COPO the book Surpasses 50 Five-Star Reviews on Amazon.com

Author Matt Avery's latest book, COPO, has surpassed fifty five-star reviews on the retail site, Amazon.com.

The book has been reviewed by customers around the world who have eagerly embraced the work as the go-to source for information and insight into the creation of Chevrolet's ultimate muscle cars. Since its launch, COPO has also been a consistent top seller in the Automotive Book Category on the popular shopping site.

Matt's COPO book has also inspired a special limited-edition run of die-cast collectible vehicles, modeled after real-deal full-size examples.

To view the book's Amazon listing, click here.

Matt Avery Meets with Yenko Employee Denny Ford at Pittsburgh World of Wheels Car Show

While attending and speaking at the 2020 Pittsburgh World of Wheels, author Matt Avery met with Denny Ford, a technician who worked at the legendary Yenko Chevrolet in the early 1970s. Ford, who still resides near Cannonsburg, PA, recounted his time at the dealership, which spanned from 1971 through 1974.

Many of the gearhead's memories concentrated around Don Yenko's final COPO vehicle performance program, the Yenko Vega Stinger. Produced in 1971 and 1972, the Stinger was Yenko's attempt to have a strong contender in the growing import and tuner car market. Four-hundred were produced with some receiving turbochargers installed in the onsite speed department.

Ford also shared recollections of Yenko's vehicle delivery system and also specific details about the dealer's car hauler which shows up in various historical photos.

In turn, Avery shared a photo from his extensive research showing Yenko's staff photo. The photo, taken in 1972, includes Ford who hadn't seen it in decades.

Surrounded by three legendary COPO Camaros, author Matt Avery and Denny Ford.

This Yenko staff photo, taken in 1972, shows a young Denny.

"It's always a treat to meet with people who were at these iconic locations firsthand,' said Avery. "To hear their stories, memories and experiences is such a special opportunity. So much valuable insight and credibility comes from these rare opportunities." The author gave the veteran technician a copy of COPO, personalizing the inside cover with a special inscription.

Avery personalized a copy of his book for the veteran tech.

Avery met with Ford in the Super Car Workshop display area, which featured two fully restored 1969 COPO Camaros. Both of these 427-equipped legends came about from Yenko's initiative and leveraging of Chevy's Central Office processing system.

Matt Avery Marks First Featured Author To Present Educational Seminars at Pittsburgh World of Wheels

Author Matt Avery was invited to speak at the 59th Annual Pittsburgh World of Wheels car show, marking the event's first time hosting expert informational seminars. The COPO author was included in the Super Car Workshop's featured display, which included three restored 1969 COPO Camaros, including a ZL1 which was unveiled for the first time after its two year restoration. Super Car Workshop restored the trio, which garnered top honors in their class. The shop also selected to win the Builder of the Year award.

Here, Avery goes into detail the specific features of the 1968 Yenko Camaro.

"Passion for the legendary COPO cars continues to run red hot." Matt Avery

On all three days of the well-attended show, Avery presented three different hour-long segments that are part of his 'Origins of COPO' presentation. The lecture series serves as a foundation to understand the role of Chevrolet's Central Office and the vehicles processed through it that received performance-oriented alterations.

A foundational element of the seminar was detailing the role of Chevy's Central Office.

In Part One, The Demand for 427, Avery detailed the Camaro's fall of 1966 launch and the subsequent boom of dealer conversions from the likes of Nickey Chevrolet, Dana Chevrolet, Baldwin Motion and Gorries Chevrolet 'Black Panther' cars.

In Part Two, the Rise of Yenko, the automotive historian explains the importance of Don Yenko, from his Corvette racing origins to his marketing prowess in getting Chevrolet to utilize the overlooked COPO process to build backdoor performance powerhouses. It also looked at the other COPO vehicle projects Don was a part of. The segment was made even more impactful, being held only miles from Yenko Chevrolet's Cannonsburg, PA, location.

The final installment, ZL1 the Zenith, looks at the pinnacle of classic Camaro performance, the 1969 ZL1. At the presentation's close, spectators in attendance were given a rare treat - a rope drop by the staff of Super Car Workshop, allowing them to get up close and personal with the legendary vehicle.

"Seeing an icon like this from afar is something few enthusiasts will ever do so for guests to get up close and inspect this one in person, is nothing short of extraordinary,' said Avery. "It also makes the information we just discussed more tangible. Now they can actually see the different pieces and parts on the car that made the run so special. This example is also great for learning as it has been restored to such a high level of authenticity and factory-floor accuracy."

Avery's ZL1 seminar included part of his interview with Dale Berger, who ordered the number three ZL1 Camaro, pictured here.

Throughout the course of the busy weekend, hundreds of spectators passed through and attended the numerous seminars, which concluded with a question and answer session. "Passion for the COPO cars continues to run red hot,' explains Avery. "People are genuinely curious, excited and eager to learn more. It was fantastic to be able to go in-depth into what makes these cars so legendary. The backdrop was perfect, having one of the sixty-nine ZL1s flanked by two pristine iron-block 427 COPO Camaros. It doesn't get better than that."

Matt will present his Origins of COPO seminar at other national automotive events later this year.