The term “survivor” in the classic car hobby has a fairly wide definition. There are some people who believe a survivor should be defined very narrowly with only cars that have had routine maintenance items replaced considered survivors. Other people would argue that as long as the car contains most of the components it was born with, it can be considered a survivor. This 1969 Chevrolet Corvette probably fits in the latter category since it has been repainted once, but everything else is original. It can be found for sale here on eBay with a current bid of $29,000 but the reserve hasn’t been met yet. Located in Solana, California the car is showing only 64k miles on the odometer. This 427 cubic inch, 4-speed is a really nice-looking car that the seller describes as “babied” for its lifetime. Have a closer look and let us know if you think it falls into the “survivor” category.
The numbers-matching big block 427 appears to be really clean. It is topped with three 2bbl carburetors and the seller says “The car starts right up, settles into a wonderful idle, and sounds awesome…extremely smooth to drive but is a beast when you want it to be…one of the best driving cars I have ever been in. It is smooth, fast, stops straight, sticks to the road, and can be enjoyed the day that you get it.” The seller also says the 4-speed shifts well, in fact, they say it could be shifted with one finger!
The interior is really nice. There isn’t a ton of information in the ad regarding the interior but the seller does mention that the AM/FM radio works and the gauges are in excellent condition and the lenses are very clear.
The car was repainted once in the 1970s from the original Fathom Green to the current Copper Bronze. There are some detailed photos in the ad and the paint looks really nice. The seller says the car has never been hit and the original factory bonding strips are in place. The side-pipes are a classic option that set off the car well. Overall, I would consider this a survivor due to the age of the repaint. What do you think?
Back in 1970, an insurance adjuster had a 69 with a 435hp engine. It came in to the dealership on the hook with a rod hanging out of the side. The short block for the 435 was on back order so we put an L88 short block in it. That became a scary car.
copper bronze looks great but sorvivor no,should have repainted fathom green think the return would paid off greater
I agree I like the current color but I feel to qualify for an original survivor it needs to have original paint. I think even a repaint in the original color is stretching the term original somewhat and that reflects in the resale value of cars like this. So a color change I feel even hurts the resale more but that’s the beauty of ownership. You can have it any way you like. She’s a real beast and I would love the opportunity to own or drive this car.
It says 400hp on the air cleaner so this is a hydraulic lifter 390 hp with 3 twos.
400hp l-68 my ex co worker had the same car..but convertible
The color change was an unfortunate choice. Fathom Green is a very nice shade, unlike all the other greens from that era that look like something you’d expect to find in a diaper.
It looks great right now, but it’s not a survivor. A survivor had all as it was when bought new.
The description of it running is better than it was when new. This setup didn’t run that well new and dealers had a time making them run correctly.
Color change pretty much rules out survivor.
I kinda disagree, the change was made so long ago, it survived as a modified vehicle. my similar thoughts if you had a Napco converted truck… still can be a survivor. old CJ with a lift done long ago… survivor? I dunno really….really a blurry line. I consider my 48 CJ2a to be a survivor. it has been beat and mutilated by years of farm use, yet it is still alive (although currently receiving some refurbishment at this time) like I said “survivor” is a blurry line.
Looked it up: she’still here= survivor! All ya need are the keys!😜
Anyone who knows survivor cars knows that like any cars you evaluate the car on percentage by what the car is at the time and what it’s missing from when it left the factory . As in this 1969 Corvette you would basically deduct a certain percentage of about 2% for a repaint of the same color , probably around 15 -20% for a different color change . Then you would add or subtract other options , conditions , Auto or 4 speed , Motor , mileage, PS, PB, PW, Color of ext/int all things considered from the base price of the car -plus or minus = value of car. When you get into the molested /rolling clown show , well the value really drops . So many schmucks always get a pie in the sky price in their head without any real value and they get mad when they are told the truth and the car sits waiting for a fool to overpay for it .
Another EBay auction ended early due to an “error”. It would have been great to see what this one would have gotten to with the repaint and compare it to recent sales of original paint survivor cars.
Repaint disqualifies it from being a survivor. I once was selling a 1965 K-model, 4 speed 1965 Mustang coupe with 33,000 original miles on it. The second owner had all mechanicals gone over and had the original radiator and alternator to go with the car. He made one mistake—he repainted it which dropped the value by approximately $20,000. Potential buyers walked away from it when they noticed repaint. Anyway, I used to drive and race a friend’s 1969 427 Corvette like this one. Car handled beautiful but the power of it was awesome! It truly was a beast and not for the faint of heart! Scared me enough that I learned real quick how to respect it’s power.
Stance is wrong. It’s a survivor +…
I think this car would sell for 48k-55k if the car is the real deal with 64k miles and IF the car was painted Fathom Green , so being it’s not the real value is close to 40k , if it had the A/C option it would be considerably more . The value goes way up on a 427/400 tri-carb set up with a/c . Not many of them . This car seems to be in very good condition , but the color change is hurting it’s value by 10-15k . Not sure about the 427 /400 without the a/c . That was I believe was the way to get the a/c option on the 427 . Need to check the numbers . Nice car though .
I’m sure this is a hoot to drive, would love to,always liked Corvette’s of this era,especially being born when I was,and survivor is a subjective term,how many muscle cars,are gone forever, that didn’t survive rust or accidents or thieves that cut them up in chop shops,how about we be glad its alive and fully functioning and stop being so dang critical. ..yes me too since I made an ugly comment about a certain car before.
I think it’s a great car and getting rid of the nasty green paint years ago was prolly the best thing anyone could have done with it.
Not Corvette Bronze based on the photo, wrong hood, etc. Nice car but no longer a survivor.
That is not Corvette Bronze. Fathom Green is a nice shade. I almost bought a Fathom Green 350 hp 69 coupe in 1976, but passed. Bought a 71 454 green coupe instead. This is not a survivor. That word is much overused. Dave Burroughs had trademarked it years ago to pertain to Corvettes only. Now is it thrown around like a football. I have been in the Corvette hobby almost 50 years. There are so many fakes out there your head will spin around. True survivor cars are not cheap. This is a nice driver. After all, isn’t that why cars are built. I have a 73 coupe now, far from an NCRS Top Flight, but all stock and in excellent condition. I drive and enjoy it as much as possible. Life is short.
you are right George Mattar – Corvette Bronze is a more Dark Orange-metallic , almost the same color as my 1970 C-10 pick-up I had . This is brown color of some sort. And I agree that this is a nice driver , once someone starts changing colors , hoods, anything that wasn’t on the car when it left the factory, it then loses it’s Originality or no longer a Survivor . Like George said the word is over used . Driver Survivors are out there but, Real Survivors are trailered 99% of the time and driven very little until up for sale to the next owner or bidder . And of coarse that would be if all the correct matching numbers are there , no photos . Still a nice 69 427 vette .