Vehicle Description
If you look at Corvette as a whole from '53 to '69.� Many would
acknowledge that 1969 was the peak year as far as shear
performance.� Sure the mid-years ('63-'67) were legendary.� And yes
there were a couple good years left after '69 ('70-'72 LT1 and the
LS6 of '71 come to mind).� But by 1971 the writing was clearly on
the wall that the horsepower wars were over (at least for the time
being) and the federal government and the insurance companies had
won.� However if you were lucky enough to be of legal driving age
and had the $green$ to afford one back in '69 you had a treasure
trove of fantastic performance options to choose from!� The
teething pains of the new "Shark" bodied '68 had been worked out.�
And the '69 presented the perfect low-slung great handling platform
in which to place any of 6 great engines and 4 transmissions!�
Starting with the new 350ci small block in 300-350hp to the 427ci
big block offering 390-550 plus hp there was no shortage of go-fast
options available for the Corvette!� And engines weren't the only
news in '69!� Rumor had it that a new custom side exhaust system
similar to what was shown on the Manta Ray concept car was going to
be available on the '69 Corvette!� This exhaust system was one of
the sleekest ever offered on a production car and perfectly
complemented the lines of the new Shark.� The question was when was
it going to be available?� It wasn't offered in the initial '69
production run.� Because of a dock workers strike some parts
weren't available early on. And as a result cars that were ordered
with certain options were either delayed or denied all together.�
In all probability the early cars ordered with side exhaust were a
victim of that strike.� And because of this only a small percentage
of cars (4355 to be exact) came with that system.� It's believed
that the first cars with side exhaust were delivered to dealers
after January of '69.� Which leads us to our very interesting
featured car . . .Is this the first '69 delivered with factory side
exhaust??� Although we cannot be absolutely certain at this point
in our research we think the car seen here in these photos might
possibly be one of if not THE very first Corvette delivered with
that option!Up until '05 this '69 had been a one owner car until it
was passed on to its next caretaker in a private collection.� It's
very original (including the drivetrain!) and in addition to the
side exhaust is loaded with options including power brakes power
steering power windows Turbo 400 automatic transmission tinted
glass rear window defroster tilt/telescoping steering column from
louver trim and 2.73 Posi rear end.� Add to that the rarest and
best color combination of Tuxedo Black w/Red interior and you might
just have one of the most unique '69's ever built!� Just serviced
and ready for cruising! Visit Corvette Mike online at
www.corvettemikeanaheim.com to see more pictures of this vehicle or
call us at 800-327-8388 today to schedule your test drive.
