Monaco Orange: 1969 Chevrolet Corvette

Chevy’s Corvette Stingray got a redesign in 1968, resulting in the C3 “Mako Shark” edition. The layout would be popular with buyers, nearly reaching sales of 40,000 units in 1969 (helped by an extended production year due to a labor strike). The cars would be little changed in the second year of the rework, including this seller’s unrestored, largely original ‘Vette. Located in Kemmerer, Wyoming, this apparent sweet ride is available here on eBay where the no-reserve auction stands at $15,000.

It’s hard to imagine that almost 15 years before this Corvette was built, the car itself was in danger of being canceled. The 1953-55 sports cars sold in the hundreds when new, and that didn’t change much until a V8 engine and manual transmission were finally made available. In 1969. 22,129 coupes were produced in ’69, an overall 16,506 came with the M-20 4-speed manual, and 10,475 copies had the 350 cubic inch 300 hp “standard” engine, all like the seller’s Monaco Orange edition.

This Corvette looks quite good for having not been restored. It’s a fairly basic ‘Vette that looks stock except for the blacked-out raised hood (which has replaced the factory one, which comes with the deal). We don’t know of any functional reason for the change as the car still wears its original air cleaner for the 4-barrel carburetor. The drivetrain is numbers matching and we’re told it’s “still functioning” which implies it may not be perfect.

The paint looks good and there appear to be no issues with the body. There is surface rust on the chassis, but that’s to be expected after 54 years. We’re told the “Corvette Order Form” is still attached to the fuel tank, but it’s no longer readable. For 92,000 miles, this might be a fairly solid Chevrolet that has seen its fair share of ownership changes (five previous owners, per the listing). The seller includes a driving video for your perusal.