This 1969 Chevrolet Camaro seems to have been in the same family since new. It was passed down from the uncle to the father and now to the seller and could have been in storage for up to 35 years. While Chevy built a then-record 243,000 Camaros in ‘69, only 1,450 came with a rare option: RPO U46 Light Monitoring System (more on that in a bit). It comes with two engines and transmissions, with the originals not currently installed. Located in Carpinteria, California, this true barn find is available here on eBay, where the current bid is $17,600 (reserve unmet).
The 1969 Camaro received a facelift, though it looks quite familiar to the 1967-68s. The production run lasted 15 months because the second-generation Camaro got delayed in getting to market. The 327 cubic inch V8 was in its last year, and one was in this example when it left the factory, likely paired with a 2-speed Powerglide. For reasons unknown to the seller, they were pulled out (and kept) in favor of a 350 V8 with a TH-350 automatic. The seller indicates that the rare RPO U46, branded as Vigilite, is onboard. It’s a feature I have never heard of, and it uses fiber optic cables to follow exterior lighting activity. Why such a thing existed at that time is beyond me.
This Chevy has been pulled from its long-term storage and cleaned up. We’re told it’s rust-free (except for the patina variety) and the factory LeMans Blue paint looks okay for the experience. The black interior looks decent too, with a split in the driver’s bucket seat. The vehicle was parked for unknown reasons with 75,000 miles showing on the odometer. One of the photos shows some body damage around the front bumper.
We’re told the engine was running as of last year, but the fuel lines have been disconnected, awaiting a new gas tank (which comes with the sale for the buyer to put in). An assortment of OEM parts is included that date back to the 1970s. The VIN indicates this car was built in California, so it may have stayed in that state all of its life. While the exterior and interior look okay, there’s a lot of surface rust under the hood, like it got wet and said liquids were never cleaned off. If the U46 option appeals to you, you might be hard-pressed to find another Camaro project that has it.
I don’t find anything special about the U46 thing. Ok, so it’s a tad different, but doesn’t seem to make me think it would increase the value much.
It’s a good looking project starting point, but only for a reasonable amount. I would say if the current bid isn’t close to the reserve, it should be.
Cool car that you’d want to see in person, Carpinteria is on the coast. It’s hard to say where the bidding will end, if it is truly rust and damage free it’s worth a significant premium due to the cost of rust repair and bodywork in terms of time and money. It wouldn’t be surprising if this car becomes a high end project, people building that type of car start with something solid.
The U46 is a good conversation starter, but not sure if it brings much value on its own. That’s changed over the years, in the mid-1980’s and through the 1990’s a friend made a good living selling rare Camaro options and was always on the lookout for this one in particular, people at the time wanted to load up a car during restoration.
Steve R
The blue 350 is a low horse power smog era late 1970s to early 1980s engine.