1969 Corvette Research

The Ultimate 1969 Corvette Database

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Everything You Want to Know About the 1969 Corvette, All in One Place.

The 1969 Chevy Corvette arrived on the coattails of critics who had been anything but kind to the inaugural C3 Corvette just the year before. Although the overall tone of the critics was marginally more positive by the end of the 1968 model year, GM recognized that there was still a way to go to fully win over the same people who were so quick to tear the Corvette apart.

Still, critics had appreciated some of the design changes that had been made in the third-generation Corvette over the earlier C2’s, even though the second-generation Corvettes had been so well-loved and so widely received. For one, the 1968 Corvette had featured stiffer springs, and been fitted with wider wheels that had improved handling. For another, Chevrolet had made the right decision to replace the old Powerglide automatic transmission with the vastly superior Turbo Hydra-Matic.

Still, there were items that needed to be addressed. So it was that the changes that were to be made to the 1969 Corvette would preclude any real new improvements for design sake, but would instead resolve the “unanswered criticisms” of the 1968 Corvette. As is common in automotive manufacturing, the sophomore model of any production vehicle is often a carryover from its inaugural year, with the changes occurring to correct for errors in the initial design – errors that are often identified as the result of feedback from both the automotive media and consumers alike. This was definitely the case for the 1969 Corvette.

1969 Corvette - The Ultimate Guide

Like the 1968 Corvette before it, the 1969 Corvette also featured a number of standard body features – the most obvious being the same corrosion-proof fiberglass body that had been a trademark of the Corvette since Harley Earl envisioned used FRP (Fiber-Reinforced Plastic)/fiberglass on the 1953 prototype. It also featured steel-reinforced body sills, door hinge pillars and lock pillars, plus lateral steel cross-member integrating front pillars.

1969 C3 Chevrolet Corvette Model Guide

History, Specifications, VIN, Options, Performance, & More

1969 Corvette Special Editions

L88s were very high-compression V-8s with aggressive cam setup and Chevy advertised a respectable 430 horsepower, but these engines were widely rumored to make more like 500 hp in period. Gobs of grunt sure helps, but shedding weight from the front of the car does a lot more for balance and overall power-to-weight ratio. That’s why the ZL1 got an aluminum-block L88. If you thought the L88 was an expensive option, the ZL1 engine alone added more than $4700 to the price tag, which was more than double that of the base Corvette.

1969 Astro III Concept

Though the first two prototype cars to carry the Astro namesake were relatively well known, the third entry in this conceptual saga was somewhat obscure and significantly more bizarre. At the 1969 Chicago Motor Show, Chevrolet unveiled the Astro III which was a gas-turbine prototype that featured a tricycle wheel arrangement.

1968-1969 Corvette Sting Ray L89

Power and blinding acceleration were the driving forces behind the development of the 1968-1969 Chevrolet Corvette 427. Only 390 1969 Corvettes were built with the famous L89 427 and while the L89 option was chosen 624 times in 1968, it is still a rare beast relative to total production. The 427 CI engine was good for 435 HP and a strong 460 lb-ft of torque making it one of the best-accelerating cars of its time.

1968-1972 Baldwin Motion Corvettes

Various upgrade packages were offered by Motion Industries, for the Chevrolet models included within the Baldwin Corvette partnership. The most prominent of these packages included the SS (425 HP) and Phase III (500+ HP) offerings. These cars not only came with a performance promise, but a guarantee to back it up. All Phase III cars came with a personal guarantee.

1969 Corvette Manta Ray

The Manta Ray was actually the 1965 Mako Shark II (XP-830) with a few upgrades, so it featured many of the Mako II's outward features, such as side exhausts and a lower-body (along the rocker panels) silver paint job. The front end had a pointed chin spoiler and the headlights used 2 banks of 3 quartz-halogen lights.

1969 Corvette ZL-1

In 1969, Chevrolet changed the perception of Corvette forever by introducing the ultra-powerful ZL-1 Corvette with a 427 CI engine producing 585 horsepower! The 1969 ZL-1 Corvette came equipped with an entirely new big-block engine option that produced more horsepower than any Corvette that had come before it. Any Corvette, when ordered with RPO ZL1, came fitted with an all-aluminum 427 C.I. engine that featured a dry-sump oil system and which weight approximately 100 pounds less.

1967 – 1969 Corvette Stingray L88 Model Guide

The L88 was a special option package developed under the direction of Zora Arkus-Duntov, director of GM’s performance division. First introduced in 1967, the L88 Corvette featured a highly modified version of Chevy’s 427-cubic-inch V-8 engine. Although this engine received a factory horsepower rating of 435, actual engine output was somewhere between 540 and 580 horsepower, giving the “stock” L88 enough power to run a quarter-mile in the high-11-second range!

1969 Corvette Technical Research & Data

Dig into the numbers behind the 1969 Corvette and check out these hand-curated research papers and data-driven reports, including VIN information, production numbers, pricing/options, color samples, and more.

1969 Corvette Colors

Looking for information on the colors for the 1969 Corvette? Here you go.

1969 Corvette Engines

Looking for information on the engines powering the 1969 Corvette? Look no further.

A Guide to Every C3 Corvette Engine

1969 350CI V8 Engine Guide: Specs, Features, & More

1966 – 7.0L (427CI) V8 Engine Guide: Specs, Features, & More

1969 Corvette Market & Sales Data

1969 Corvette auction and sales area. We share upcoming auctions, recent auction results, cool 1969 Corvettes we find for sale and commentary on the current market for the 1969 Corvette.