Go Back   The Supercar Registry > Sponsors > Nickey-Chicago


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12-01-2006, 10:55 PM
Stefano Stefano is offline
SCR Sponsor
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Land of Lincoln
Posts: 9,032
Thanks: 5
Thanked 1,066 Times in 406 Posts
Default 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car



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
__________________
Click to visit the Nickey Performance Facebook-->
Reply With Quote
Attachments - The Supercar Registry 238673-AlessiBrothersSelectPerformance.2.jpg 238672-AlessiBrothersSelectPerformance.jpg
O Garage vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.
Click here to view all the pictures posted in this thread...
  #2  
Old 12-01-2006, 10:56 PM
MosportGreen66's Avatar
MosportGreen66 MosportGreen66 is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: NY, NY
Posts: 8,710
Thanks: 1,086
Thanked 1,021 Times in 456 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

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
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-01-2006, 10:57 PM
Stefano Stefano is offline
SCR Sponsor
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Land of Lincoln
Posts: 9,032
Thanks: 5
Thanked 1,066 Times in 406 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

Yes it has a 9".
__________________
Click to visit the Nickey Performance Facebook-->
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-01-2006, 10:57 PM
Stefano Stefano is offline
SCR Sponsor
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Land of Lincoln
Posts: 9,032
Thanks: 5
Thanked 1,066 Times in 406 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car


__________________
Click to visit the Nickey Performance Facebook-->
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-03-2006, 12:29 AM
Belair62 Belair62 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Suburban Chicago
Posts: 13,448
Thanks: 0
Thanked 14 Times in 11 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

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.
__________________
<span style="font-weight: bold"> (__{B}_____]]]]~~~~</span>
Don't mess with old farts - age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! Bullshit and brilliance only come with age and experience.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-03-2006, 12:36 AM
Salvatore Salvatore is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 9,908
Thanks: 3
Thanked 229 Times in 193 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

Don't know about that. He wheeled that ole blue COPO pretty good when I saw him. Showed it NO mercy!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-03-2006, 09:17 PM
Stefano Stefano is offline
SCR Sponsor
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Land of Lincoln
Posts: 9,032
Thanks: 5
Thanked 1,066 Times in 406 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

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.
__________________
Click to visit the Nickey Performance Facebook--&gt;
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-04-2006, 06:32 AM
Stefano Stefano is offline
SCR Sponsor
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Land of Lincoln
Posts: 9,032
Thanks: 5
Thanked 1,066 Times in 406 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

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.
__________________
Click to visit the Nickey Performance Facebook--&gt;
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-04-2006, 05:57 PM
quick-bowtie quick-bowtie is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: The North Star State
Posts: 840
Thanks: 0
Thanked 37 Times in 8 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

Great write up!! I'll think you'll be pleased with what it will bring.
__________________
69 NASCAR PACECAR Camaro 1 of 7
68 Shelby GT500 Convert
Some other GM and Mopar
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 12-07-2006, 02:36 AM
Stefano Stefano is offline
SCR Sponsor
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Land of Lincoln
Posts: 9,032
Thanks: 5
Thanked 1,066 Times in 406 Posts
Default Re: 1969 Vitar Copo 9561 Camaro Race Car

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?
__________________
Click to visit the Nickey Performance Facebook--&gt;
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:17 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.