Surviving Six Cylinder 1969 Camaros

[68SixBangerRS]

Here they are...the "possibly" surviving 1969 Camaros with six-bangers.  All of them were found on the 'Net within the last 7-10 years, and I tried to buy several of them with no luck (I was usually a "day late and a dollar short").  I have very serious doubts that more than 3-4 have survived...the temptation to build one's "dream" '69 Camaro is usually too overwhelming, and the six-bangers are so under-powered compared to what can be swapped in.  And absolutely NO ONE (except me) would even think about restoring one to its correct configuration and appearance.

The six-banger 1st Gen Camaros were clearly aimed at women ("Secretary Specials" as I call them).  They were stylish, cheap, reliable, fun to drive, reasonably roomy, and provided great gas mileage.  According to GM's manufacturing numbers, 26.7% of '69 Camaros were built with sixes (34,541 coupes and 1,707 convertibles compared to 206,837 V8s).  A base V8 could be ordered for a lousy $105, and a Powerglide for another $165, so the sixes were relatively scarce at most dealerships.  The evening that Charlotte and her Mom bought her Camaro, Sept. 19, 1969, there were 12-15 new Camaros at Misle Chevrolet in Lincoln, Nebraska...3 of them were sixes (2 automatics and one manual). 

I'll post the cars a couple here and there in the next few days.  As I said, there aren't many left.  If anyone on here knows the whereabouts of any of these cars, please share that with the rest of us.  And please let us know if they stayed with their original drivetrains.

 

[68SixBangerRS]

This is my favorite surviving '69 Camaro convertible...Garnet Red, base 230 engine, 3-on-the-tree shifter, white top, and dog-dish hubcaps.  Note that it has (or had) its original air pump which was only used on manual tranny-equipped sixes that year.  I bet this beauty was ordered for a graduating high school senior girl, or one in college.  It was for sale 3-4 years ago at a small garage in Virginia for $17k.  It would have made for an unbelievable car to display at shows, as well as an incredibly fun driver.  Current whereabouts unknown.

[68SixBangerRS]

Here is my 2nd favorite unknown '69 six-banger Camaro...a Hugger Orange coupe with a white hockey stripe, white base interior, white vinyl top, upgraded "mountain motor" 250 ( ), AM radio, and a 3-speed manual with a floor shift.  It appears to also have its original "FC"-coded plain steel wheels that are painted black, indicating that this car came with full wheel covers...this was a really sharp '69 Camaro when it was sold new! It was obviously a special order car, probably ordered for a teen...something sharp to be seen in, but not powerful enough to get into too much trouble.  The cowl tag shows it was built in Norwood in the 3rd week of April '69.  I wonder why it led such a sad life...obviously left outside for many years, as well as involved in a couple of accidents.  It was for sale about 5 years ago in NC.  I reached the seller after the car was sold and he said the buyer was intending to do a V8 swap and restore the body.  I narrowly missed out on this one, and I would have restored it to every nut and bolt correctness.

For those of you who may not know, I owned another six-banger '69 Camaro with an ultra-rare Torque-Drive manually-shifted air-cooled automatic (that wasn't really an automatic) which I sold last year...a red base coupe with a red interior, white hockey stripe, white vinyl top, AM radio, and full wheel covers.  It was built in Norwood in the 4th week of August (N501029...the 1,029th Camaro built in the '69 model year) and was in the showroom of Heffner Chevrolet in Ft. Wayne, IN during the new car introduction night in late Sept. '68.  The color scheme of that car closely matched the above orange car.  Six-banger Camaros could be just as stylish and sporty as their V8 counterparts.
 

[68SixBangerRS]

This base X44 Cortex Silver coupe was available online about 4 or 5 years ago in the Phoenix area for $21k, and it may possibly be for sale again at $25k.  It has a little over 100k miles and appears to be in nearly pristine condition.  Its equipped with a 3-on-the-tree shifter, blue standard interior, and an AM radio.  Note that it doesn't have tinted glass (which would have been nice in sunny AZ).  It appears to have received a thorough restoration and the nicely-done custom flames probably weren't cheap. 

Note that the lowly six-bangers are creeping up in price.  This one is priced high enough that it will probably escape becoming yet another boring "restomod".

[Quick L30]

A neighbor of mine is the original owner of a blue 69 six cyl and as far as I know still commutes the car occasionally.

This is a true Houston TX survivor of a Camaro. Super rough, barely any blue paint left, patch panels pop  rivited or screwed to the exterior, and floor boards of swiss cheese. Great car.

I'll see if I can report back with some pictures soon.

[David K]

I remember only seeing 1 at a Camaro show in the Poconos back in the 90s. Green with a white top. My 68 and the other were only “long blocks for years. I still have mine.

[buenymayor]

A friend has a '69 6 cylinder convertible in Champagne. Sorry... I don't have any pictures of it, but it's a pretty car.

[KurtS]

A friend has a '69 6 cylinder convertible in Champagne.

Nothing rare there..... not!
Of the cars that survive, that's a one of one.

[MO]

A friend has a '69 6 cylinder convertible in Champagne. Sorry... I don't have any pictures of it, but it's a pretty car.

A fan of that color. Try to get pics of it if you can. There are many here that would appreciate it.

[SMKZ28]

Articles etc. about surviving 1969 six cylinder Camaros:

1) https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1969-camaro-six-the-last-unmolested-69-camaro-daily-driver-left-in-the-world/

2) https://barnfinds.com/low-cube-survivor-1969-chevrolet-camaro/

3) https://blog.1aauto.com/imagine-for-a-moment-that-you-have-a-1969-camaro-with-6-cylinders/

4) https://barnfinds.com/driving-project-1969-chevrolet-camaro/

5) https://topclassiccarsforsale.com/chevrolet/312954-1969-camaro-l22-6cyl.html

6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmNvIAXGfeA

7) https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-ds559510

[buenymayor]

Nothing rare there..... not!
Of the cars that survive, that's a one of one.

I'll see if I can get some pictures and he doesn't mind me posting them. Be patient as I don't see him very often IIRC, it has a 723 interior.

[Hans L]

I have a lead on a '69 6 cylinder Burnished Brown Camaro with Deluxe Comfort Weave interior.  Supposedly original engine with about 100K miles.  Needs paint apparently.   Hope to see it this weekend.   I'll post what I find here.

[crossboss]

I will add my little story to the thread. Back in 2000, I was going to buy a nice clean running/driving '69 six/automatic, with faded silver paint. Asking price: $3,500 bucks. After looking at it and thinking "This is quite expensive...for a six cylinder". Of course looking back, it was a heck of a deal. Considering it was a rust free California car, and I lived in California at that time, I can kick myself today.

[MO]

I will add my little story to the thread. Back in 2000, I was going to buy a nice clean running/driving '69 six/automatic, with faded silver paint. Asking price: $3,500 bucks. After looking at it and thinking "This is quite expensive...for a six cylinder". Of course looking back, it was a heck of a deal. Considering it was a rust free California car, and I lived in California at that time, I can kick myself today.

Those were the days! These are the days now, and in a few years we'll be looking back and say those were the days. Pull the trigger when you can! It's tough to look back on missed opportunities, try not to miss them going forward.

[David K]

I paid 4,500 for mine back in 86. Look to your left, I still have it.

[crossboss]

I paid 4,500 for mine back in 86. Look to your left, I still have it.

That seems a bit pricey...for 1986. Two years earlier ('84), I bought my 1970 GT-500 for $6,000 from the original owner, and drove it home. Maybe I got a deal?

[David K]

Original owner, fully documented, new rebuilt transmission, tune up, easy on gas, easy to, work on, convertible, RS, AC, Power top, more. Needed a car.

[MO]

I paid 4,500 for mine back in 86. Look to your left, I still have it.

That seems a bit pricey...for 1986. Two years earlier ('84), I bought my 1970 GT-500 for $6,000 from the original owner, and drove it home. Maybe I got a deal?

Hard to compare Shelby pricing. They have had a premium as long as I can remember. The average high performance (for lack of a better term} Ford/Chev/Pontiac in 84 was probably 8k? So 6k for a 14 year old car was steep, unless it was a Shelby....even a 70. So yes, 4,500 for a 17 year old low performance car seems like a lot, but what a great buy that was! As was the Shelby!

[crossboss]

For me, during the years of 1982-1987-ish, most Muscle Cars, eg: Chevelles, El Caminos, Camaros, Mustangs, Buicks, and Olds 442s were selling for around $500 (beaters, etc)-$3,500 (very nice and clean/original) all day. The AMC AMX/Javelin models, and Mopars were even cheaper. At least in LA, Ca. they were. Those were the prices I remember back then. Heck, I bought a clean original 1970 AMX (390/auto) for $600 bucks, a 1969 Mach-1 (351W, 4 speed) also for $600 bucks. Yeh, I know, should have kept them!