Tired of Seeing Mustangs Everywhere? Get Your Fix With This 1969 Chevrolet Camaro

Before talking about this particular Camaro, we should take a look at the model’s history and what makes it so good. The Camaro story starts in the mid-1960s. At that time, Chevrolet had one plan in mind only - to dominate Ford. In some areas Chevy managed to do so, with the Impala, Chevelle, and Nova outselling the Blue Ovals.

But something was missing from their beat-Ford line-up. In 1965, the Mustang debuted, creating an entirely new class of cars for the masses. That didn’t sit well with Chevy execs, so the task was handed out - build a car that can destroy the Mustang.

The project was nicknamed Panther, and the team prioritized aggressive design and go-fast parts. In 1966, the project was finished, and on a conference call with journalists all over the country, the phrase “The Panther is dead, long live the Camaro” was said by Chevy general manager Pete Estes before abruptly hanging up.

When the already star-struck press asked Estes what the Camaro name meant, he said that it is a “small vicious animal that eats Mustangs.” And that’s what it did.

The first generation of the Camaro was released to the masses in 1967. The top three flavors, the SS, Rally, and Z/28, cemented it as a serious performer from the very beginning. Seeing this full-on attack by Chevy, Ford promptly redesigned the Mustang to accommodate bigger engines, and the Camaro, while an outstanding car, eventually fell short of the Mustang.

The second-generation Camaro came just three short years later. While its looks are…let’s say questionable, the 1971 SS 350 was crowned by Road and Track magazine with a spot on the top 10 best cars in the world that year. Also that year, the Camaro managed to finally achieve its goal of outselling the Mustang, but the sales race was fought down to only a few more cars sold by Chevy.

The second-gen had an eleven-year run featuring multiple facelifts, and it received the status it set out to get from the very beginning: you didn’t buy a Camaro as an alternative to the Mustang, you bought a Camaro because you actually wanted a Camaro.

The next generations had a steady flow, undisturbed for the most part. That said, there were some really cool variations. Most notably, the third generation, which debuted in 1982, and it was as ‘80s as it could get. In 1985, the Camaro was chosen as the official pace car of the International Race Of Champions, and to commemorate this, the Z/28 package was renamed the IROC-Z - the official mullet machine.

The next iteration of the Camaro got back to the questionable looks of the second-gen, but, in 1998, under the hood arrived the all-mighty, all-aluminum LS1.

In 2002, production stopped and the Camaro took an eight-year-old break, but when it finally came back, it came with a vengeance, ready to reignite the exciting battles of old with the Mustang, which are still going on to this day.

The Camaro we are talking about today is a first-generation one, so let’s not waste any more time and dive right in with this golden beauty. Yes, you read that right, this Camaro from 1969 is finished in Olympic Gold with two black stripes running down the middle. The exterior is complemented by 15-inch Rally-style wheels wrapped in Radial T/A rubber.

Also on the outside, you will notice Z/28 badging. This is not an up-badge job, but the real deal. This performance pack was born, just like the car itself, out of spite for the Mustang, and came just in time to allow the Camaro to race in the Trans-Am racing series.

What the Z/28 effectively brought was a “race car for the road” appearance. It was inspired by the street racers from that time and what they were putting on their cars. If you opted for it, you would have gotten a different, more muscular hood, rally-style wheels, tuned suspension, and a 4.9-liter (302 ci), Trans-Am-ready, V8 - but we’ll get to that later.

Circling back to the car, it’s time to get to the interior, which was refurbished in black vinyl with Deluxe Comfortweave inserts. Among the notable equipment, we find a center console, upgraded stereo, and the ultra-cool Hurst shifter.

The two spoke, quite grandpa-ish, steering wheels fronts a 120 mph (193 kph) speedo, 6,000 rpm tachometer, and a clock - pretty bare-bones.

Now it’s time to get under the hood of this beast. As I said, we find a 4.9-liter V8 with a four-barrel carb. From the factory, these had 290 hp (294 ps).
This Camaro example is in really good condition, especially when it comes to the engine, so I'm pretty sure that number still stands to this day. All that oomph is sent to the rear wheels through a Muncie four-speed manual transmission and a Positraction rear axle.

This Camaro is up for auction in Shueyville, Iowa. The mileage sits at a cool 36,000 miles (58,000 km) and the current bid is at 65,500 dollars. It is offered with a clean Illinois title, service records, and manufacturer’s literature.

When it comes to classic American cars, in a sea of Mustangs and Corvettes, it's nice to see this beast rumble, ready to take on all of them.