1969 Nickey L88 427 Z28 Camaro

"Nickey! Nickey! Nickey!" was Nickey Chevrolet’s radio jingle in the Chicago area in the 60’s and 70’s. Nickey was a local high performance Chevrolet dealer behind some of the most radical street/strip cars known to exist. Nickey Chevrolet’s High Performance Department produced 427 Camaros and Chevelles as well as a catalogue selling almost any high performance accessory a guy could imagine.

Early in the high performance 427 Camaro days, it was the team of Dick Harrell and Bill Thomas that masterminded the Nickey 427 Camaro. At that time, Bill Thomas was the guru of big block Chevrolet race motors. Harrell, who was nicknamed “Mr. Chevrolet”, was one of the winningest racecar drivers of that era. This combination of engine builder and racer was of a fame that certainly could sell cars. Although Yenko Chevrolet, Baldwin Motion, and Gibb Chevrolet were all in the same business, Nickey Chevrolet with the help of Dick Harrell may have been the forerunner of 427 Camaros and Chevelle production.

Nickey Cars were a joint project between Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago and Bill Thomas Engine Company in Anaheim California. As it states in the 67/68 catalogs, a customer could take delivery of their new "Nickey Car" either at Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago, or at Bill Thomas in Anaheim California. There were no other authorized "Nickey Car" dealers. Sometime in 1968, Nickey Chevrolet and Bill Thomas parted company and from that point on, only the 69 cars purchased directly from Nickey Chevrolet are "Nickey Cars". Nickey Chevrolet had a program whereby they would pay your airfare to Chicago, from anywhere in the country, to pick up your new Nickey car.

The 1969 Nickey Camaro you see here started life as a Z28. It is one of only two Nickey Z28’s to become 427 Camaros. This Camaro -- optioned with an L88 aluminum head 427 and a Muncie M22 4-speed -- was heavily modified for the drag strip. It comes complete with all the typical high performance accessories of the day: headers, Mallory ignition, traction bars, heavy-duty clutch, scattershield, flex fan, gauges, Sun tach, Hurst shifter, Hurst shocks, and Goodyear slicks mounted on SS Cragars. Many weight saving modifications were made as well: removal of window track mechanisms, removal of the heater and block off plates installed, and the exchange of drum brakes in place of the disc brakes.

This car was intended to be competitive: Kevin has a vintage photo of it coming off the line at Maple Grove Dragstrip with its front wheels off the asphalt. An awesome sight!