The great looking 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 featured in this article is a very popular collector car from the 60’s muscle car era.
The 1969 Chevy Camaro was available with a six cylinder engine. This helped to create better sales volume. In addition to that however the Camaro could be equipped with several V8 engines and many performance options. After these multiple performance options, later came the famous Regular Production Code Z28, that would change the view of pony cars.
Chevy Camaro and the Z-28
The Chevrolet Camaro was first introduced for the 1967 model year and was created to compete directly with Ford’s Mustang. When GM saw how hot the new Mustang was they had no choice than to create a Pony Car of their own. It took about two years for Chevrolet to come out with their new Camaro and the model caught on. Interestingly enough, the 1967 Camaro’s specs were nearly identical to that of the Mustang’s. One difference between these two models is that the Chevy Camaro appeared to offer many more engine performance options than the Mustang.
The Z28 was an option package on the Camaro in 1967 through 1974. The Z28 is known as the Special Performance Package. Z28’s were not offered for 1975 and 1976. The Z28 however did come back on the scene for 1977 and when it did it was it’s own model, not an option package. The change to make the Z28 a separate model solidified the power of the name with the buying public.
1969 Design Change
The 69 Camaro had a significant design change which made the car appear more aggressive. The car had a longer, wider and lower look along with the wheelhouses being squared. Pertaining to the 69 model only was an option for a cowl induction hood that drew in cool air.
The Z28 and the Trans-AM Races
The Z28 Special Performance Package was created in the first place to compete in the SCCA Trans-Am Races. These series of races saw increasing popularity among both spectators and automakers. The Trans-AM Races had a 305 cubic inch limit for V-8 engines. This posed a problem for the Z28 since it’s engine was a 327. Chevrolet engineers ended up combining the 327 with a 283 which produced a 302 cubic inch engine putting it just below the Trans-AM limit. The next hurdle was to build the Camaro Z-28 as a production car with at least 1,000 produced. Somehow Chevy built only 600 of the Z-28’s as a production run and still found itself in the Trans-AM Series.
1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 Specifications
The 69 Camaro Z28 was built with a 302 cubic inch V-8 engine with a four barrel carburetor producing 290 HP.
The Z28 has a Hurst shifted four speed manual gearbox.
Brakes are front disc and rear drum.
Dimensions include a wheelbase of 108.0 inches, overall length 186.0 inches, width 74.0 inches, height 51.1 inches and a curb weight of 3,250 lbs.
You may enjoy additional Auto Museum Online articles found on the links below..
Reference material for this article included…The 1969 Camaro Reference book from “A” to “Z” by authors John R. Hooper…1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS: Muscle Cars In Detail by Bobby Kimbrough…The History of AMC Motorsports: Trans-Am, Quarter-Mile, NASCAR, Bonneville and More by author Bob McClurg.
1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 Collector Popularity
The 1969 Camaro Z28 is considered the most popular of the Camaro models by collectors. There are several reasons for this. The redesign for that model year gave the Camaro a new more aggressive look. Along with that the trim in general was updated inside and out.
The redesign also had the wheelhouses squared. Also add to this the great performance the 69 Camaro offered. The design and car was and is a winner and keeps the 69 Camaro a top collector car to this day. The 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 is a muscle car from the 60’s that will never go out of style.
Expertly restored original 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28’s for sale have strong price tags. Current auction and asking prices for these models are generally in the $45,000-$85,000 range. Depending on condition, mileage and originality there are some slightly lower and slightly higher than this range.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)