1969 was the first year that the Chevrolet Camaro saw significant changes. Namely, the body panels were updated for a more expressive and muscular pony car look. The mechanical underpinnings of the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro remained the same, as did the hood, roof and deck lid, but the fenders, nose, and quarter panels were all updated and made for an overall more aggressive appearance.
Up front, the grille featured an angled “V” design, allowing the headlights to be more deeply inset. Out back, the taillights were extended to a triple-lens setup. Louvers were added on the rear quarter panels, just ahead of the rear wheels. Creases also emerged from the top of all four wheel arches, extending rearward.
Inside, the round gauges from the ’67 and '68 models were replaced by square ones– a design that helped inspire the gauges in the 2010-2015 fifth-generation Camaro. Elsewhere in the cabin, headrests became standard equipment, and the ignition was moved from the dash to the steering column.
Buyers could also get the ’69 Chevrolet Camaro with disc brakes at all four wheels—each boasting four-piston calipers and borrowing bits from the Corvette. The Z/28 continued, still boasted its 302 cid small-block V-8. For ’69, the Z/28 got a Hurst shifter, and midway through the model year a cowl hood was offered as an option.
GM sold 37,773 examples of the 1969 Camaro RS, and 34,394 examples of the SS were sold. Sales of the Z/28, meanwhile, ballooned to an impressive 20,302.
