The days when you could buy a ’60s or ’70s muscle car for cheap are long gone. Old 440 Mopars, Clydesdale Mustangs, big beaked F-bodys, and Corvettes — especially rubber bumper models — were plentiful and cheap. Hindsight is 20/20, but we wish would have squirreled away an old muscle car or two back in the day. Oh well, the time for that is long gone.  One look at what old muscle cars are going for these days usually elicits a flummoxed declaration, “I bought one of those in 1979 for $1,500.00! ”

The idea of a million-dollar Camaro ($1,094,500.00 to be exact) is mind-boggling. Such an event recently occurred in Scottsdale, Arizona last month at Barrett-Jackson’s big kahuna auction. Granted, this is an ultra-rare ZL1 1969 Camaro with an eye-watering restoration, but lordy bagordy, when the gavel fell, some big money changed hands.

Here’s what the seller shared via Barrett-Jackson: “Lot #1409 – This is car #59 of the 69 ZL1 COPO Camaros Chevrolet produced for the 1969 model year. This is the only ZL1 ordered with an NC8 chambered exhaust. It is an original, matching-numbers vehicle with extensive documentation. It is powered by an all-aluminum 427ci V8 engine with 12.0 compression and open-chamber cylinder heads. It features a transistor ignition and a heavy-duty radiator.

The engine is mated to an M22 Rock Crusher four-speed manual transmission with a heavy-duty 4.10 positraction rear axle. It rides on a special suspension and features power disc brakes. This COPO Camaro’s exterior is finished in Hugger Orange with a special ducted hood. The car includes the Z21-style trim option and rides on white-letter tires. The black interior has an AM radio. This Camaro has been featured in many publications. It includes a copy of the original window sticker and the complete owner’s history.”

They say something is worth what someone will pay for it, so here is the latest barometer of classic Camaro values setting a lofty new benchmark.  Will this be a sound investment? Will it double in value or flounder during the next economic downturn?

We don’t have a crystal ball, but based on the rarity of this ZL1 Camaro and the attendant documentation that accompanies the car, it might be a very sound investment. Appreciating while showing off a muscular and dashing silhouette at the local show and shine, that’s the coolest savings account we can think of.