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The only ZL-1 Corvette Convertible ever built is about to go up for sale

This ZL-1 Corvette Convertible will fetch up to $3 million when it goes under the hammer.

Published on Dec 23, 2022 at 2:51PM (UTC+4)

Last updated on Jan 27, 2023 at 1:17PM (UTC+4)

Edited by Kate Bain
Chevrolet ZL-1 Corvette Convertible
ZL-1 Corvette Convertible

For the first time ever, a ZL-1 Corvette Convertible is being offered publicly for sale.

The auction is an unrepeatable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get your hands on one of only two factory aluminum 427 ZL-1 Corvettes.

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Your pockets will have to be pretty deep, though, as a car as rare as this ZL-1 Corvette Convertible is bound to fetch a significant amount at auction.

More on the estimated sale price later, but first let’s talk about the unicorn in question.

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The legendary ZL-1

The 1969 ZL-1 Corvette enjoys a mythical status among production Corvettes, and selecting the RPO ZL-1 option more than doubled the price of a new Corvette.

For that amount, the buyer received a 560-horsepower derivative of the all-aluminum CanAm racing engine delivered in a street-legal, factory-built production.

See the thing is, according to GM documents, only two so-equipped cars were produced at the St. Louis assembly plant and delivered through their dealer network.

The 1969 RPO ZL-1 was strictly developed as an FIA/NHRA homologation experiment and, in practice, never truly intended for sale to the public.

And yet, in December 1968, John W. Maher of Leechburg, Pennsylvania walked into Harold Breman’s West Penn Garage and completed the purchase paperwork for chassis 194679S710209.

And the rest is history as they say.

Fast forward to today and what we’re looking at is the keystone of the ultimate Corvette collection.

It wears an accurate, award-winning restoration from the most highly-regarded restorer of historically significant Corvettes, Kevin Mackay of Corvette Repair, Inc.

It’s also exhaustively chronicled by a trove of authentic GM documentation.

This is further accompanied by documents from the original owner, including its original tank sticker, sales invoice, and historic imagery.

ZL-1 Corvette Convertible price

It’s estimated that this ZL-1 Corvette Convertible will achieve between $2,600,000 and $3,000,000 when it goes under the hammer.

Keep your eyes peeled for this gem when it appears at RM Sotheby’s Arizona auction on January 26.

Update: The ZL-1 Corvette Convertible actually sold for more than the predicted selling price and went for $3,140,000.

author avatar
Adam Gray
Adam Gray is an experienced motoring journalist and content creator based in the United Kingdom. Using his media accreditation with manufacturers’ press offices, Adam test drives the latest cars and attends new vehicle press launches, producing written reviews and news pieces for supercarblondie.com. Before joining the Supercar Blondie team, Adam was Motoring Editor for Portfolio North magazine, North East Motoring Editor at Reach plc, and provided motoring content on a freelance basis to several lifestyle and business publications in the North of England. When he’s not behind the wheel of the latest car, Adam can be found at his local rink playing ice hockey or supporting his beloved Middlesbrough FC.
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