68sd wrote:

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first Z16

in late December, 1964, a Malibu SS rolled off the assembly line at Chevrolets Baltimore, Maryland assembly plant. It was a nice SS and loaded with options, but really not that special: Regal Red with a black vinyl top and black interior and options were power steering, power brakes, power windows, tilt wheel, AM-FM radio, two speed wipers ..and a 300hp 327 with a four speed trans. It is probably not a coincidence that the car was equipped this way. According to former 1960s Chevrolet Engineering employee Art Armstrong, Engineering specified the equipment they wanted and the car was ordered by D.H. McPherson or a subordinate to have as many options and details as near their specifications for the Z16 as possible.

Upon completion the third week of December at the Baltimore plant, instead of the normal shipment to a dealer, this car was immediately shipped to the Chevrolet Engineering Tech Center in Detroit, Michigan where it arrived by December 21, 1964. The Engineering Center then began the task of converting this car into the first Z16. Many of the unique Z16 parts were, of course, not yet in production, so many of them were hand built and fitted. Apparently, once the prototype parts were deemed satisfactory, they were approved for production.

D.H. McPherson was the executive in charge of the project and reportedly drove this prototype for some months after it was built. Art Armstrong believes it very likely the car saw time at the Milford Proving Ground (Chevrolets test track and facility near Detroit) as was common with pilot cars and test mules. The official assignment of the car to the Engineering Center was for an experimental check. It was sold by Engineering (through a dealer) in February 1966.

Chevrolet General Manager Bunkie Knudsen, introduced the Z16 at Chevrolets Desert Proving Ground in Arizona in February or March, 1965. An article in the May, 1965 issue of Mechanix Illustrated confirms this. The first known Kansas City built production Z16 was built in late February, 1965, so it stands to reason that the two prototype pilot cars were two of the cars at the introduction.

While the #1 Z16 appears like all other normal Z16s at first glance, there are a great many small details that the Chevrolet enthusiast will pick up on. Sample, Experimental and vendor tags and markings on many parts make the #1 Z16 not only unlike any other Z16, but a true one-of-a-kind car!

All factory Mark IV big block Corvettes, Camaros, Novas, Impalas likely followed this car.None known have an earlier build date.

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-- Edited by 68sd on Monday 20th of December 2010 10:05:23 PM

 

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