Proving COPO authenticity???
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Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Huntsville AL
Proving COPO authenticity???
Would an informed member confirm: IF a car is a TRUE COPO,should it ALSO have the Protecto-Plate?
There is a 66 nassau blue,red interior,white soft top being advertised by a well-known dealer in Ohio as : a COPO (one of only one).
Is this a legitimate car? I like the color combo,but dont want to pay thousands of dollars for a car that might NOT be worth all that much more (OR ,even less) than a comparable car with a protecto-plate!
Thanks in advance,Rick
There is a 66 nassau blue,red interior,white soft top being advertised by a well-known dealer in Ohio as : a COPO (one of only one).
Is this a legitimate car? I like the color combo,but dont want to pay thousands of dollars for a car that might NOT be worth all that much more (OR ,even less) than a comparable car with a protecto-plate!
Thanks in advance,Rick
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Dec 3, 2018, 09:16 PM
Team Owner
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From: Washington Michigan
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no such thing as a COPO. 99.99% of COPO were taxis and fleet cars and trucks. what you have is just a "Trim Override" by the central office. if the parts and or paint was already at the plant for a RPO then its not a COPO
Melting Slicks
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There were several cars built under COPO over the years. (central office production order) This could have been as minor as a color combination that wasn't regular production or some major modification for a GM exec. One that comes to mind is the pink 69 Z28 Camaro that Clem bought new. I've seen a lot of COPO cars over the years.
The ZL1/427 69 Camaros in 1969 were COPO.
The ZL1/427 69 Camaros in 1969 were COPO.
Melting Slicks
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Would an informed member confirm: IF a car is a TRUE COPO,should it ALSO have the Protecto-Plate?
There is a 66 nassau blue,red interior,white soft top being advertised by a well-known dealer in Ohio as : a COPO (one of only one).
Is this a legitimate car? I like the color combo,but dont want to pay thousands of dollars for a car that might NOT be worth all that much more (OR ,even less) than a comparable car with a protecto-plate!
Thanks in advance,Rick
There is a 66 nassau blue,red interior,white soft top being advertised by a well-known dealer in Ohio as : a COPO (one of only one).
Is this a legitimate car? I like the color combo,but dont want to pay thousands of dollars for a car that might NOT be worth all that much more (OR ,even less) than a comparable car with a protecto-plate!
Thanks in advance,Rick
,Chevrolet maintained no records of the individual options on any particular mid-year Corvette. (or somebody tossed them out long ago
), Given the amount of fake documentation floating around these days, I doubt you can be sure any car is real without carbon-dated verifiable period photos and a certification from the still-living original owner and his 118-year-old salesman.. 
Good luckMike
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a trim override of non standard color combo suggested would be verified by the trim tag and the POP would reflect that.
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Not true. There are a lot of COPO cars that were built for many reason that people are not aware of that actually are. That does not necessarily add any value to the car. It was simply the way GM handled things that were not necessarily RPO items.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Huntsville AL
So to confirm my hunch: I would be wiser to purchase a car with the protecto-plate,2 regional top-flights,supposed original bill of sale? A 65 convertible, 365 hp,all options except factory air and original knock-offs for the same money($98,000 versus $99,000 for the red,white and blue car "COPO car" ??
Thanks again,this forum is a WEALTH of information for guys like me who LOVE the styling of the C2,but have very limited "hands-on experience" trying to make an INFORMED decision,instead of just letting my emotions throw me over the cliff of disaster!!
Thanks again,this forum is a WEALTH of information for guys like me who LOVE the styling of the C2,but have very limited "hands-on experience" trying to make an INFORMED decision,instead of just letting my emotions throw me over the cliff of disaster!!
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re read what I wrote. if the parts or paint were at the pant for a standard RPO then no COPO required. if GM engineering had to draw up something then it was a COPO. the COPO Camaros where only for that because of the H/D U-joints that where not used for 396 cars. GM was not in the custom car business of building one off cars.
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So to confirm my hunch: I would be wiser to purchase a car with the protecto-plate,2 regional top-flights,supposed original bill of sale? A 65 convertible, 365 hp,all options except factory air and original knock-offs for the same money($98,000 versus $99,000 for the red,white and blue car "COPO car" ??
Thanks again,this forum is a WEALTH of information for guys like me who LOVE the styling of the C2,but have very limited "hands-on experience" trying to make an INFORMED decision,instead of just letting my emotions throw me over the cliff of disaster!!
Thanks again,this forum is a WEALTH of information for guys like me who LOVE the styling of the C2,but have very limited "hands-on experience" trying to make an INFORMED decision,instead of just letting my emotions throw me over the cliff of disaster!!
not enough information about The two cars to make a comparison to comment on the value of each. It would take a lot of pictures and information about each car in order to do that and then you will still get quite a spread Of opinions as to the values.
Last edited by 68hemi; Dec 2, 2018 at 03:02 PM.
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So to confirm my hunch: I would be wiser to purchase a car with the protecto-plate,2 regional top-flights,supposed original bill of sale? A 65 convertible, 365 hp,all options except factory air and original knock-offs for the same money($98,000 versus $99,000 for the red,white and blue car "COPO car" ??
Thanks again,this forum is a WEALTH of information for guys like me who LOVE the styling of the C2,but have very limited "hands-on experience" trying to make an INFORMED decision,instead of just letting my emotions throw me over the cliff of disaster!!
Thanks again,this forum is a WEALTH of information for guys like me who LOVE the styling of the C2,but have very limited "hands-on experience" trying to make an INFORMED decision,instead of just letting my emotions throw me over the cliff of disaster!!
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re read what I wrote. if the parts or paint were at the pant for a standard RPO then no COPO required. if GM engineering had to draw up something then it was a COPO. the COPO Camaros where only for that because of the H/D U-joints that where not used for 396 cars. GM was not in the custom car business of building one off cars.
here is an example I had a customer that wanted a 1971 dodge coronet 4 door painted plum crazy. That color was an optional color for the hypo cars but not available on four door cars. I called my factory sales rep for assistance. He said it could be done but Would require extra lead time for the car to arrive. This meant that the order was not routed through normal channels as would be the case for a like type Chevy order and I suspect would be a COPO order. It had nothing to do with the availability of material on hand at the assembly plant.
I would like to hear from veteran GM employees like John Z on this subject.
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do some advance searches of JohnZ with COPO in the subject line. since we all know I wasn't there with everyone else on here expect him and one or two others I can recall reading that
Last edited by Nowhere Man; Dec 2, 2018 at 03:59 PM.
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I did not PM John Z. I prefer to wait for him to respond to the thread at HIS convenience so that all the members involved in this thread can see the answer.
Last edited by 68hemi; Dec 2, 2018 at 05:02 PM.
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I'll Help
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nations-2.html post 39
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...experts-2.html
http://www.camaros.org/model.shtml#COPO
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nations-2.html post 39
That didn't require a COPO - just a trim override on the order form; all the red interior parts were already in the plant for use with black, red, and white exterior
http://www.camaros.org/model.shtml#COPO
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Melting Slicks
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I think this subject has probably been adequately beaten to death already, with plenty of info and references describing what a COPO is and what it's NOT. If Engineering work was required and it wasn't already a released RPO, it required a COPO, and that COPO number was assigned by the Sales Department if approved; the COPO number and notation also appeared on the tank sticker (Corvette Order Copy). Interior/Exterior color/trim combinations that Styling didn't like didn't show up on the ordering information, but a Trim Override could get it built if the Zone Office approved the override - didn't need any Engineering work or a COPO, as the parts were already in the plant and being used for other approved trim combinations.
However, if a car is to be painted a non Corvette color or trim color, or some other non production modification, it would require the COPO. Clems pink 65 Corvette is an example. No pink paint would have been at the St Louis assembly plant so it was much more involved than just grabbing a spray gun with a Corvette color. .
Many of the Show Job cars that were modified were COPO's were completed in the Show Job area of the St Louis plant or back in Michigan.
Melting Slicks
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COPO or not is moot. The question is really... is the car original and does the oddity of red interior on a Nassau blue car warrant extra money? IMO the car in question had a HIGH dollar resto and it could have been fabricated into whatever at that time. I'm not a fan of the alignment on the trim tag next to the style but it looks really legit.
Really it comes down to what you like and if you think it is worth the money. I had an extremely odd 66... Ermine White with Green interior. Chevy allowed the color but they probably only built a handful. Mine was legit, and when it was restored it wasn't turned into a highly optioned car like many are (i.e. manual steering, brakes, windows, etc.). It had original glass even. But does all that originality and oddness mean more value? How many guys out there are dreaming of a white car with green interior? none. Just like how many guys are dreaming of a blue car with red interior? it's cool but someone's gotta love it. I've been dreaming of a nassau blue with white interior for decades.... I love the 96 Grand sport... but even I am having a hard time seeing extra value in this red interior car.
Really it comes down to what you like and if you think it is worth the money. I had an extremely odd 66... Ermine White with Green interior. Chevy allowed the color but they probably only built a handful. Mine was legit, and when it was restored it wasn't turned into a highly optioned car like many are (i.e. manual steering, brakes, windows, etc.). It had original glass even. But does all that originality and oddness mean more value? How many guys out there are dreaming of a white car with green interior? none. Just like how many guys are dreaming of a blue car with red interior? it's cool but someone's gotta love it. I've been dreaming of a nassau blue with white interior for decades.... I love the 96 Grand sport... but even I am having a hard time seeing extra value in this red interior car.
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Thanks John. That's basically the way I remember it too. If a production change did not require parts or material from another car line or outside source, it would not require a COPO order. An example would be a Corvette being assembled using standard Corvette body and interior colors even though a particular combination of those colors wasn't available. No outside material was required.
However, if a car is to be painted a non Corvette color or trim color, or some other non production modification, it would require the COPO. Clems pink 65 Corvette is an example. No pink paint would have been at the St Louis assembly plant so it was much more involved than just grabbing a spray gun with a Corvette color. .
Many of the Show Job cars that were modified were COPO's were completed in the Show Job area of the St Louis plant or back in Michigan.
However, if a car is to be painted a non Corvette color or trim color, or some other non production modification, it would require the COPO. Clems pink 65 Corvette is an example. No pink paint would have been at the St Louis assembly plant so it was much more involved than just grabbing a spray gun with a Corvette color. .
Many of the Show Job cars that were modified were COPO's were completed in the Show Job area of the St Louis plant or back in Michigan.