1969 Chevrolet C10 “Albino” Gunning for $100,000, Apparently With Little to Show For

The C10 range of Chevys with a bed at the back needs little introduction. Born as part of the C/K line of bowtie trucks in 1959, this half-ton was the leader of its family back in the day and remains a central pillar of the custom industry of our time.

Technically, there have been just four generations of the pickup made until U.S. production came to a halt in 2002, but it is obvious to anyone looking at the first two generations that they are the ones most appreciated by American garages. And it is them who dare, post-conversion, to take on the likes of Porsche in the same price range.

The example this piece is dedicated to is a 1969 model year. That makes it part of the second-generation C10, the one that came to be known in some circles as the Action Line. And although it still looks largely as it did back then, and you could easily dismiss it as it passes by, it is significantly different.

We found the truck on the lot of vehicles being sold starting today by Mecum during its Glendale, Arizona sale. $100,000 is how much the seller is hoping to fetch for it, and just a quick peek at the build has us convinced that is not at all exaggerated.

The truck does not come with an official post-build name, so we chose one for it instead. We reckon Albino would be a proper fit, not only on account of the Arctic White paint that spreads all over its body, but also because of the lack of any proper exterior contrast. Sure, there is a large amount of chrome spread all over the front end, the wheels, and other minor trim elements, but you can’t really call this thing a rainbow, now can you?

So, the Albino is the result of a frame-off nut and bolt restoration that ended no more than 900 miles (1,448 km) ago. And we’re also told that even in this rather featureless form it won an award during the C10 Nationals held at the Texas Motor Speedway back in 2022 - and there’s even a badge attesting to that.

The lack of an actual color outside is made even more poignant by the lack of extensive changes to the truck’s body. We’ve only got the wheels, sized 22 inches front and rear, all four of them wrapped in Nitto tires, and the Morimoto LED headlights occupying the usual place on the truck’s front end.

The C10 does present a different stance than what we’re used to, and that’s owed to the modified suspension system, which comprises Aldan American coil overs front and rear.

Under the hood, the pickup hides a 5.7-liter LS6 of undisclosed power. It springs to life at a push of a button and is controlled by means of an automatic transmission. Power is sent to the wheels by means of a Currie Ford 9-inch rear, while stopping force is provided by Wilwood braking hardware.

As dull as the exterior of the truck is, as impressive is the interior. Black leather and suede are featured throughout, but mostly on the seats and door panels, where the two materials are contrasted by white stitching. The dashboard is black too, at least right there where the Dakota Digital gauges are located, but that’s offset by white as well, beautifully blended into the overall design.

Being a modern interpretation of a half-a-century-old truck, the Albino comes with a series of enhancements inside, including stuff like a Bluetooth radio and a sound system made of an Alpine amplifier, a JL Audio subwoofer, and Focal speakers. Interestingly enough, they’ve all been designed to appear to be retro and are carefully integrated into the truck so as not to spoil the overall appearance.

The 1969 Chevrolet C10 “Albino” goes under the hammer this Friday, with estimates being it will sell for at least $80,000 and at most $100,000. There seems to be a reserve set for this pickup, but we’re not told how much that may be.

At first glance, it may appear it has little to offer for that kind of cash, but we hope the clearer picture we tried to create above explains at least part of these expectations. We’ll come back to the story once we learn for how much the truck does eventually end up going for.