Would a 435HP vette be considered a SUPERCAR?

[Belair62]

For this site..we define it simply

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



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[69hurstSC]

it is a very loaded question actually. as belair62 stated by the website description its dedicated to the CHEVROLET dealer built supercar and COPO cars. however, a 69 Hurst SC/rambler is a dealer built racecar specifically designed to compete in F Stock dragracing. and the SC in SC/rambler stands for Super Car. i am to young to know when exactly the term Super Car was placed on dealer installed and factory prepared automobiles, but i would be just plain lying to you if i said this was only a Chevy thing.

[TimG]

I think that if you talk about the L89, L88 and ZL1 Corvettes, yes. I'd include the '71 LS6 in this group, also. You've got aluminum heads, solid lifter and tri-power in the case of the L89. These are racing cars with high dollar options that were in extremely low production when available. If you've ever driven a well tuned L89 Corvette, you'd classify it as a Supercar. I mean no disrespect for an L78, L72 or L71 Corvette, but these were certainly more mainstream Corvettes with a fair number made.

[HiHorse]

The 1970 L78 Camaro is rarer than a 1969 427 COPO Camaro, why is that not in the SUPERcar category.
The L78 has square ports, 11 to 1's, solid cam, 4 bolt main,forged pistons, dimple rods,780 holley,etc same as the COPO, it is a race car same as COPO. The L72/L71/L78 Corvettes are race cars also, basically with same motors. Now the L88/ZL1 these are truely special race engines in a higher category. I think that if you call a L72 COPO Camaro a supercar then a L72 Vette is also one.

[ORIGLS6]

OK, I know I'll regret this but let's give it a try anyway.

The L-78 Camaro you reference, although a rare animal for 1970, was in fact available to the general public through ANY Chevy Dealer, just like the 435 HP Corvette. The LT-1 Nova (aka Deuce) was NOT an RPO code for the Nova in 1970. It was a specially built car made possible through the COPO process. General consensus here (the Supercar Registry/ sYc) is that RPO optioned cars DO NOT fall into the 'SUPERCAR' category as defined by this site.

Another example: In 1968 an automatic transmission WAS NOT available to the general public behind the L-78 in a Nova. Fifty of those cars were built; COPO 9738. In 1969 it was available to the general public so the M-40 equipped L-78 Novas in '69 & '70 are not considered SUPERCARS.

Confusing? It really has nothing to do with huge horsepower, or whether it's a BBC or SBC. It's more about Factory/Dealer built specialty cars here.

On other sites you'll find other SUPERCARS, such as Ferraris, Lambos, Maseratis, etc. It just depends on where you are.

[camarojoe]

Well said Cumby, and right on. The only thing I would add is that the COPO order in question needed to be some sort of performance oriented change or upgrade, not to build a taxi cab or work truck. To answer the original question quite simply.... no.

[ORIGLS6]

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To answer the original question quite simply.... no.

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Now why didn't I think of that! Ask me for the time and I'll tell you how to build a watch!

[69LM1]

[ QUOTE ]
OK, I know I'll regret this but let's give it a try anyway.

The L-78 Camaro you reference, although a rare animal for 1970, was in fact available to the general public through ANY Chevy Dealer, just like the 435 HP Corvette. The LT-1 Nova (aka Deuce) was NOT an RPO code for the Nova in 1970. It was a specially built car made possible through the COPO process. General consensus here (the Supercar Registry/ sYc) is that RPO optioned cars DO NOT fall into the 'SUPERCAR' category as defined by this site.

Another example: In 1968 an automatic transmission WAS NOT available to the general public behind the L-78 in a Nova. Fifty of those cars were built; COPO 9738. In 1969 it was available to the general public so the M-40 equipped L-78 Novas in '69 & '70 are not considered SUPERCARS.

Confusing? It really has nothing to do with huge horsepower, or whether it's a BBC or SBC. It's more about Factory/Dealer built specialty cars here.

On other sites you'll find other SUPERCARS, such as Ferraris, Lambos, Maseratis, etc. It just depends on where you are.

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OK, then how about the 70 Z28 COPO? It was tied closely to trans am racing? It was not available generally, and less than 500 were made?

Do I get a star on my belly?

[Belair62]

No...but you are getting a red bullseye and we are going to use Tabasco coated pellets

[Late BrakeU2]

[ QUOTE ]
OK, I know I'll regret this but let's give it a try anyway.

The L-78 Camaro you reference, although a rare animal for 1970, was in fact available to the general public through ANY Chevy Dealer, just like the 435 HP Corvette. The LT-1 Nova (aka Deuce) was NOT an RPO code for the Nova in 1970. It was a specially built car made possible through the COPO process. General consensus here (the Supercar Registry/ sYc) is that RPO optioned cars DO NOT fall into the 'SUPERCAR' category as defined by this site.

Another example: In 1968 an automatic transmission WAS NOT available to the general public behind the L-78 in a Nova. Fifty of those cars were built; COPO 9738. In 1969 it was available to the general public so the M-40 equipped L-78 Novas in '69 & '70 are not considered SUPERCARS.

Confusing? It really has nothing to do with huge horsepower, or whether it's a BBC or SBC. It's more about Factory/Dealer built specialty cars here.

On other sites you'll find other SUPERCARS, such as Ferraris, Lambos, Maseratis, etc. It just depends on where you are.

[/ QUOTE ]

O.K ..so if it's agreed that any RPO cars are excluded semantically from Supercar reverence,do the GMMG C5R race case cars qualify? They were only available through a limited dealer network-just like Bill Thomas/Dana/Nickey/Yenko,and were even emissions legal.Before you call them tuner cars,remember they share the same GM motorsports blocks which are in the ALMS Vettes that have won over 40 races from Lemans to Sebring to Daytona-pretty much mirroring what the L88's accomplished nearly forty years earlier.