1969 Chevrolet Cameo

If youre a Camaro fan, youve heard of Yenko Camaros and youve probably heard of Berger Camaros. Heck, you might even know about Baldwin and Nickey Camaros. But before those dealers were strapping big motors into rare 69 COPOs and Super Sports, Dana Chevrolet out of southern California had been hard at work turning first generation Camaros into stripped down street monsters. This rare AACA Senior Award winning Camaro Dana 88 is one of very few 1969 Dana cars known to exist and its the perfect ride for someone who wants a unique, high performance muscle car.
Dana Chevrolet was owned by former Shelby employ Peyton Cramer and managed by a well-known SCCA racer named Dick Guldstrand. Guldstrand raced the first L-88 427 powered Corvette in 1966, and at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans he drove an L-88 powered Corvette to a straightaway speed record of 171.5 mph. Guldstrand and Cramer obviously knew high performance and had quite a reputation in the hot rod scene. So they began offering a host of aftermarket conversions and performance accessories through their Dana dealership. Customers could purchase a first generation Camaro anywhere and send it to Dana Chevrolet to be equipped with an upgraded suspension, a 3x2 carburetor set up, headers, an open element air cleaner, ignition upgrades, a custom fabricated cowl induction hood (Remember; prior to 1969 the Camaro did not offer a factory cowl induction hood) and even an L-72 or L-88, 12.5.1 compression 427 crate motor.
In 1969 Robert Watts of Flagstaff Arizona purchased the Camaro pictured here and sent it to Dana Chevrolet for the L-88 427 conversion and an original Doug Nash 5-speed transmission. In typical Dana fashion, most of the badging from the car was removed and a chrome Dana Chevrolet rear tag bracket was added. After the conversion, the car was well known by employees of the Dana Chevrolet dealership and built quite a reputation in the southern California street racing community. In 1973 Mr. Watts returned the car to Dana Chevrolet for the addition of an Auburn Gear Locker, a Corvette HEI ignition and a 15 inch Rallye wheel upgrade. However, in 1974, when the EPA raided and took over Dana Chevrolet they seized the car and it was held in storage at the LA County Sheriffs impound lot until it was auctioned off. At auction, Topper Ferrar, the son of Dana Chevrolet employee Manny Ferrar, thankfully purchased the 1969 Camaro and kept it in the Dana Chevrolet extended family. Topper knew the car very well as he had recalled his dad talking about its rare color, impressive build and equally impressive reputation on the streets. This 69 Camaro is a true California black plate 61,000 mile car that is remembered by many Dana Chevrolet employees as one of the most impressive builds the dealership ever performed. Most Dana Camaros were 67 and 68 models, making this 1969 Dana 88 much more exclusive and hard to find.
Now that Ive told you about the cars impressive history, Ill go ahead and break down the VIN and cowl tag for you. VIN 124379L523735 1: Division: Chevrolet 2: Vehicle Line: Camaro 4: Engine: 8 cylinder 37: body style: coupe 9: Year: 1969 L: Factory: Los Angeles (Van Nuys) 523735: The cars sequence number
Cowl Tag: 69: Year 12: Camaro 4: A fixed number meaning nothing for 1969 cars 37: Coupe VN: Van Nuys Assembly 269737: Fisher Body sequence number 711: Black standard bucket seats 55 55: Azure Turquoise exterior paint, top and bottom 02: Manufactured in February of 1969 B: Manufactured during the 2nd week of February J: Manufactured on the 10th production day of the month 534: Body assembly sequence (which included models other than the Camaro)
Kept in the southwest for most of its existence, this 1969 Camaro retains all of its original sheetmetal. Door, fender, hood and trunk gaps are excellent, and all panels close with a solid feeling. The car is painted in its original rare GM code 55 Azure Turquoise and is finished to the highest standards throughout with door jam, trunk jam and engine compartment detailing that looks great. Up front, a silver grille displays flawless T3 headlights along with the traditional blue 69 Chevrolet bowtie and a small 2008 AACA Senior Award Winner badge. A bright chrome bumper stretches across the bottom of the grille and combines with the factory chin spoiler and round parking lights to add a little SCCA racing flair to the design. On the sides of the car, brightwork is kept to a minimum with only standard Camaro trim strips, chrome door handles, stainless drip molding, factory optioned side marker lights and a drivers side rearview mirror serving to break up the Azure Turquoise. Out back, the chrome bumper with factory guards, segmented tail lights and the blue Chevrolet bowtie are all in excellent shape. The stainless trim around the like new glass is in great condition and the cars weatherstripping is factory fresh. About the only thing that might give away the performance aspirations of this car are the factory option functional cowl induction hood, the factory option rear decklid spoiler and dual stainless tips. But those accessories were all features of lesser Camaros as well, so the unknowing driver might pull up beside what he thinks is a hot rodded 350 Camaro coupe when in reality, its a wolf in sheeps clothing. Upgraded 15 inch code 55 Azure Turquoise Rallye wheels feature black trimmed Chevrolet dog dish center caps and ride on F70-15 Goodyear Polyglas tires with raised lettering. Turquoise has always been one of my least favorite colors, but GMs code 55 looks spectacular. I can only imagine how cool this car looked in the sea of pastels and flat colors of the 60s and 70s.
Unlike Baldwin and Yenko, who used ostentatious and sometimes awkward stripes to announce their performance cars to the world, Dana took a stripped down simplistic approach. It was their tradition to remove all extraneous ornamentation and add some form of Dana identification. Some cars had small chrome Dana emblems on their rear valence and some cars, as was the case of this 69 Camaro, received chrome Dana tag brackets. Today, the only identification on this car is its like new basic Camaro fender script and a Camaro by Chevrolet header panel emblem that looks as good as when the car left the factory. These days, with the proliferation of the term sleeper and knowledge of COPOs, pretty much everyone will know that this Camaro is something special based on appearance alone. But, in 1969 and the early 70s, there simply was no indication of the humiliating loss that pretty much anyone who pulled up next to this car was about to suffer.
The engine bay on this car has been restored to exacting detail. While the original 427 has been lost to history, sitting in its place is a correct era 454 V8. Notice the late 68 style brackets and aluminum Corvette water pump. A Holley carburetor sucks air through a correct air cleaner that seals into a functional cowl induction hood. Correct Packard plug wires run from a correct HEI distributor to heat shielded spark plugs. New chrome valve covers feature a correct Tonawanda factory engine decal. And fresh Chevrolet orange paint on the mill contrasts with satin black on the engine bay walls to create a true showpiece ...For more information please call the seller.