Re: COPO question .
Guys, I don't mean to stir the pot, but the '69 Kingswood Wagon at Floyd Garrett's did come through the Chevrolet Fleet & Special Order Department (COPO)!
Most think that all COPO cars had some very special equipment on them, like the '69 Camaros and Chevelles with the L72-427 engines. However, a COPO could also be a car (or truck) with a non-recommended combination of RPO equipment. Remember COPO stands for Central Office Production Order.
Some examples are: "stripe delete" on Z-28s and SS models, non-recommended color/trim combinations, black painted 1970-72 Corvettes and even the L72 engine in a full-size Chevy wagon required a special "ok" to get built. We also processed tons of special paint orders for customers.
The Chevrolet Fleet & Special Order Group had the authority and power to tell an assembly plant to build most anything (assuming that it was buildable). Many of the vehicles that we built were single orders, something that we could not do today!
I even remember building a '69 Corvette for one of the guys at the office with an L88 hood on a Corvette with the L36 (390 hp) engine.
I am going to try and get out to more events this year and put some of the myths about what the Chevrolet Fleet & Special Order Department (COPO group) did and didn't do. It is a very interesting story and a high point in my automotive career!
Jim Mattison
|