Back in the 1960s, when motorsport was the best way to advertise a company’s performance models, American car manufacturers went crazy with drag and NASCAR-focused versions of their muscle cars that were street-legal. GM was among the more innovative American carmakers to introduce such packages, optimizing the performance of existing models, in order to give them a racing edge. Here are the greatest 1960s Factory Race cars, from GM.
1963 Chevrolet Impala Z11
In 1963, Chevrolet took the lightweight program even further with the introduction of the Z11 performance package, meant for drag and NASCAR racing. The Z11 was introduced for the 1963 Impala and featured sound deadening, radio, heater, and front sway bar delete. All the stamped steel body panels at the front were replaced with aluminum equivalents. Under the hood sat a 427 cubic-inch (7.0-liter) version of Chevy’s 409 V-8.
The engine featured a 13.5:1 compression ratio, forged internals, aluminum high-rising intake, two four-barrel carburetors, and a cowl induction air intake. The V-8 was rated at 430 horsepower and 575 pound-feet (780 Nm), which allowed the 3,500-pound (1,588 kg) Impala to hit 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.3 seconds on to a 10.8-second quarter-mile run. Back in 1963, the Z11 package cost another $1,240 on top of the base Impala 409 sticker price, which was around $2,750. Fewer than 50 Z11 Impalas were ever produced, but only seven are confirmed to still exist.
1963 Chevrolet impala Z11 specifications
Engine |
7.0-liter V-8 |
---|---|
Power |
430 HP |
Torque |
575 LB-FT |
Weight |
3,500 lbs |
0 to 60 mph |
4.3 seconds |
Quarter mile |
10.8 seconds |
1963 Pontiac Catalina 421 Super Duty “Swiss Cheese”
In 1963, GM introduced another factory race special. Pontiac may have been the more affordable equivalent of Chevrolet, but the Catalina benefited from similar treatment in order to compete in the NHRA series. As with other GM race cars, the entire front area received aluminum body panels, instead of the original steel pieces, and all non-essential equipment – radio, heater, etc. was removed.
Pontiac went a step further and modified the frame rails by removing one side of them and punching holes on the vertical sections, which resulted in the car shaving another 400 pounds (181.4 kg). It also gave it the nickname “Swiss Cheese”. The 421 cubic-inch (6.9-liter) 90-degree V-8 had a 12:1 compression ratio, forged internals and was underrated at 405 horsepower at 5,600 RPM and 425 pound-feet (576 Nm) at 4,400 RPM. Only 14 cars were built in this configuration of which 9 still exist.
1963 Pontiac Catalina 421 Super Duty “Swiss Cheese” specifications
Engine |
6.9-liter V-8 |
---|---|
Power |
405 HP @ 5,600 RPM |
Torque |
425 LB-FT @ 4,400 RPM |
1963 Pontiac Tempest 421 Super Duty
Another 1963 Pontiac with a 421 Super Duty, but this time, no funky nickname. The story goes that, in the winter of 1962, two race teams brought modified versions of the Pontiac Tempest, featuring a race-spec 421 Super Duty V-8 engine and an upgraded manual transmission and differential from the Pontiac Catalina. Long story short, the modified Tempests kicked everyone’s butt, finishing 0.5 seconds quicker than the next fastest car.
A year later, Pontiac engineers decided to improve on the formula, by stuffing their own version of the 421 Super Duty V-8 in the Tempest. As with the factory race Catalina, the engine, which featured two, four-barrel carburetors and forged internals, was underrated at 405 horsepower and 425 pound-feet (576 Nm). The front-end body panels were, once again, replaced by aluminum ones and non-essential equipment was dropped. A total of 14 cars were made, including 8 coupes and 6 station wagons. As a joke, Pontaic engineers left the 326 badges, despite putting the 421 Super Duty in the Tempest.
1963 Pontiac Tempest 421 Super Duty specifications
Engine |
421 Super Duty V-8 |
---|---|
Power |
405 HP |
Torque |
425 LB-FT |
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
When the C2 Corvette was introduced in 1962, it was clear the platform would be good for much more than just drag racing. Zorah Arkus-Duntov – at the time, Chevrolet’s director of high-performance vehicles – started work on a lightweight competition version of the C2 Corvette. It resulted in the Chevrolet Corvette C2 Grand Sport. Many lightweight materials were used, which shaved 1,300 pounds (589 kg) from the C2’s weight, which meant the C2 Grand Sport weighed around 1,895 pounds (862 kg).
The lightweight Corvette Grand Sport was intended to race at the 1963 Le Mans against Ferraris, Porsches, and Shelby Cobras. It featured a 377 cubic-inch (6.2-liter), all-aluminum small-block V-8 that produced over 550 horsepower. Some C2 Grand Sports were raced by Private teams, using 427 cubic-inch (7.0-liter) V-8 engines. Only five were ever built – 3 coupes and 2 speedsters - although a handful of GM-licensed, continuation cars also exist.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport specifications
Engine |
6.2-liter V-8 |
---|---|
Power |
550 HP |
Weight |
1,895 lbs |
1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro ZL-1
Sometime in the 1960s, GM had a rule that no engine, displacing over 400 cubic inches could be installed in a mid-size or smaller vehicle. Demand for the 427 Big Block was at an all-time high, however, so Chevrolet went around the restriction, by (quietly) making the engine available for order, through the Central Office Production Ordering (COPO) system.
A total of 1,069 COPO Camaros were built, but only 69 had the ZL-1 version of the 427 cubic-inch (7.0-liter) V-8. The ZL-1 was specifically developed for drag racing. Output was conservatively rated at 430 horsepower, but could easily exceed 500, with mild modifications, such as less restrictive exhaust. The Camaro was always one of the more popular muscle cars, but this one is among the most sought-after versions of the car.
1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro ZL-1 specifications
Engine |
7.0-liter V-8 |
---|---|
Power |
430 HP |
Torque |
450 LB-FT |
Weight |
3,007 lbs |
0 to 60 mph |
5.2 seconds |
Top Speed |
150 mph |