1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 - $825k

Behold the mighty 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, appearing at Mecum Kissimmee in 2021. The 1969 Camaro with the uber rare, all-aluminum, 427-cubic-inch ZL-1 big-block was designed for racing. Chevrolet rated the ZL1 at 430 hp @ 5200 rpm and 450 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm. Dyno tests of factory ZL1s revealed their output was more in the 550hp range. 69 ZL-1 Camaros were built.

First. Most powerful. Quickest. One Chevy combines them all: the 1969 Chevrolet ZL1 Camaro. It went a step beyond the 427 Yenko and even the mighty L88 Corvette. A batch of '69 Camaros came with a version of the 427-cid V-8 used by the all-conquering Can-Am Chaparral. This was another very special Central Office Production Order. COPO 9560. These are the rarest of all 1969 Camaros.

The 427 was called the ZL1. It was similar to the most-potent iteration of the aluminum-head L88, but it was the first production Chevy engine to also have an aluminum block. It had a 430-bhp factory rating, but was well over 500 bhp. All this came at a price: $4,160 for the ZL1 engine alone, pushing the car's sticker to a ridiculous $7,200.

Two 1969 ZL1 Camaros were offered as a matched pair in 2018. Numbers 18 and 30 of the 69 Chevy built. The pair made $1.2m.

This 1969 ZL-1 sold for $1,094,500 at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale in 2020. In 2017 the car changed hands for $770k.

The only Camaro to sell at auction for seven figures has it's original engine. The ZL-1 featured rectangular-port, open-chamber aluminum heads, and a forged crank, connecting rods, and pistons. It featured a solid-lifter camshaft.