Strong Interest: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS
The owner of this 1969 Camaro lists it as both an RS and an RS/SS in different areas of his advertisement. Having taken a bit of a look, I believe that it is almost certainly an RS and an extremely clean one into the bargain. It appears to have led a pretty pampered sort of existence, and now the owner is searching for someone who is willing to continue this trend. The Camaro is located in Mooresville, North Carolina, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Strong interest has pushed the bidding to $23,600, but the reserve hasn’t been met. There is a BIN option, and this has been set at $27,000. There are also 144 people who are currently watching the listing.
When it comes to the matter of appearance, it really is hard to not like these 1st generation pony cars. They just have a lean and purposeful appearance, and the bonus was that they could be specified to have the muscle to back their good looks. Tackling the looks first, this Camaro is one pretty nice car. The Dover White paint and Black vinyl top offer a nice contrast and the fact that both the paint and vinyl appear to be in good condition is just icing on the cake. The Camaro’s panels look as straight as an arrow, while all of the panel gaps look to be quite tight and even. One item that I don’t believe to be original is the hood. The hood on this particular car appears to be an SS item (which I don’t believe this car to be). Since I don’t think that these were available under a separate RPO code, I would have to assume that this is a later addition. Hopefully, one of our knowledgeable bow-tie enthusiasts will be able to clarify that for me. The vehicle carries virtually all of the trim items that are the hallmarks of an RS, including the grille with hidden headlights, the moldings around the wheel arches and drip rails, the back-up lights below the rear bumper, and all of the correct badges. There is no striping present on the vehicle, but whether these are or aren’t present would not be considered to be a deal-breaker. Some buyers did choose to order their RS with the RS stripes deleted. Or, if this car has received a repaint at some stage, the owner at that point may have chosen to leave them off. The current owner doesn’t provide any information on the state of the floors and frame, but with the panels looking as clean and solid as they do, you can only hope that the same is true under the vehicle.
The interior of the Camaro presents really well, with only some very minor faults to note. On the outer edge of the driver’s seat base, there is a small tear in the upholstery. I’ve taken a bit of a look, and believe that this could be addressed by an upholsterer using a blind patch. Some of the side upholstery in the rear seat area is also wrinkled, but I think that it would be well worth the effort to try to stretch this back into shape. Otherwise, the remaining upholstery, the carpet, console, dash, and padding, all look really good. Interestingly, while the wheel also looks good, it doesn’t carry the “RS” badge in the center. Aftermarket additions include a radio/cassette player slotted into the dash, while the kick panels and rear parcel tray have been cut to accommodate speakers. If the next owner is seeking originality, then these are all things that could be reversed. A real plus for those living in warmer climes is the fact that the vehicle does come fitted with air conditioning.
As I stated in the beginning, while the owner identifies the Camaro as an SS in some areas of the listing, I am positive that it is an RS. The case for the prosecution rests in the engine bay, although there are earlier clues on the vehicle’s exterior. The “baby” engine for the SS was the 350ci V8, but what we find under the hood of this car is what the owner refers to as a 327. There are also 327 badges that adorn the car’s exterior to reinforce this further. Backing that engine is an automatic transmission, while it looks as though the Camaro also scores power steering. The engine bay presents pretty nicely for a car of this age, but frustratingly, the owner doesn’t tell us how well the car runs and drives. However, with 210hp on board, the car should be capable of getting from 0-60mph in 9.9 seconds, while the ¼ mile should be despatched in 17.6 seconds. Those aren’t figures designed to set the world on fire, but a lot of that does come down to the transmission. Similar cars equipped with any of the manual transmissions that were available at the time tend to be more spritely performers. However, if you ever had the chance to wind this old girl out (legally), she would find her way to 119mph.
There isn’t a lot more that I can say about this 1969 Camaro beyond the fact that it looks like a really clean survivor. I’m not going to pass judgment on this one but will let the buying public do that. With 13 people having already submitted a total of 35 bids, I think that the people have spoken.
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Comments
Nice ride. A/C ?
Ya, I see no compressor under the hood, but a beautiful car !
It also has a non-AC heater box on the firewall.
Steve R
I agree. Nice car but no sign of compressor or refrigerant lines.
How times has changed since the 60s.
The usual does it have air? Its a muscle car and many went sans on ps, ac back in the day. Some had air and one can always add it. One can get the swamp cooler than one throws a bag of ice in and roll window up to have air turbine cool 😎
I have two of three muscle cars without ac but they are 64 malibu vert and 67 mustang vert with no air. They are not the designated daily driver and i cruise on sunny days but sometimes at 88 with a T-shirt 👍👀
My motorcycle doesn’t have air but get it to 70 start backing off close to ten degrees and 80 more can back off etc. feels fine. I an still living a breathing fine and showers assist clean up 😂
Hey but this has a millennials no clutch pedal 😂
Now back to This is a sweet 69 rally with special tail lights , arm rest and non operational hidden headlights.
I wish it had the special non metal rubber type front bumper. I had a 69 rally Z28 which had the best of both worlds in my youth.
Its a good car for the right owner.
You are right, it is an RS, without the SS package. The cowl induction hood has always been a popular addition by owners, it was available from GM for decades and is still available through aftermarket companies from every restoration supplier including Summit racing for around $300 with free shipping.
Steve R
I was hopin for the VERY 1st time EVER to see 250 fender emblems on this RS. Drat.
No need for vinyl roof or rear spoiler.
Air cleaner snorkle sawed off & that’s not a bad idea considering how small the opening WAS, tho putting in a taller air filter is even better.
Odd you don’t get delux seats with delux door panels.
Backup lights work – assume headlite doors do too, tho u can easily open & close them manually, unlike on some other cars.
John, they dropped the vent windows for ’68 camaros.
SS cars, the base motor was a 350-300. No 327’s in SS cars..in 1969.
A trim tag photo would be nice to see .
Orange paint on the radiator hose ,looks like.
This was the color and trim combination of my 1969 Z-28. Excuse me while I go have a good cry.
Why does it have deluxe interior door panels but standard interior seat covers? That sees like a red flag to me. To what? I don’t know.
Chevrolet dropped the vent windows in 1969, and equipped the cars with “Astro Ventilation”, which used the ball style outlets that were used on the A/C cars, minus the center vent.
Beautiful car! I had a very similar one back in the late 70s. L78 automatic. Amazing car and absolutely brutal.
I am skeptical of it all ways around. Probably a repaint. Not sure if orig color either, but white is always a favorite to hide bodywork. New vinyl top. Seats fr & rr appear to be new covers. Plus the fact that he explains SO much in his ebay add about the car for someone that owned it 15 years. Like someone else said, no closeup of trim tag. Thats a huge plus for a buyer. Overspray on it? A powerglide trans mated to a 327 that’s questionable for a Ralley I’d think? Compare it to this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWeCF0Ox_CE
No factory air, there are no center vents. Starting in 68, all models came with the outboard vents, they replaced the old style vents that were usually down in the footwell kick panels. Cheaper to manufacture a single system that could be used with or without a/c.
Nope! – for firebirds/camaros WITHOUT a/c thru at least 1981 the lower kickpanel vents remained!! There was a knob to control air flow directly from the outside for each of the 4 vents! 2 on each end of the dash – 1 for feet, 1 for face.
Examples – look for the lower control knob on the kickpanel & the vent is clearly visible too
https://st.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/21/2018/04/006-One-Owner-1968-Camaro-Interior.jpg
Here’s a ’69 w/o a/c
http://cdn.barrett-jackson.com/staging/carlist/items/Fullsize/Cars/201721/201721_Interior_Web.jpg
Here’s a 2nd gen WITHOUT a/c – see the 2 knobs on the kickpanels?
https://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphotos/full/ebay337504.jpg
& a 2nd gen WITH a/c – no knobs or lower vents!
https://carswithmuscles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1971-pontiac-firebird-trans-am-interior.jpg
On ’67-81 cars WITH a/c, they NEVER had a LOWER fresh air vent, & the upper face vent often brought in lukewarm stale air thru the a/c ducts with the a/c compressor not engaged.
Really nice ride!! If I had the money I would hit the bin button on this one!! I don’t think the 327 subtracts from the value in my opinion!!!
Sigh… my first car only mine was blue with blue interior… The 327 with the powerglide is NOT a muscle car by any means. I really want to buy it so I can cruise in it like a mature adult rather than the 16yr old crazy boy I was that totaled my first one when a tree stopped me dead in my tracks. Not much left after that.
Amazing the crazy things we did as kids and survived