1969 El Camino L89
1969 El Camino L89
This 1969 El Camino L89 could possibly 1 of 1 ever built. It has its original Tuxedo Black exterior paint and black vinyl interior. It also has its original matching numbers L89 396/375 HP V-8 with aluminum heads, which has been documented with the original broadcast sheet, Protect-O-Plate, dealer invoice and car papers booklet from Don Allen Chevrolet in Miami, Florida. It is also equipped with an M22 4-speed manual transmission, 4.11 Positraction rear end, Power front disc brakes, Power steering, and 5-spoke SS wheels. Amazingly it only has 18,264 miles since new, making this 1969 El Camino L89 a true time capsule. It also has the original owner’s temp tag application, safety inspections and registrations from back in the day.
I remember seeing many El Caminos in the St. Louis Missouri area back in the late sixties and all through the seventies, but I don’t remember seeing one with big block power. This 1969 El Camino L89 is absolutely amazing. It is an original car, it has low miles, it is highly optioned, and it is documented. The high option list includes all of the most desirable high performance options any muscle car enthusiast would check off the option list in order to live the muscle car life.
Not only is this El Camino equipped with the top of the line L78 396/375HP engine, that engine is topped with lightweight aluminum head which were intended for the drag racing crowd with their larger valves, and all the power is shifted through a heavy duty M22 4-speed transmission. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Mecum Auctions listed this 1969 El Camino L89 and this is what they said about it. This 1969 Chevrolet El Camino SS is possibly the only example in existence equipped with the rare L89 aluminum-head option. Although relatively rare today, the El Camino was a popular vehicle with the muscle-car buyer seeking both power and utility. Introduced in 1959 as a pickup version of the full-size Brookwood station wagon in response to Ford’s Ranchero pickup, the Chevrolet El Camino was discontinued after the 1960 model until 1964, when it returned as a spinoff of the popular new Chevelle. The second-generation El Camino had the styling and features of the Chevelle and exceeded the Ford Falcon-based Ranchero’s load capacity, a combination that lured more than one buyer away from the Ford camp. As the Chevelle evolved, so did its more utilitarian counterpart, including under the hood. By 1966, an El Camino could be ordered with the same equipment as a Chevelle SS, although that package’s badging and blacked-out grille treatment were not available.
That changed in 1968 when buyers could finally order the full SS396-option package for the El Camino. This official induction into the SS fraternity finally gave the El Camino the same SS badging, trim and 5-spoke Super Sport wheels as its coupe and convertible cousins, as evidenced by this very sharp and very rare 1969 example. Documented with the original broadcast sheet, Protect-O-Plate, dealer invoice and car papers booklet from Don Allen Chevrolet in Miami, Florida, the original owner’s temp tag application, safety inspections and registrations, this is truly a unique find that is powered by the original matching-numbers L89 aluminum-head 396/375 HP big-block V-8 backed by a heavy-duty M22 4-speed manual transmission and 4.10:1 Positraction rear end. Perhaps just as importantly, it has traveled just 18,264 miles since new.
It retains its original and still vibrant Tuxedo Black paint and matching black SS interior, complete with a split bench-seat, wood-grain Sport steering wheel, AM radio and Muncie shifter. Additionally equipped with Soft Ray-tinted glass, power steering and power front disc brakes, this ultimate version of the 1969 El Camino SS396 took home Gold Spinner honors at ChevyVettefest in 2007.
