~30 years at Chevrolet
Vince Piggins
Chevrolet product performance chief — “father of the Z/28”
Piggins worked in Chevrolet performance engineering for roughly 30 years without a formal engineering degree, eventually becoming head of product performance — the person with final sign-off on what could be built through the COPO system.
In August 1966 he sent management the memo proposing a Trans-Am-eligible Camaro package, which became the Z/28. Modern Chevrolet framed the post-2011 factory COPO revival as a tribute to Piggins alongside Don Yenko and Fred Gibb.
Key beats
- Ran Chevrolet's back-channel racing program through SEDCO
- Authored the August 1966 Z/28 proposal memo
- Final approval authority over COPO orders