Putting a big and powerful engine into a small car is a high-performance recipe that's been popular since the earliest days of the automobile. In the 1920s and '30s, racecar builders installed huge aircraft engines into their vehicles, and in the 1940s, hot rodders crammed flathead V8s into their stripped-down "T-buckets." By the late 1960s, the introduction of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro launched a new era of performance cars. True to form, a handful of enthusiasts began searching for a way to equip them with the most potent engines available. This is how Yenko, Baldwin, Nickey, and others began equipping the first-gen Camaro with the 427ci big-block V8.
"The Story of the 427 Super Camaros"
Above: In 2022, we saw this beautiful 1969 Yenko S/C Camaro at the "Don Yenko's Muscle Cars at the Museum" event in Saratoga Springs, New York.
We recently came across a 15-minute mini-documentary from YouTube channel Rare Cars that gives a great overview of the story behind the 427ci Camaro in its various forms. Even if you've heard parts of the story before, this video gives historical context and other information you might not know, so it's worth checking out.
Although the 427ci V8 was offered in other cars, it wasn't available in the Camaro, so a few clever individuals used Chevrolet's Central Office Production Order (COPO) program to special-order the engine and install it as a turn-key package. Three of the most well-known names in this realm were Yenko, Baldwin Motion, and Nickey, although the video mentions others such as Berger, Dana, and Fred Gibb.
Dick Harrell, who worked with both Nickey and Fred Gibb, was sadly not mentioned in the video, but he certainly played a big part in the 427 COPO Camaro development process as well. You can read more about his story here: "Mr. Chevrolet" Dick Harrell and the 427 Camaro
Above: Racing champion Dick Harrell made such a splash that even Chevrolet took notice. In 1969, the company enlisted Harrell's help for the development of their ZL1 427 aluminum big block V8 for Can Am racing.
Watch the full YouTube video from Rare Cars below:
Classic Industries Has the Camaro Parts You Need!
Even if you don't have one of the original, ultra-valuable 427ci Camaros, there are lots of ways to restore and resto-mod a classic Camaro. Classic Industries can help you on this journey and provide the parts and accessories you need to build your dream car. Click here to view our selection of Camaro parts online or click the button below for a free full-color Camaro parts catalog.
