When it was introduced, the Chevrolet Camaro would quickly become the second-best-selling contender in the “pony car” class. The market leader, of course, was the Ford Mustang, which held on to the top spot into the 1970s. The seller has a gorgeous 1969 Camaro RS (aka Rally Sport) that has had a color change to the vinyl roof and interior. If that doesn’t concern you, the rest of the vehicle looks flawless. Located in Lumberton, North Carolina, this Chevy is being offered by a dealer here on eBay. The current bid is $29,100 (no looming reserve).
After a successful launch in 1967, the Camaro got a styling refresh in 1969. And that would make it the best looking of the first-generation of the Camaros (IMO). Production numbers in ’69 would also be the highest, but the build run was 15 months long as the company was readying the second-generation to hit the assembly lines. For a brief time in early 1970, the ’69 and all-new ’70 Camaro were sold side-by-side.
Out of 243,000 Camaros built in 1969, more than 37,700 came with the Rally Sport option, which brought hideaway headlights to the mix for a mere $131 extra. To get the RS package, you checked the Z22 option on the order form. The seller’s beauty has a 350 cubic inch V8 (2-barrel) and a TH-350 automatic transmission, along with goodies like factory air conditioning, which blows cold. The car wears Burnished Brown paint, which almost looks black (it’s been redone).
The car’s dark brown vinyl roof has been dyed black or replaced with one in that color. The sharp interior has also been swapped from Black Custom to Black Houndstooth. We don’t know how recently these changes were made. We’re told that rust has never plagued this Chevy, and the sheet metal is all original. The Camaro looks especially nice due to its 8” Rally wheels and BF Goodrich donuts.
This is a really nice, clean car, that I would have no issue owning. The seller took a big chance with a “no reserve” auction, but I’m sure there are safety precautions in place.
With that said, there is no mention as to the originality of the engine and trans, nor any mention of any documentation. Not that this is a huge deal, as the motor is a low performance L65 350 2bbl and the trans is a turbo 350, but things like that, can and will, effect the price. Documentation is always an asset and it helps to know the lineage of the car.
It’s a shame this car popped up on the radar, at a time when my storage capabilities are limited. While the RS option was a visual option and not a performance upgrade, it has added tremendous value to the 1st gen Camaro line.
Upon further investigation, it seems the seller has the car listed on ebay for $70k!!!!! That’s SS big block, or Z/28 money.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267541833781
Well, on the bright side, at least they didn’t slap Year One sourced SS badges and hockey stripes on it, which seems to be the common practice among restorers today.
Very likely, it was either a 307 or a 250 horse L65 350. It also might have had the 225 horse LM1 350 but not likely , because they only made just over 10k of those. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I think an RS could also have the L22 straight 6, but you only would see those in the cheapest cars, so that is also extremely unlikely
The L48 300 horse 350 was standard on the SS and was not commonly ordered outside of that package. I owned a 1969 SS way back in the day before they got valuable, so I know enough about these cars to be dangerous, and I don’t think i’ve ever seen a non-SS with an L48. So if this car had it, they would be touting that because it would be very rare and much more desirable as you point out.