1969 Dickie Harrell 427 Chevrolet Camaro

I've written about various specialty Camaros that have become legend. Aluminum block 427 V8 ZL-1's, Yenko's, C.O.P.O's, Baldwin- Motion's, etc...and it doesn't stop there. There was another specialty Camaro in 1969 that you may or may not have even known about. And that's this one...of about only 10 made. The 1969 Dick Harrell 427 Camaro.

A little backstory on Dick. He was a professional drag racer in the 1960’s and early 70’s who had a lot of success as a mechanic, crew chief, and driver of Chevrolet race cars. His success as a driver in both NHRA & AHRA drag racing events, coupled with his devotion to Chevrolet and constantly winning a large majority of the races he participated in, earned him the nickname “Mr Chevrolet.” Dick built a solid reputation in the Midwest as a builder and tuner of some of the fastest Chevrolets just as they came out of his Kansas City operation. In January 1969, the Chevrolet Assembly Plant in Norwood, Ohio shipped one Camaro SS396, Lemans Blue in color to Bill Allen Chevrolet in Kansas City, Missouri, that was then delivered to the renowned Dick Harrell Performance Center just across town.This special ordered car was one of the just 10 new 1969 Camaros converted by Harrell to 427cid power plants and a host of other performance modifications to build one of the fiercest street/strip musclecars of the era.

Dick Harrell would not only convert and modify Camaros, but also Chevelles, and the newly introduced Big Block Nova. All of these could be purchased through an authorized Chevrolet dealer with a 427 cubic inch engine with modifications up to 500 horsepower. One side note: Dick also did extensive research on the design, engineering, and development of the ZL-1 all aluminum 427 engine, later to be placed in what is now known as the ZL-1 Camaro.

This particular 1969 Dick Harrell 427 Camaro sports a 427 V8, mated to a 3 speed automatic transmission. It has a ZL1 camshaft, 4.56 gears in the rear, and Lakewood traction bars for added grip. It also has the specialty hood scoop and Dickie Harrell performance badges on the front fascia and scoop side. This Southern California street warrior survived intact after having gone through a few owners and a few moves, one as far away as Hawaii where it was tracked down. It still retains the CE427 dated motor installed by Harrell, it's never been wrecked, rusted or greatly modified over four decades. A restoration brought this ultra-rare Camaro back to exactly as it appeared when new. Certification from Dick Harrell Performance Center still accompanies the car along with the original Chevrolet invoice to Bill Allen Chevrolet and a copy of Allen's February 1969 invoice of sale to Dick Harrell Performance Center. The original Norwood assembly plant Cowl Tag authenticating correct color, trim and build configuration is there too. At auction, this beautiful Lemans Blue street beast hammered down at $253 K. 

Dick Harrell continued to race in 1969, and he was named the 1969 AHRA Driver of the Year tuning and driving a fuel funny car and was named Driver of the Decade in 1970. Unfortunately, Dick lost his life in a fuel funny car crash in Toronto, Canada on September 12, 1971. But his legacy forever will be his racing successes in the history books, and his legendary Chevrolet creations that still live on, in the hands of a few lucky collectors. R.I.P. Dick...and thanks.