2021 05 18 CCC Featured External Listing
1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible 4-speed manual
The Chevrolet Corvette – though it has rivals and this discussion can cause arguments among friends, this is likely the definition of the American sports car. It debuted as a six-cylinder two-seater in 1953, not long after the war when America was feeling good about itself and people were looking for fun. The name Corvette itself has a war tie – this name was originally used for a ship, the smallest class of vessel to qualify as a war ship.
CCC Vital Info
Odometer – stated 51,000 km
Engine Info – 427 cubic inch V8
Transmission Info – 4-speed manual
Exterior Colour – White
Interior Colour – Green
Other features – Convertible top, Rally wheels, Chrome appointments under-hood, Chrome bumpers
Seller – Private
Category – American
Model page
Note – For CCC live auctions, this space will also include:
VIN
a map link to seller location
a link to a Carfax report and
a lot number
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This 1969 model is the second year of the third generation of Corvette. The second generation began in 1963 with hardtops featuring the famous split rear window. General Motors management at the time decided the split was unsafe in terms of rearward visibility, so this trademark window was in production for only one model year. Little did anyone know at the time that it would become maybe the most collectible Corvette of all time.
One look at this car’s Rally wheels leaves not doubt that this car came from the General’s Chevrolet division and it was considered a performance car.
As implied above, this generation began with the 1968 model year and GM’s selection was near its peak at the time. While there were but two engine displacements offered, 350 cubic inches and 427 CI – both V8s – with varying carburetor setups and power offerings between 300 HP and 435 HP, there were a total of eight power plants offered. Photos of this car indicate that it is a 427 car, with a 3×2 barrel carb. This narrows the eight choices down to three. Start with a chat with the owner but perhaps a detailed VIN decoding is in order here, to establish if the engine is an L68, L71 or L89. The latter is the 435 horsepower engine.
Some other mechanical details are worth noting. The seller states that this is a numbers-matching car. This is worth checking and always desirable. Getting the power to the rear wheels is a four-speed manual transmission, worth a few dollars in the collector world. Lastly, the seller notes an odometer reading of 51,000 km. This is somewhat curious as this car was built long before the Canadian government mandated speedometers and odometers be in the metric measurement system.
This Stingray shows off some Corvette-specific attributes: round tail lights, from which Corvette did not stray until the 1990 ZR1, though the two-dot look is still seen in today’s new cars; two seats only, of course; fender vents, a mainstay of the C3; Rally wheels, also seen on other Chevys of the period, particularly Camaro; chrome bumpers – these disappeared from the front for the ’73 model year and then the rear the following year, making the early C3s much more collectible; and dual exhaust.
Here is a look at the green interior. The seats look to be in wonderful condition.
Find this 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray for $45,000 near Barrie, Ontario, north of Toronto, on Craigslist.
Thanks to CCC original member Jeff H. for submitting this external listing.
Please share your comments below, be they on the topic of this car, other Corvettes, the first time you drove one, your preferred generation of Corvette, or some of your other favourites who are rivals to this Stingray.