Every so often, a message pops into our inbox that gets our curiosity running full throttle. This week, a Barn Finds reader sent us one of those notes—the kind that makes you stop what you’re doing and start digging through old Corvette history. They’re searching for information on a very unusual 1969 Corvette ZL1 Coupe, and they’re hoping the Barn Finds community might be able to help connect the dots.
On the surface, the car was a white, saddle-interior ’69 Corvette coupe. Nice combo, but nothing too wild. But look a little closer and things get interesting fast. According to Survivor69:
- It was running a ZL1 aluminum 427
- Had ZL1/L88-style fender flares
- Wore the correct L88 components and hardware
- Even had ZL1 labeling inside the car
For those who know their Corvettes, that’s enough to make your eyebrows hit the ceiling. Only two ZL1 Corvettes were built from the factory in 1969, so any car that had a real ZL1 engine dropped in early in its life becomes instantly fascinating.
The earliest known chapter of this car’s story starts in Atlanta, Georgia, where it was owned by a gentleman named Mr. Hunnicutt. The timeline is fuzzy, but it’s believed he purchased it in the early ’80s—or maybe even earlier. One thing’s for sure: a white ’69 with big flares and an aluminum big-block would’ve been hard to miss around town. There’s no information before his ownership, but a decade is a long time for there to be no records or accounts of the car and its original owner. Somebody in Atlanta had to have seen or heard this thing. It wouldn’t have exactly snuck around unnoticed.
In 1987, the Corvette changed hands and ended up in New Jersey, tucked away in a warehouse. One surviving photo (included above) shows the car squeezed between other vehicles, still wearing its flares and blue plate. And then… the trail goes cold. That’s the last known sighting of the car. No records. No stories. Nothing.
Cars like this usually lived hard lives among racers, engine builders, speed shops, and the kind of folks who cared more about performance than future collectability. Because of that, their paper trails often evaporate. But the stories don’t have to. This is one of those cars that deserves to have its history preserved—whatever that history turns out to be.
The current owner is trying to put together:
- Ownership history
- Old paperwork
- Photos
- Verbal stories
- Shop memories
- Anything tied to the car’s time in Georgia or New Jersey
They’re especially looking for anyone who:
- Knew Mr. Hunnicutt in Atlanta
- Saw the car at local shows or shops
- Worked on big-block Corvettes in the area
- Recognizes the New Jersey warehouse where it ended up
- Has even the smallest detail that could help fill in the gaps
- Even if you only vaguely remember a loud white ’69 with flares, we want to hear from you.
If this Corvette rings any bells—if you saw it, raced against it, worked on it, or just remember the name Hunnicutt from the Atlanta car scene—drop a comment below or send us a message. As always, the Barn Finds community has brought lost cars back from the shadows before. Maybe we can do it again.
You are correct that cars like these don’t go unnoticed and they were often were driven hard. (Many years ago I had a friend who bought a Corvette on a Thursday and totaled it three days later – much to the disgust of its former owner.) But there are so many classic cars that sit idle in garages, barns and elsewhere so maybe it’s still out there.
I know a little about this car, but I assume you have the original owner info. My knowledge starts with a mention of this car in the book “American Muscle” by Randy Leffingwell. I live close to the original dealer that sold the car in Magna, Utah. I was talking to a salesman who was working at the dealership in 1992 and he asked around and discovered a few details that weren’t in the book. The car was originally shipped to a dealer in Provo, Utah and they traded the ZL1 for 2 Corvettes to Gus Poulos Chevrolet.
Mont, This is a different car. The one you are speaking of is a white coupe with a black stripe and black interior. It is an early vin 67xx that was in the Otis Chandler collection years ago.
This car is a late 69 built car and has saddle leather interior and has fender flares.
There were 2 RPO ZL1 cars built in 1969 by the GM records we have, some say more were built. The yellow ZL1 owned by Roger in Florida is one of the verified original ZL1’s. The white coupe that was in Utah and the orange convertible have a lot of questions surrounding their authenticity as factory built ZL1’s. Most experts believe that both cars were factory built L88’s raced with ZL1 engines as they are both early build cars before the open chambered L88/ZL1 heads were available.
Here is the yellow ZL1 coupe
The orthodox wisdom is there are two “real” ZL1s (a Daytona Yellow coupe and a Monaco Orange roadster). It’s unclear how many originally were assembled (most sources cite between four and six) by Chevrolet for engineering and other purposes but the consensus is only two survived being scrapped or re-purposed. The yellow one appears never to have been changed from its original configuration while the orange car appeared in competition powered by both a ZL1 and L88 engine. That’s why the Corvette community’s “moderate” faction say there are two ZL1s while the hard-liners in the originality police insist only the yellow coupe is authentic. The yellow coupe was the one in Roger Judski’s now closed Corvette Centre in Florida and he belonged to the moderate faction.
ACB the yellow car is a bulletproof ZL1. The orange convertible no so much. The car has questionable paperwork including two different dealer invoices presented to the car with different pricing and engine stamp numbers on them. It does not have the original motor, although it was represented as such a few years ago. In my opinion based on the research I have done, I believe it was a factory built L88 raced with a ZL1 engine. That is also the belief of all the judges I have spoken to regarding the car. It’s a cool car with racing history but for a lot of reasons it has not been accepted by the Corvette community as one of the factory built ZL1’s.
There were 2 ZL1 69 Corvettes factory built and 69 ZL1 Camaros factory built. There are a number of documented original engine ZL1 Camaro’s that have survived. Other than the hood no modifications were factory made to the L88/ZL1 cars… no fender flares. A tank sticker (corvette) and a broadcast sheet (Camaro) would document the options including the ZL1 engine. Both of these were placed on the top of the gas tank on the assembly line. Good day all.
Peteb the RPO ZL1 option for the 69 Corvette was an aluminum cylinder case option added to the mandatory L88 engine option. It also received the RPO ZL1 hood stripe as documented in the 69 AIM. Of course the L88 option brought with it a number of differences from the other big block engine options including J56 heavy duty brakes, M22 transmission, different radiator, radio block off plate etc. The yellow coupe is the only 69 ZL1 Corvette that has verified paperwork at this time. Here is the tank sticker for the car.
I belong to the originality police and agree with you. Others must be more accommodating of the murky history because at auction in January 2023, the orange convertible realized US$3.14 million. Given that, it’s anyone’s guess what the pedigreed yellow car would attract.
ACB, I know Roger and he will never sell the car. It will get passed to family. That said, I know that people have tried to buy the car over the years and the number would be north of $10 million IMHO.
Considering all of the questions surrounding the orange car, I was surprised that the car sold for over $3million. Like the white coupe with the black stripe, the orange car is too early to have been a factory built ZL1 car. George, who ordered the yellow car told me that it was the first production ZL1 built. As a production engineer he would know. Again, the open chambered heads used on the late 69 L88 cars and the ZL1’s didn’t hit production until May of 1969, so George’s statement aligns with the GM engineering data.
I also spoke with a number of employees that are still alive and they told me the the other ZL1 was an M22 coupe and that they never built and shipped an orange convertible ZL1 in 1969.
The yellow car was ordered new by George Heberling, the resident production engineer. I have spoken to him many times about his car and the ordering/build process at the plant. He left the plant to work at another plant and the car sat in the back of the St. Louis plant. Eventually it was sold to Henchler Chevrolet in Va in Nov of 1969. Here is the internal paperwork.
Here is the internal GM car shipper
You can imagine the number of deep pocket high knowledge Corvette people that have chased every imaginable lead on this car over the decades. Be wonderful if some Joe blow surfaces with the winning ticket $$ someday…….. :)
The write up on this one is confusing, referring to last known sighting, then referring to the current owner, so is this about looking for the car or about looking for historical documentation?
Glad I’m not alone on wondering that, as we both share the same reading comprehension there brother, lol!!!
The only other ZL-1 was a test mule, which was in R&T, or maybe Motor Trend. Pretty sure it was an automatic, and it was optimized for 1/4 mi. acceleration. It had Hooker sidepipes. This is probably “just” an L-88, that may have been crate engine swapped, back in the day.
Courtney H. the 68 test mule was Zora’s car and it is currently being restored by the owner. This test car is not one of the 69 RPO ZL1 production cars. There were a number of Zora ZL1 test cars mules. Here is a picture of the car and some internal GM engineering docs for Zora’s projects.
Well I hope the current owner is successful in their hunt for documentation on this ride
Yawn…
In 1970 I went to the Can Am race in Mt.Tremblat/St.Jovite. Dan Gurney led from start to finish. I heard that every car in the race was powered by a 427 Chevy.
I imagine they were ZL1s, though I just read that the McLarens had 463 c.i.
I have a picture I took of Gurney, Hulme, and Jackie Oliver, who was upside down at the moment. I can’t post it since I’m not a member, but it’s one of my all-time favorite shots-
Doesn’t anyone know someone in law enforcement? This sounds more like a story about a very rare factory built Corvette. Sorry if I’m sounding conceited with my comment, but if AI can suggest this first:
AI Overview
A New Jersey license plate number like 646-ZMZ identifies a specific vehicle registered in NJ, but you can’t get owner details directly; only law enforcement or for specific legal reasons (like reporting an accident) can access that info through the NJ MVC, though third-party sites offer paid vehicle history reports by VIN or plate.
Those private VIN search site will only get you the city and state last registered but not the owner due to federal
Privacy laws. Been there and found out in the end no owners or address.
Those companies promise more
But in the end do not deliver. Law enforcement can but are prohibited and can loose their job for providing that information.
Back around 2005 I wanted to finally register a 1941 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup, that when I purchased it way back in 1985 at an estate sale in PA, I was handed the original title that was issued in October of 1940. There was no way I was going to turn in that original piece of artwork for the piece of colored paper issued today, or even in 2005. I went to a fast tag gathered paperwork to begin a “restitution” (PA sucks) of a title I claimed I did not have. In short, I had to go to a local magistrate to acquire an affidavit stating I didn’t have a title, then turned it over to local police, and they in turn researched the history, which is impossible if you ask me, but they came up with enough info for the fast tag to take it from there. It did take a few weeks, and I was lucky that the truck always resided in PA. It’s not easy, but it can be done. Desperation definitely helps!
I’m very surprised that no one from the corvette community has information on this car. If it was a privateer racer someone has information on it. A lot of the racers from the 60’s and 70’s are and older crew probably in their 80’’s
Here is the GM engineering doc for Zora’s order for testing purposes.
This will be debated forever. I know of a high end collector, not sure if he is still in the hobby in NJ. Mike Vietro is marketing a gold 1969 L88 automatic, one of 17, owned by NJ businessman Ed Mueller, who was buying up cars in the 1980s. It’s time to put either Dave Burroughs and his Prove It business or Kevin McKay on the case. Here’s the situation and the TRUTH. GM did not put any numbers or letters in their VINs to show which engine was installed in a Corvette until 1972 model year. Second, so many original engines blew up 50 years ago and were thrown away. Third, paperwork gets lost, supposedly the tank sticker for Roger’s ZL1 was lost when the drug dealer owned it, but its pedigree was proven. Fouth, it is what it is. If it is legit, someone is going to have a very valuable Corvette.
George, I know Mike Vietro well and I certified his gold 69 L88, it’s a great car. I happen to own a unrestored and documented red red 69 L89 coupe that was next to the yellow ZL1 when Ed owned it. This picture was from a show in Boston in 1984. Zora signed the window sticker at that show. I have never met Ed, but I know people that are friends with him and he has owned some special Corvettes.
George,
Here is another picture from my files of the yellow ZL1 when Ed owned it.
I say this with the utmost respect and absolutely no sarcasm. I love a good mystery and this whole thing reads like an Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot novel. Very entertaining. There was a show on the Motor Trend streaming service a couple of years ago where the two hosts would run down various car-related mysteries (the buried Ferrari Dino, James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder, etc.). This would be an excellent topic for that series.
I remember that show and loved watching it.
There was one at Muscle Car City, FL as well, or at least one with a ZL1 engine. I believe this one also had questionable history and sold a few years ago when they closed the museum.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/454524/1969-chevrolet-corvette-convertible/
This one sold in 2021 for $134,750.
For comparison, a 1969 427/400 yellow convertible sold at the same auction for $115,500.
Nicholas MacDonald,
The blue convertible at the Muscle Car city museum is widely thought to be a clone and the sale price reflected that. Here is an old picture of the blue car
The way I read this, the car started as some type of 1969 Corvette, which someone dropped in a ZL1 motor and other modifications. Restomod? Recreation?
Edward, that is the reason for the article. Was it the second RPO ZL1 built in 69? Was it an L88 that had a ZL1 transplant at some point? With the yellow coupe being the only verified and documented RRO ZL1 there will always be questions as to the whereabouts of the second ZL1. Again, that is assuming only 2 RPO ZL1 cars were built in 1969 and the GM production records are accurate.
I’m a little late coming to this discussion, with good reason. I have been a men-ber of the Corvette commuity for a very long time, and have owned quit a few, at present I own 5 of them. Just trying to put perspective on what I say. There is one thing I know for sure there is a lot of MISSINFORMATION out there to be read in so called in the know articals. I have read alot of stories on old corvettes and found many to be misleading. So with this said; I just came upon a good story in a hardcover book called “The Survivors Series: Corvettes For The Road” sub story “Wildest of the Wild”. In this story the Author write about the 69 ZL-1, states 2 where officeally built, but there it is very likely that as many as 4 to 6 where made and the only documented one is the Yellow one and it was order as a company car for the St. Louis Assembly Plant. As the story goes the engineer who ordered the car moved on before it was built, the car sat in the back yard at the assembly plant for awhile until the replacement engineer had it sent to a dealer Richmond, Virginia. Where a friend if Wayne Walker bought the car. He Blew the engine up the first night out, the car when back to the dealer for warranty work, the pulled the motor, decided to replace it, and so it sat awhile. When the new motor arrived the owner put it in his boat and the corvette was put away. After a few years the owner tried to sell the for $3000 dollar an had no takers for a long time, when it sold it was lost for a while. The original motor also disapriered from the dealer who pulled it. After Wayne Walker read a story about the ZL-1, and how rare it is He went looking for it. Found it and bought it, then went looking for the/a ZL-1 motor, The org. one was gone. He found one a few states away and was about to go get it and out of the blue the Phone rings and somebody he didn’t know “said I have the motor to your ZL-1. So they were reyounited. sense then Wayne has restored the car to as new. Pere this story Wayne Walker owned Zip Product. a Corvette Parts Business. The story goes on to talk about Zora Duntov and other ZL-1’s this white one that started al this.
I would also like to add; what about the Otto Chandler ZL-1? It was never authenicated and that is the main reason he sold it. Otto bought the car from an American Airlines pilot who bought it new ( I believe in Denver Co.) and standby it’s a real ZL-1. and I read about a Black test mule at GM proving grounds once again No proof. May the dream live on! Darrel
Darrel Van Weerdhuizen I know George, the plant engineer that order the yellow ZL1 new. He was transferred to another GM plant and the car sat in the warehouse with 1200 miles on it. I posted the internal GM shipper copy showing the date of transfer and the options. Henchler Chevrolet advertised the car and eventually sold it to John Zagos. The rest of the history for the car is documented including Roger buying the car for $300k at the DEA auction. I have been tracking the ZL1 cars for a number of years and also own the 1967-1969 L89 and L88 registries. Roger’s yellow car was the fist RPO ZL1 car to leave the St. Louis plant. There was another ZL1 coupe built shortly after his. One in October and another in November IMHO. 2 RPO ZL1 cars were produced before September 30th 1969 according to GM production records. However the production records from Oct 1 1969 to the end of production are a bit murky as well as the shipping records are all missing during this time period. I believe based on the research that I have done that at least 2 RPO ZL1 cars were built after Oct 1 1969.
Here is the newspaper ad for the yellow ZL1
Here is the dealer invoice when John Zagos purchased the car
Darrel Van Weerdhuizen the white ZL1 was owned by Otis Chandler. It is now in the Kevin Suydam’s collection. In my opinion the car was built way too early to have been a factory ZL1 car. Same holds true with the orange convertible. GM engineering didn’t release the open chambered heads found on the ZL1 production engine until May of 1969 according to internal GM documents. Other internal GM documents show no internal pricing for the ZL1 aluminum cylinder case option until May of 1969.