THE CARS OF ’69

In the history of the world, 1969 was a big year. On 20 July we heard the famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”, indicating a momentous achievement in the space race. However, back when Nasa was still in the planning stages of the Apollo 11 mission, Detroit’s big three, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors, were equally frantic, planning things of their own.

Let’s not forget that this was all before the computer age, and manufacturers were always working a few years ahead of the market. Each manufacturer would also have been keeping a close eye on the opposition, to try and predict what it would come up with next — and perhaps it was due to this that there are similarities among the vehicles they created. Hood scoops grew like weeds, coke-bottle hips were all the rage and performance was at its peak.

If there were any signs that a few years later muscle car production would become but a shadow of its former self, there were certainly no signs of it in 1969. Showrooms were bursting with ever more powerful and outrageous cars — muscle cars were at their pinnacle. In part, that can be attributed to the limited-edition cars built for racing. For whatever reason, the cars of 1969 hold a special appeal for many. Here’s some of the standouts.

1969 YENKO CAMARO 427

The name ‘Don Yenko’ may not mean much to many people, but say ‘Yenko Camaro’ and you’ll turn heads with muscle car fans. The 1969 Yenko Camaro 427 was the combination of a factory’s desire to please and customer needs. Don Yenko was a Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, car dealer who had a reputation for driving, building, and selling competitive Chevrolets, starting in ‘65 with Super Corvairs. Yenko advanced to installing Corvette-sourced 427ci big