69 ZL1 #1 Going Across The Blocks !

[WMCC Gary]

8-O incidently Bill also had a 2002 ZL1 built and painted like the 1969.




and a couple more of the 69

[81DaytonaPaceCar]

ok so forgive me for my lack of knowledge but why in the heck does it only have a door bar for the roll bar on the drivers side?

Hmmm...good question...maybe because it was never expected to carry a passenger?

Just a guess...

[WMCC Doug]

One of the ZL1s burned to the ground when his trailer caught on fire, but I don't remember which one it was...I think it was this one, but definately not sure...and I believe the yellow one was the only yellow ZL1...

Yup, it was this one (not the yellow one). If I recall correctly, it happened on the way home from Super Chevy Indy one year (may have been another show, though). A wheel bearing went out on his trailer, overheated and started to burn. By the time he realized it, and pulled off to the side of the road, it was burning pretty good. He quickly tried to get the car out of the burning trailer before it completely burned to the ground. I remember Bill suffered some pretty nasty burns on his hands and arms. The car was damaged quite a lot, but at least was intact enough to be restored again.

I remember the mid-engine Cutlass. It was on the cover of Hot Rod or Car Craft once. He had some other pretty interesting cars along the way as well.

Here's a couple funny storys about Bill. He was a member of WMCC at one time and one November (back in the mid-80's), he drove his yellow ZL-1 to our Club meeting in northwest Grand Rapids. It was a typical November day, overcast, around 40 degrees and spitting a misty rain. I pulled into the parking lot of where we met to see this yellow '69 Camaro parked right in the front row, between a couple of regular cars. As I got closer, I saw the liscense plate which said "69 ZL1" and about flipped out. It was the only Camaro in the parking lot that day, as everyone else drover their "winter cars".

As I walked in, Bill was giving me the evil eye. He says, "this is the Camaro Club meeting, right?" I said, "yes" and he says "Where are all the Camaros?" I replied, "Bill, it's raining". He laughed and called us a bunch of wimps! Who else would drive a '69 ZL-1 in the rain?

To this day, if I see Bill, he'll bring up that day and in a whiney voice says, "It's raaaaing". He'll never let me live it down.

Another time, in the late 80's, my friend John Hooper from Maryland was doing research on his first book about Camaros (he's written a few) and was here to interview Dale & Matt Berger. Well, we drove to Bill house (near Lansing) and Bill wanted to drive the yellow Berger ZL-1 to Grand Rapids for the occation. We hopped into the car, I'm in the back seat. I'll tell you that a big block with chambered exhaust is pretty loud! Anyway, by the time we get to Portland, Bill is out of coffee, so we pull into Arbys for a new cup. As we walk out to the car again, Bill tosses the keys to John. John gives him a surprised look, like saying "you want me to drive the ZL-!?". Bill just says, "You can drive a 4 speed, right?" So we are getting back into the car and Bill sets his hot coffee cup on the dash so he can put his seat belt on, and the steam is fogging up the windshield. I thought John was gonna have a heart attack.

So John drives the rest of the way to Grand Rapids and into Berger. There's only one parking spot and it's right in the front of the show room. John is hesitant to pull in between the other two cars, but Bill gives him the "look" and we pull right in. Just then a young sale guy comes out to greet us, and all of a sudden, he realizes that this is the same car that's on a poster on the show room wall. He starts stammering and opening the door for us and says "is there anything I can do for you guys?" Bill just looks at him and says, "I could use another cup oif coffee."

The interview went well and we had a pretty interesting day. Bill never was one of those guys that thinks cars are sacred. It was just another '69 Camaro as far as hes was concerned. Bill always says, "you can restore a car a hundred times, but they are only original once", but that still didn't stop him from driving it.

Bill is an interesting character, that's for sure.

[81DaytonaPaceCar]

Great stories, Doug.

And if I recall correctly, he found the yellow one in a junkyard...

[MP81]

Cool stories Doug!!!

[WMCC Gary]

A pic of what it looked like after the fire.
zl1burn.jpg

[kammi10]

ouch

[csmith4153]

Thanks for sharing that story Doug.

[MP81]

That picture...

[WMCC Doug]

Yessir - that's the one. I absolutely love watching when they start that car up inside the trailer and watching the trailer walls flexing and rippling from the exhaust.

Brian, did you know there's a die cast model of Matt's Berger Camaro?

http://www.gmpdiecast.com/products/d...cale%20Camaros


Yes, I already have one.

[BP_Z28]

damn fires.. always a party pooper!

[WMCC Doug]

You can see Bill's arms bandaged up from his burns (standing by the drivers door). That could have been a LOT worse.