Recreating Armageddon – this rare reproduction 1969 Corvette Stingray ZL1 is for sale

By Jeff Bailey

To American muscle enthusiasts everywhere, there cannot be many more compelling personifications of the Corvette Holy Grail than the mythical and mighty 1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL1. Born out of the imagination of the legendary ‘Father of the Corvette’ Zora Arkus-Duntov – a name contemporary with GM greats such as Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell – the ZL1 was built specifically for racing; and whilst about one hundred were sold for that purpose, only two were ever produced for road use, making it the rarest Corvette of all in the C3 series.

The ZL1 was a midyear engine release for the 1969 Corvette and was intended to replace the legendary L88. It boasted a stronger, all-aluminium block; stouter connecting rods and open-chamber heads that flowed better than the L88’s. The ZL1 was also lighter, weighing about the same as the L46 small-block. And it was expensive. The ZL1 option alone cost $4,718.35, while a standard 1969 Corvette coupe cost $4,781.00 in addition.

Radio and air conditioning were not available with the ZL1 engine, but the ZL1 option did require a host of mandatory options; the F41 Special Front and Rear Suspension ($36.90), G81 Positraction rear axle ($46.35), J56 Special Heavy Duty Brakes ($384.45), and K66 Transistorised Ignition ($81.10), raising the total price of the ZL1 package to $5,267.15 – and this was on top of the Corvette’s base price. So if no other options were ordered, the total for a ZL1 Corvette was a massive $10,048.15 – a price that at the time could open the door to some serious European exotica.

Saddled with such a price tag, it’s not surprising few ZL1s were produced. Records from the Tonawanda engine plant revealed 94 ZL1 engines with Corvette prefixes were built; 80 were coded for use with manual transmissions and 14 for use with automatics. Corvette historians acknowledge that the majority of these engines were sold to racers, and although two ZL1s were sold to the public, only one has provenance and pedigree. The other has never been fully documented.

So much for the hype. When Road & Track magazine got their hands on one for testing, they were able to record an astonishing 11.0 second quarter-mile at 129.45 mph and 0-60-mph acceleration in 4.0 seconds, ensuring the ZL1 instant legendary status.

Fast forward to the present day and enter enthusiast Steve Edwards; Steve is a man who does nothing by halves and when he decided to recreate the ZL1 in exact detail, everyone scoffed. “Can’t be done”. “Impossible” they said. But Steve had a secret ingredient – Roger Judski. Now this is a name that you can be forgiven for being unfamiliar with, but Roger runs one of the biggest Corvette dealerships in the US – and just for good order, has a massive classic collection of them: www.rogerscorvette.com. His collection includes three super-rare L88s and the star of the show, the sole documented ZL1.

Steve asked Roger’s permission to recreate the ZL1 and he agreed on the strict understanding that the car had to be completely accurate. That didn’t deter Steve, as he knew only one way to operate – the Henry Royce school of perfection.

Starting with a genuine 1969 427 big block which was complete, but in need of restoration, Steve set about sourcing the special parts that would be necessary. Finding a 427 block is hard enough these days, but an aluminium one is something else altogether. Incredibly he managed to track down a 1969 aluminium block which had been used in CanAm racing and with even more luck, traced a pair of new ‘old stock’ aluminium heads.

Thus, the engine was rebuilt by Knight Engineering to exact and correct ZL1 specification, including those special aluminium cylinder heads and high performance ZL1 carburettor, dyno tested at 451bhp and 459lb ft torque – at cost of $19,400. This is slightly down from the 523bhp of the original, but then that did run a whopping 12/1 compression ratio, requiring an equally heady 103 octane fuel, which these days wouldn’t be practical with the industrial grade unleaded we’ve become used to. Instead, this one runs a more sensible 10/1 ratio.

Steve then rebuilt the Muncie ‘rock cruncher’ M22 4 speed gearbox as per original together with uprated brakes and final drive. All new suspension was uprated as per original ZL1 and with correct decals and signage. Every mechanical part was new or refurbished to new and unused condition as it would have left the factory in 1969.

He didn’t stop there. A brand new interior with new foams, frames and covers in original black leather was fitted. Then an all new wiring loom and refurbished dashboard with new instruments with zero mileage, together with a new steering wheel and gear selector, carpets and trim. New locks and weather seal rubbers followed and as no radio was fitted to ZL1, a rare factory blanking plate was meticulously sourced to complete authenticity. All work was carried out to correct ZL1 ex-factory specification as painstakingly researched from the original.

Although not one of the two original road-going ZL1 Corvettes, Steve’s car has been restored to the exact factory correct specification to achieve what is widely considered the world’s most faithful facsimile – including the almost unobtainable rare aluminium racing engine and uprated running gear. Two years were invested in the restoration during which time over $187k was spent to ensure the car was indistinguishable from the genuine article, which if it were to ever come on the market, would almost certainly realise in excess of $1,500,000.

It is difficult to over-describe the fastidious detail that has been lavished on this car – it was almost an obsession for Steve to make the ‘third’ ZL1’. With only one other documented ZL1 in existence, no comparison can be made with the pricing of that; however, the next rarest model, the L88, reached a total production of just 216 and these command $500,000 on the rare occasions they are offered for sale – with top replicas at half this.

When the ZL1 was finally finished Steve confidently expected to clear the board at the major shows that season, and wasn’t disappointed with ‘Best Corvette’ at the Corvette Club UK nationals on the first outing. Subsequently it has had more outright concours wins, including Classic American Magazine Car of the Year and winning outright at Corvette Fame in Holland two years in succession.

Out on the road, the intoxicating big-block sound at low revs gives way to a more strident tone as the revs reach 7000 – way past the lazy limit of lesser, non-racing Chevy V8s; think Thor in a bad mood. This, combined with the wailing banshee of the M22 ‘Rock Crusher’ 4 speeder provides an aural cacophony any paid-up petrolhead would relish long after climbing out of the driver’s seat. No wonder the ZL1 was nicknamed ‘Armageddon’ in the late sixties. ‘Awesome’ is another word we can use today.

Since completion in 2007 the car has covered a grand total of just 154 miles and Steve is now grudgingly selling his work of art to make way for another project. The ZL1 is being auctioned by Coys at the Nurburgring on 9th August and the lucky buyer will be getting probably the rarest and best C3 Corvette available today, without the blood, sweat and tears involved in creating such a masterpiece.

Now, where’s that piggy bank?

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