1969 CAMARO RS/SS

1969 CAMARO RS/SS                                               NO 59

This 1969 Camaro marked the last of the 1st Generation Camaro and is arguably the most popular.

It featured entirely new, more aggressive looking sheet metal and a revised grille. Going away was the “coke bottle” shape, making room for a flatter, wider, more menacing looking stance.

The look of this 1st Generation Camaro inspired the eventual look of the 5th Generation Camaro when it was introduced in 2007.

L78 396 CU IN/375 HP (6.5L) w/ solid lifter cams            Wheel Base:   108 in (2743 mm)      

4 speed transmission                                                                    Real Rally Sport / Super Sport Options

This model features original hounds-tooth seats

Hide-a-way lights

 

When production was announced to the world in 1965, GM maintained that “a Camaro was a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs.”

 

The Camaro

When Chevrolet Marketing introduced the Camaro to the North American public for the 1967 model year they claimed the Camaro was a “small, vicious animal who eats Mustangs.”  Right from the beginning there was no doubt at which market segment the Camaro was aimed.

Well, it worked! Without question the Camaro one of the most popular models ever built by Chevrolet.   It was offered in every price point and power level from the 230 cid (3.8L) modestly equipped entry level day- driver’s to monsters sporting the most powerful (396 cid 6.5L) engines General Motors offered in the F body platform in 1969. The name followed Chevrolet’s custom at the time of naming their models all starting with a “C” as seen in the Caprice, Chevelle, Corvair, and Corvette.

The 1969 Camaro RS/SS you see in the Lang Collection features a 396 cid /

375 hp) L78 engine.  The mighty L78 was a Big-Block engine produced by

Chevrolet between 1965 and 1970.  Rated at 375 hp, it was the most

powerful engine available on Chevrolet’s intermediate line in 1969, making

it a highly-collectible muscle car engine today. The L78 had a bore of 4.094

in (104.0 mm) and a stroke of 3.760 in (95.5 mm) while producing 375 hp

(280 kW) and 410 lb-ft (560 N-m) of torque.  The solid lifter version was

reputed to be capable of being operated in the upper 6000 rpm range.

Showing the balance and power of the Camaro of the late `60’s is the fact that “the Camaro was one of the vehicles in the SCCA sanctioned Trans-AM series.  Chevrolet worked with Roger Penske to operate their unofficially factory-backed Trans-Am team, winning the title in 1968 and 1069 with Mark Donohue.  Jim Hall’s Chaparral team replaced Penske for the 1970 season.

“The SCAA Camaro’s always kept their stock look and had a 302 engine that was able to produce 482 horsepower.  One part that came out of this testing was the Edelbrock Cross-Manifold.” (GM:  Camaro)

The design of this beautiful last example of the first-generation Camaro you see as part of the Lang Collection eventually inspired the design of the new retro Fifth-Gen Camaro when it was reintroduced to the market in 2010.