By John Gunnell

La Harpe, Ill., was the place where some of the top Super Stock drag racing cars in the nation came from in 1969. Fred Gibb Chevrolet of La Harpe entered this highly competitive class of racing in January, when it received a shipment of 50 Camaros with all-aluminum ZL-1 engines. These cars were ultimately distributed to racers throughout the United States.

Gibb’s dealership kept one car that was finished in Candy Apple Red with a Gold lace overlay. That Camaro went to the American Hot Rod Assoc. (AHRA) Winternationals in Phoenix, Ariz., and outran the factory-sponsored cars of Sox & Martin and Don Groether. The car traveled nationwide on a white Chevroklet truck with a specially-built ramp body made in Lubbock, Texas.

Early in the season, this car was campaigned by Herb Fox. An employee of Fred Gibbs Chevy. While he was driving Gibbs’ ‘67 Z-28 Camaro, Fox ran into car builder and racer Dick Harrell at his business in East St. Louis. A business association between the two men resulted from this meeting. Fox had a very successful year driving in 1968, but as the Gibbs racing team began to travel further from its home base, Fox quit driving and Ray Sullins took over. Sullins, who also worked for Fred Gibbs Chevy, had previously been employed as the high-performance technician for Steakley Chevrolet in Dallas, Texas. In 1967-1968, he had toured with “Flying Professor” Kelly Chadwick’s Super Stock Camaro team. He brought a lot of knowledge and talent to the Fred Gibbs team.

The car that Sullins drove was identical to a second car that came from Fred Gibbs Chevy — the Unlimited Fuel car that Dick Harrell drove. During 1968, Harrell had driven a ’68 Camaro for Fred Gibb and then he relocated his car building shop to Kansas City, Mo. In 1969, he ran the new Camaro under Fred Gibbs and Quaker State sponsorship. Harrell’s car burned nitro and registered speeds as high as 209 mph in a 7:35-sec. run down the quarter mile.

Harrell won the AHRA Winternationals in Phoenix and the National Hot Rod Assoc. (NHRA) Winternationals in Miami, Fla. He also took the World Championship in Ft. Worth, Texas. Harrell was considered the nation’s Top Funny Car Driver at the time and was nicknamed “Mr Chevrolet” and “Mr Reflexes.” A plastic model kit of his racing car made him even more famous.

Even though car building business was eating up a lot of his time, Harrell continued to drag race. He was named AHRA “Driver of the Year” in 1969 and was “Driver of the Decade” in 1970. On Sept. 12, 1971, Harrell lost his life in funny car crash in Toronto, Canada caused by a front tire exploding.

Harrell’s legacy is known to everyone interested in Chevrolet muscle cars and one of those enthusiasts is Jeff Leonard, the CEO of Classic Industries, a company that makes reproduction muscle car parts. When a Camaro with links to Dick Harrell crossed the block at a Barrett-Jackson auction, Leonard bid on the car and was able to win this extraordinary piece of muscle car history.

The 1969 Camaro has a unique history that begins with John Penso, a member of the “Flying Dutchman” funny car crew and close friend of Dick Harrell. When Penso wanted a fast car for the street, but couldn’t find one that was quite fast enough, he knew Harrell could help him. Penso made arrangements to fly to the Dick Harrell Performance Center in Kansas City and drive a 427-powered 1969 Camaro back to his home in California.

In addition to Harrell’s signature tweaks, the Camaro came with a handful of parts, stored in the trunk, for Penso to install at home. They included a set of 4.56:1 gears, slapper bars and a cam from the legendary ZL-1 that Harrell had a hand in co-developing with GM. The car’s “Dick Harrell” badges were placed in the glove box to prevent other racers from figuring out what was under the hood.

After it changed hands a few times, including a brief stay in Hawaii, the Camaro’s documentation was lost and its pedigree came into question. Then, Dick Harrell’s daughter Valerie got involved. As the architect of the modern Dick Harrell Performance Center, Valerie Harrell had painstakingly organized her late father’s original records and was able to provide proof that this Camaro, VIN No. 124379N580930, was indeed the car that was built by her father for John Penso.

Old Cars Weekly also asked muscle car expert Stefano Binmbi of Nickey Chicago if the Camaro was a “real deal” Dick Harrell car. “Yes it is,” he said. “I researched this car when it was found in Hawaii and here’s an interesting story: Dick Harrell picked up the original owner at the airport in a 1969 ZL-1 Camaro. He got a ticket on the way back to the shop and couldn’t talk his way out of it. How is that for Super Car history?” Bimbi was careful to add, “its not a COPO Camaro; it started out as a 396 Camaro and was converted to a 427.”

After buying the car, Leonard treated it to a complete restoration that included some Classic Industries reproduction parts. Leonard, who currently owns a variety of rare classic vehicles, usually isn’t one to be easily impressed. “When I first came across this rare 1-of-10 Dick Harrell 427 Camaro at Barrett Jackson, I knew I had a unique opportunity,” Leonard said. “This Camaro is one of the most recognizable and sought after vehicles from the golden era of muscle cars. Having been built by one of the foremost innovators of his day, this Dick Harrell supercar is surely one that any collector or hobbyist would want to see.”

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There is plenty to get excited about for the upcoming Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show Nov. 5-8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 2013 Classic Industries/OER SEMA display, booth #23975, will be hosting two notable Camaro builds. One is a unique 1969 427 Camaro, a collector car built by drag racing pioneer “Mr. Chevrolet” Dick Harrell. The other is a Smokey Yunick-inspired car, a 1968 model built by renowned custom car builder Bodie Stroud for actor/comedian Tim Allen.

The Dick Harrell 1969 427 Camaro, recently added to the Classic Industries collection, left the factory as an SS 396 car. It was immediately sent to the Dick Harrell Performance Center to be upgraded with the best components of the day, including an iron-block 427 with a ZL1-spec camshaft, a set of 4.56 gears, and Lakewood traction bars. This rare, 1-of-10 Dick Harrell Camaro represents the pinnacle of late-1960s Chevrolet performance.

Tim Allen’s own Smokey Yunick-inspired 1968 Camaro, built by Bodie Stroud, has been upgraded with the best components available today, including a 505 hp LS7 427 V8, steering and suspension by Detroit Speed, Brembo brakes and a variety of other subtle custom touches. The end result is Allen’s state-of-the-art interpretation of what hot rod legends such as Smokey Yunick would have done with today’s technology.

This Camaro collaboration between Allen and Stroud was recently televised on Speed Channel’s Hot Rod TV with parts supplied by Classic Industries, which will host the first public unveiling of the car during the SEMA show.

In other show highlights, Jo Coddington of television’s American Hot Rod fame will represent and sign autographs for Champion “Classic & Muscle” Motor Oil in booth 25221.
Combining her business background and working with her iconic car builder husband, the late Boyd Coddington, Jo became an integral part of the operational management and success of the business.

“Her entrepreneurial spirit has Jo moving in many exciting directions,” said Karl Dedolph, director of Performance and Racing Products at Champion Oil. “She is perhaps most passionate about her design work. Working on her own innovative designs and builds, she finds Boyd’s voice and influence at the heart of her work, which keep Boyd’s legacy alive. Today with all her projects, Jo Coddington is truly making her mark on the hot rod and automotive industries.”

For a schedule of events and exhibitor listing, visit www.semashow.com.

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