Did chevrolet ever come out with a COPO corvette......came across one for sale and want to know if it is legit. Thanking you in advance 
for your comments.
for your comments.
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Re: Copo Corvette
The only ones I have heard of are COPO color combos that had to be approved since they weren'y on the recommended color combo list when being ordered.
There is also the 67 FSO Corvette, but I suppose that is an FSO rather than a COPO. -
Re: Copo Corvette
Any car that was ordered for purchase by a GM employee was a COPO, and they would be limited to regular production options.
Any car ordered for internal use - engineering, marketing, etc. was a COPO and most had just RPOs - nothing special about them as they left the plant. All the press cars are COPOs.
There are only two ways to order a car from a GM plant - either by a franchised dealer through a zone office, or by Central Office Production Order. Most COPOs were no different than customer cars - some configuration of RPOs for internal use or employee special orders - so there was nothing special about them other than they were ordered through the COPO process.
The COPO process was also used to do some "specials" like the 50 427 Camaros to qualify them for NHRA racing.
There is a persistant myth that there is something "special" about all COPOs, but the only thing "special" about 99 plus percent of them is that they were ordered by the central office for internal use or employee purchase rather than ordered by dealers for sale to the public.
DukeComment
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Re: Copo Corvette
For my 63 the "Regular Commercial and Truck" document left by the truck driver to the original dealership has handwritten in the "C.O.P.O. No" field the number 53.
I have no idea what the 53 means. Looking at the car there are no options that are out of the ordinary.
Probably not a COPO car but just wanted to add to the info available.
Harry
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Re: Copo Corvette
My SWC also has a hand-written number in the production order copy COPO box - 39, but it was NOT a COPO! It was a plant delivery, and my theory is that the COPO box was used to hand write the plant delivery number. My car was built on March 19, delivered (at the plant) on March 25, and ordered through Alan Green Chevrolet in Seattle. The sequence number is just under 11,000
What is your build date and approximate sequence number?
I don't have a good feel for how many plant deliveries were done in that era, but my theory is that plant deliveries were numbered in sequence and the number was hand written into the COPO box. If that theory is correct then your car was probably built in April or May, but that would only mean about one plant delivery per week, which seems low, but it's possible that the number cycled back to one at the beginning of each production or accounting month or even each week.
Your car's production date might shed some light. Do you know for sure whether it was a plant or dealer delivery. Since I'm the original owner of my SWC I know for sure that mine was a plant delivery.
If you have the "car shipper" look at the bottom to see the shipping instructions. Mine says "SHIP ST LOUIS PLANT".
DukeComment
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Re: Copo Corvette
Let's see, there's one here in town that's a COPO '69. The tank sticker shows the ship-to as GM Public Relations Department. The car is kind of rare in that it's a silver/silver L-89 with automatic transmission.
What's unique is the build sheet calls out TWO rear ends, the standard gear ratio that was used for L-89 with AT and, further down in the configuration list, a second rear end that's a 3:70 ratio, if I remember correctly....
Sounds as if somebody wanted an AT, high horse car, that was sure to 'burn rubber' for some reason (TV, Movie shoot?). The current owner traced the car's prior history back 3-5 levels to Montana where he hit a dead end in backtracking further.
We always wondered if the car actually showed up at Public Relations with one rear end installed and the second one stowed inside the car or if the guys in St. Louis had some clever way to relieve the build job and put the primary rear end back into inventory before the car shipped....Comment
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Re: Copo Corvette
I am aware of a 1966 that was delivered with two axle ratios listed on the build records -- one was in a crate in the storage area. Back when I saw the paperwork I was not up to looking for COPO notations. The car was kind of neat in a lot of ways. It set some record at Bonneville back in the day.TerryComment
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Re: Copo Corvette
Duke, the build date is April 20th. The VIN is 133xx. I know the car was delivered at a dealership in Hartford, Ct. I spoke with the original owner, he was not a GM employee. He had just graduated from college and had joined the Navy. The car was a college graduation present. His dad owned an HVAC company.
Harry
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Re: Copo Corvette
I think that John Hinckley and Art Armstrong, who are both frequent posters could give the best answers. Calling Art, Calling John
Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: Copo Corvette
Well, that blows my theory, but I think any car ordered through the COPO channel would have the order number written in the COPO box by the printer.
The hand written numbers in the COPO box must be some sort of informal system - similar to the 1-500 job numbers written in crayon by the body shop.
DukeComment
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Re: Copo Corvette
From what I got from Al Grenning was that Corvettes that were not ordered through a dealer with a dealer & zone # & was placed by some one at the centeral office or at the Corvette plant would be COPO cars. AGM werker anywhere else would order from a dealer. Non standerd option combo's could be signed off by some one at the plant on the build sheet. It could be a non COPO dealer orderd car. I have a 85 that is code 23 medium blue with Silver leather interior which was not option on the order fourm as blue was the only color interior listed.
KEN65 350 TI CONV 67 J56 435 CONV,67,390/AIR CONV,70 454/air CONV,
What A MAN WON'T SPEND TO GIVE HIS ASS A RIDEComment
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Re: Copo Corvette
Interior trim combinations not on the "recommended" chart (but the material for which was already in the plant, used for other combinations) didn't require a COPO; all the dealer had to do was to check a box on the order form, and it would be approved at the Zone level as a "trim override" (the Zone edited all orders to ensure they were "buildable" before forwarding the order to Central Office for processing and assignment to a plant).
COPO's were VERY rare, and 99.9% of them were for trucks and commercial vehicles, police cars and taxis, not for ordinary cars. A true COPO was shown in the text section of the Corvette Order Copy, and referenced the COPO number (like "Build per COPO #1487); the plant got a copy of that COPO letter which had the detailed instructions to be followed and indicated any special parts required.Comment
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Re: Copo Corvette
That's my understanding too, John. Plus, if memory serves, Art once said that vehicles with a legitimate COPO order number in the COPO box were recorded/tracked in the GM drawing system...Comment
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Re: Copo Corvette
The "Powers" did reserve the right to change the game - for the Z-11 Chevrolets, for instance, a letter went out that ALL orders for that setup would process through Joe Pike: I have no doubt that Mr Pike had "consultants" to help determine whether the applicant was worthy - but that was the "pathway" that the orders would travel.
At the same time, Orwell was correct that some pigs are more entitled than other pigs. If you were a long-term "friend" of Chevrolet, knowing
Rosenberger, Sanders, Duntov, etc., did NOT hurt your chances.Comment
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Re: Copo Corvette
Knowing the "powers" helped, but proven performance that would bring in brand recognition was far more important.
Stu FoxComment
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