholson wasn’t any easier on the new 427 big-block and soon that mill was scrap metal as well. The third engine was a high-revving 302-inch DZ small-block. As the story goes, the Camaro was involved in a small fender-bender and was unceremoniously parked outside for many years after the drivetrain was yanked. According to COPO collector Jeff Makovich many enthusiasts knew of the car and kept trying to buy it. In fact, it got so bad that the owner wrote “NOT FOR SALE! DON’T ASK!” on the windshield in red paint! Of course, gearheads are stubborn, and this didn’t work, so the COPO just vanished. 

Rumor was the car was sold and sent off to live in California, but it was actually just squirreled away in a barn until Nicholson passed away. After his passing the Camaro was sold by the estate and now belongs to Makovich. The original 427 mills, as well as the 302DZ engine, are all long gone, but Makovich has a “perfectly dated” 427 that will be going into the COPO Camaro and the car’s original M21 Muncie four-speed trans was found in a local garage where it had been hiding out since the mid-1970s. 

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The original owner kept the owner’s manual, Protect-O-Plate, Ohio registration and a stack of receipts with the car along with items such as the original spare tire. As you can see by the documentation the X11 car had a build date of 03E, an interior color code of 711 and a paint code of 69. When parked the 1969 COPO Camaro had just 16,908 miles on the odometer! 

The plan is to make the Camaro as correct as possible but leave it in survivor condition. Makovich also plans on putting many miles on the forgotten COPO. “Too many people that own COPO Camaros don’t enjoy them. I plan to drive and enjoy this car to the fullest!” Makovich remarked. The Gold Double-COPO is Makovich’s as well and is a “9737 Sports Car Conversion” which is pretty much a Yenko without stripes or spoilers. His two COPOs are only separated by 264 VIN numbers! 

Photos provided byJeff Makovich