I've seen many vintage Chevrolet Camaros pop up for sale in recent years, but I have to admit this is the first one that hasn't been titled despite being driven on public roads and raced at the drag strip. And we're talking about a car that's 52 years old as of 2021. But it's not a joke or an attempt to increase its value. How is that possible? Well, apparently the original owner worked at a Chevrolet dealership owned by his family.
This muscle car has quite an interesting story. Not only was it driven on public roads with dealer plates, but it was also raced at the drag strip, setting a few records in the process. According to the seller, it was the first car to run the quarter-mile in less than 13 seconds in the Showroom Stock category. It happened in 1971 and there are papers from the American Hot Rod Association to prove it.
The owner held onto the Camaro until 1994 when he was persuaded to sell it. By that time, he was already racing a modified Corvette, while the Camaro was spending its retirement in storage. This explains why the muscle car looks almost impeccable inside and out.
But the extensive racing career left a few marks. The biggest of them all is the absence of the original, numbers-matching 396-cubic-inch (6.5-liter) V8. The owner sold it in 1974 to purchase a bigger, 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) mill.
After an unsuccessful attempt to find it and buy it back a couple of years later, he sourced an identical L78 V8 from a Chevelle SS. The Camaro also had its radio and heater removed, but both are included in the sale.
The car also comes with a letter from the original owner, which includes a few more interesting details. Like the fact that the Camaro was used to set three more records in the Stock Optional class in 1972. And as it turns out he went on to become an engineer for GM, where he pioneered the use of polymer-coated pistons.
He also mentions that he had "a young fellow by the name of Mark Reuss working for me as a co-op student." Yup, he's talking about the current President of General Motors. How cool is that?
Anyway, this 1969 Camaro is definitely one of the more exotic Chevys available right now. Sure, it's missing the original 396 V8 that it had when it set most of its records, but it's still an impressively clean survivor and, more importantly, a historic dragster. It's a low-mileage car with only 17,715 (28,510 km) miles on the odo.
If you want to check it out, it's located in Saginaw, Michigan and it's being auctioned off by eBay seller "dynamiccorvettes." Bidding is at $45,600 with two more days to go, but the reserve hasn't been met.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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