1969 Camaro with Original 250 Six-cylinder Engine with Ultra-Rare Trans

If you're looking for a '69 Camaro that is the rarest of the rare, then you've found it. I have been collecting and showing 1st and 2nd Gen Camaros for over 30 years, and this is the rarest one I have ever owned. It literally stops people in their tracks at shows due to its rarity. If you are tired of going to shows and seeing row after row (after row) of boring '69 Z28s, then this is the car for you, because EVERYONE will walk past those boring Zs and walk right over to stare transfixed at this stunningly beautiful and unusual Camaro. There are several really cool and interesting things about this car. It has its original numbers-matching drivetrain (engine, trans, and rear-end) with a250 cubic-inch 6-cylinder (very rare to find a '69 Camaro with its original 6), original 2.73 geared rear-end, and ultra-rare air-cooled Torque Drive transmission (the ONLY one I know of in existence). Ok, what the heck is a Torque Drive?...it's an air-cooled Powerglide that has no provisions for automatic shifting (no vacuum modulator or kickdown mechanism), so the driver is responsible for all of the shifting. Its transmission casehas 4 large triangular holes that are on the bellhousing above the torque converter, plus the torque converter has fins to circulate cooling air, and it has a large air scoop (see photo) that draws in cooling air behind the starter.The Torque Drive transmission was a cheaper version of the Powerglide (it was $68) that almost no one bought (only 2,846 '69 Camaros had them...slightly over 1% of production). The correct way to drive a TD trans was to start out in 1st gear at a stop light, then shift to 2nd at around 25-30 mph (it may seem like a pain-in-the-a**, but once you get used to it it's no big deal...plus, you'll enjoy shifting it knowing you have the ONLY 1969 Camaro in existence with this trans!). It was only offered in 1968 and 1969 Camaros, plus 1968-1971 Novas, and GM almost couldn't give them away. Over the years most were replaced with regular Powerglides, or had their entire drivetrains swapped out by guys who wanted V8s. This car's Protect-o-plate shows it was sold at Hefner Chevrolet in Ft Wayne, IN on Oct. 7, 1968, and all of the numbers match the car's drivetrain...the POP also shows the car was built with manual steering and brakes and was a radio-delete (the original owner's dad had a Delco Am radio and antenna added to the car after its purchase). I located the original owner and spoke to her about the car and learned it was the first '69 Camaro sold at Hefner and was on display on Sept. 26,1968 (a picture of her from Aug. '68 comes with the car...she is 5 months pregnant in the photo and 20 yrs-old). I learned that this car's beautiful color scheme was used for a lot of the early '69 Camaro ads and that it was also a popular choice for'69 Camaros that were displayed in showrooms on the new car intro date (the cowl tag shows it is an original Garnet red car with a parchment top and a red base interior...a very rare color scheme...the cowl tag also shows that it was built in the 5th week of Aug 1968 "08E" which is the earliest '69 Camaro I have ever seen).The original owner loved the way the car looked, but disliked the way it drove (manual steering and brakes and an automatic trans that wasn't really automatic...not ideal for a young woman). She traded it in after only 2 years on a red '71 Nova that had the options she desired. The 2nd owner was an Airman who was stationed at Scott AFB near St Louis (he wrote his name and the maintenance he performed during the 2 years he owned it in the back of the owner's manual). He sold it to a fellow Airman who took it home to Albuquerque when he got out of the Air Force in 1974. The car's trans failed sometime around 1980 and then sat for about 35 years while the owner raised 4 kids and struggled to pay the bills. His grown kids had the Camaro restored in 2016 to honor their father and every part of the car received professional-quality work (it is a nearly-new '69 Camaro). Unfortunately, their dad passed away in 2018 from lung cancer and the car was sold to a classic car dealer where I purchased it in 2019 (the dealer had no idea how rare the car was and thought it had a regular Powerglide trans). The family spent around $30k restoring the car, although I don't have receipts from the restoration. It received among other things, a new dash pad, new seats and door panels, carpet, headliner, sheet metal work on the lower quarter panels and dash, reproduction glass (whichI replaced with original GM tinted glass), weatherseals, wiring, rechromed bumpers, grill (it still has its original front and rear Bowtie emblems), correct single exhaust and GM muffler, restored original air cleaner, and all suspension and brakes were gone through (it still has its original front drum brakes and stops justfine). I have driven it very little since purchasing it, and I had the transmission professionally rebuilt at a total cost of $3,000 in labor and extremely rare NOS Torque Drive parts...it drives and shifts like a dream and easily keeps up with modern-day traffic (the only major thing that was not rebuilt during the restoration was the rare transmission... they couldn't find the correct parts). I entered it in a big indoor car show, the Cavalcade of Customs in downtown Cincinnati in Jan. 2020 and it received tremendous response, and also won a 3rd place award while competing against very stiff competition (the award plaque goes with the car). During the show it sat next to a restored numbers-matching Hugger Orange '69 Yenko 427 Camaro and it received as much attention as that car (see photo). The paint is nearly perfect, but there are small rock chips here and there that have been repaired. This is not a perfect '69 Camaro, but it's pretty close (and itwill still win at shows). It comes with its original Protect-o-plate, owner's manual and plastic envelope, its original Hefner Chevrolet dealer emblem, a new NOS Hefner emblem, a vintage Hefner Chevrolet dealer key chain, a photo album showing some of its restoration, a clear notarized Ohio title which shows that it has 56k original miles (its New Mexico title showed that as the correct mileage and that was entered on its Ohio title...I believe that is the actual mileage), as well as several factory brochures describing the Torque Drive transmission and its operation. In addition to the original matching-numbers drivetrain, it also has its original Firestone Deluxe Champion spare tire and jack, trunk mat, original "FC" coded 14x6" steel wheels, and NOS hubcaps. I am also including original and rare NOS red factory floormats (as well as red reproduction floormats for everyday use) and a '69 Camaro factory assembly manual with the sale, as well as a large display board which explains its history and rarity. I am also including an extra set of original "FC" coded wheels with original Firestone F78x14 Deluxe Champion redline tires for use at shows (the car has new P195-75-14 whitewall radials for everyday use). My lovely wife has stage 4 cancer and I am selling several cars that I never intended to sell due to her progressing illness. I do not want to deal with any flakes or idiots on here who want to bid on this car without having the funds in place, or without asking their wife if they can buy it...please be respectful at this tough time in my life and only bid if you're serious about buying the car. I live just north of Columbus, OH and I would be glad to show it to anyone interested in viewing it in person (and I always try to look at the cars I purchase before buying them). I can be reached at 614/769-5868 if you have more questions or would like to see the car. I will be happy to assist the buyer in loading the car onto a trailer, or helping a shipper load it. I expect a $500 down payment via Paypal within 24 hours of the end of bidding, or the sale will be cancelled and the car relisted. The rest of the payment will be via a cashier's check (or cash) that must clear my bank before the car leaves my property (I just sold a '74 Nova last month and the sale went just fine...$500 down payment and the rest by a cashier's check). I expect to receive the full purchase amount within 14 days of the end of the auction or the car will be relisted. I have nearly 1,900 sales with 100% perfect feedback on Ebay during the 15 years I have been a member, so no worries. Sorry, but no sales to anywhere other than the US or Canada. I am not interested in selling to anyone who would change this car's incredibly rare drivetrain for something dumb like a V8...there are already enough '69 Camaro V8s out there, and this car deserves to remain as GM built it (plus, that would destroy its rarity and value and it would become just another garden variety '69 at a show that no one would look at). Thanks and happy bidding.