1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

[Stefano]

This Copo will be sold at the Russo and Steele Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona This January. No Reserve.

More info avaialable at: www.NickeyChicago.net

[MosportGreen66]

Thanks for sharing and good luck Stefano...

This COPO is the definition of muscle car...
Its got a 9 inch right? Day-2 drag car... well hot damn

[Stefano]

Yes it has a 9".

[Stefano]

[Belair62]

This car was cool when Clint had it.. I really like this thing....Stefano has to sell it because he doesn't have the stones to drive it.

[Salvatore]

Don't know about that. He wheeled that ole blue COPO pretty good when I saw him. Showed it NO mercy!

[Stefano]

I have so much fun with that car

Belair, talk is cheap, bring that land barge out to SR10 and lets see what you can do.

[Stefano]

Here is the advertisment/listing:

1969 Vitar Copo Camaro


What do you do if you want to promote your business and that business is building the best automatic racing transmissions and converters available? Vincent Tarantola owner and founder of renowned Vitar Engineering, located 9226 Ave D.Brooklyn, New York 11238, phone 649-4480, faced this very dilemma.

In early 1969 he contacted H.M. Williams Chevrolet, dealer zone number 27-283, of Corona, New York and placed an order for a very special car. A 1969 COPO 9561 L72 427/425 hp Camaro. The car was ordered with virtually no options and the base trim level of X44. No spoilers, No radio, nothing other than a Turbo 400 automatic transmission. The car was delivered to the dealership on March 18th 1969. Vinney drove it from the dealership right to his shop. approx 21 miles.

These special factory built race cars were not advertised by the factory and very few dealers were even aware that they were available. Many prominent race teams did not have the Copo Super Camaros available and had to utilize other standard Regular production order (RPO) Camaros and install their own 427 engines.

Factory Copo 427 race cars are extremely rare. Very few existed back in the day and even fewer remain today.

Vinney and his partner Kaufman, used this special car as a mule and test bed for all the Vitar Racing products. Look at any of the significant automatic drag cars, especially from out East and you are likely to find a connection to Vitar Engineering. The Famous National record Holding Ray Allen SS/EA LS6 Chevelle Convertible, which recently sold for over $1,000,000.00, prominently displayed Vitar Sponsorship Stickers on its fenders. Even "Grumpy" Bill Jenkins used Vitar Transmissions, as did many other accomplished racers.

Vinney built the engine and trans and took care of the initial chassis work while the renowned Jack Merkel worked his magic and balanced the assembly. The COPO was an immediate success and started winning its class at numerous local tracks. It eventually won the National Super Stock eliminator at the AHRA Super Nationals in 1970.

The Copo and its early history is chronicled by numerous prominent drag race magazines from back in the day. The Vitar COPO Camaro was even featured in at least two of those periodicals from back in the day. We will have copies on display.

The car ran in: NHRA, IHRA and AHRA santioned events all over the country.

Sponsors read like a who's who of speed and performance; Jack Merkel, Hooker Headers, Mr, Gasket, Champion, Coke-a-Cola, Holley, Valvoline, Cragar, Hurst, Lakewood and a host of others.

Vinney continued to campaign the car and then sold it to Charlie Graff in 1972. Charlie had the boys from Speed Research and Development (SRD) a.k.a Grumpy's Shop make room for some bigger tires and cage the car.

Charlie sold the car back to Vinney.

Vince and Ed Allesi worked for Vitar and purchased the car from Vinney in 1973. They soon purchased the Vitar operation and changed the name to Select Performance, which is still in business today. They campaigned the car until 1987 when the car was sold to Lyn Lapierre of Michigan, who then sold the car to Alex Poleluik, of Fort Dodge Iowa, the two time National NHRA Super Stock D record Holder.

Alex sold the car to Clint Richmond of Detroit Horse Power. Clint fully researched and documented the history of the car and had it restored to its former glory, by noted Super Car restorers Ken "The Mayor" Schoenthaler and his son. The car is ready to show or go!

This is one of the very few real deal Copo 9561 cars which helped create and perpetuate the Chevy legend and legacy of High performance dominance, which still exists to this very day. It has been a significant race car from day one.

Here are some of the racing accomplishments:

Numerous Super Stock eliminator class wins from 1969 thru the early 1970s.

Class wins at Indy Nationals in 1970, 1978-1979

Spring Nationals in Columbus Ohio 1979

Class win at the Gator Nationals in Georgia in 1980

US Nationals in 1983

Summer Nationals at Englishtown in 1977, 1983 and 1984.

This Copo has been featured in several vintage magazines as well as more recent issues of 'Hemmings Muscle Machines', 'Old Car Price Guide' and 'Mopar Collectors Guide'.

It was recently showcased at the Chevy Vette Fest Nationals, in Chicago, as part of the Super Car Registry (sYc) display, where it was awarded a Bowtie Boulevard Gold. The car was also awarded a local Best of Show when it was first unveiled to the public.

It is fully documented by a Copo Connection letter and certificate of Authenticity. It is registered with the Super Car Registry and includes vintage pictures as well as letters from former owners, including the original owner verifying the undeniable provenance of this Camaro. It also has an original New York registration in Vinney's name.

The car has mostly original body and sheet metal components. The interior is also mostly original. The rear is a leaf spring rear with Koni Shocks and still has what appears to be the original mini tubs and cage from SRD.

The car shows only 215 miles on the odometer, which Vinney verifies, that all but approx 21 were put on a 1/4 mile at a time.

This car will be sold at the Russo and Steele Auction in Scottsdale Arizona with No Reserve. See RussoandSteele.com for more info.

[quick-bowtie]

Great write up!! I'll think you'll be pleased with what it will bring.

[Stefano]

Thanks Andy,

I was going thru some of the notes on this Copo and it seems that Vinney had some small holes drilled into the inner rear wheel wells thru the trunk, where a rubber hose was connected and run to to a windshield washer pump and reservoir.

An electric switch would turn on the pump and it would dump/water or traction compound in front of the rear tires.

This is only the second time I have ever heard of this, as a similar set up was installed on the white Nickey sold L78 Chevelle we had on display at the Vette Fest. I had what was left of the original liquid squirter inspected by John Bozgus, a former Nickey Mechanic who also worked on some of the Conversion cars.

He said that a few of the conversion cars destined for serious street racing received the option.

Does anyone have experience with such a set up or if it was allowed in Super Stock back in the day?