In 1967, Chevrolet introduced their long hood, short decklid Camaro to compete with the wildly popular Ford Mustang. In only its third year of production, the Camaro underwent a considerable makeover inside and out. With the exception of the hood and trunk lid, the 1969 Camaro received all new sheetmetal, giving it a wider and more aggressive appearance. The new front fenders and rear quarter panels featured a pronounced line that ran from the top of the front wheel well arches all the way to the rear of the car, further enhancing the pony cars muscular look. Also new for 1969 was a deeper set grille, a new rear valance panel with longer and narrower taillights, and a restyled interior with more comfortable bucket seats and a redesigned instrument panel.
The Rally Sport (RS), Super Sport (SS), and Z/28 option packages all carried over for the 1969 model year, but it was the last year the Camaro could be ordered as a convertible until 1986. The 1969 Camaro was also available with a variety of manual and automatic transmissions as well as a wide array of engines, ranging from an inline six to a 300-hp SS-standard 350-ci small-block V8 to a trio of 396-ci big-blocks, presented in 325, 350, and 375-horse configurations. Despite a GM corporate ban on installing engines larger than 400-ci, a pair of potent 427’s found their way into a limited number of Camaro’s by way of a couple Central Office Production Orders. These COPO Camaro’s were the rarest and fastest Camaro’s ever produced. With over 243,000 copies built, the 1969 Camaro stands among the most popular of Chevrolet’s F-body pony cars produced over the course of 35 years and is arguably one of the best Camaro’s ever made.
The 1969 Camaro is also one of the most common subject matters in model form. So much so that one might wonder why any manufacturer would ever consider producing yet another copy of this pony car, but that’s just what Highway 61 did in 2005 when they added the 1969 Camaro to their lineup of high detail 1/18-scale diecast replicas. One of the latest variations is the Tuxedo Black 1969 Camaro RS/SS 396 pictured here, rolling on a set of nicely rendered Rally wheels sporting Goodyear F60 rubber shoes. Aside from a few minor blems in the paint and a crooked marker light, the sample I acquired was quite pleasing. The shape and stance are spot on, the various photo-etched emblems and hockey stick stripes have been reproduced with an exacting precision, and bare metal foil has been skillfully applied to the various trim. What impresses me the most are the superbly scaled clones of the Rally Sport’s “see-through” headlight doors.
Stuffed beneath the Camaro’s cowl-induction hood is an abundance of detail, focused around a miniaturized copy of the 325-hp 396 V8. Equipped with an innumerable collection of wires and hoses (some with questionable routes), this big-block delivers resounding wows at a quick look, but beneath all the fanfare, this powerplant suffers a few misfires, like the fit of the valve covers on the oversized heads and the improperly mounted belt driven accessories on the front of the block, sitting the alternator almost squarely on the north axis. On the upside, I was impressed by the air induction hardware on the underside of the hood along with the detail built in to the air cleaner assembly, like the authentic displacement and horsepower callouts, the painted wing nut, and the molded seal that mates the assembly to the cowl-induction hood.
Whereas the engine bay may appear a bit tousled with its many wires and hoses, you’ll find the interior to be in ship-shape, with neatly tucked carpeting and a well-fitting headliner complete with dome light, woven shoulder belts and posable sun-visors, along with tilt-forward bucket seats that include a precisely detailed seat pattern and straightly placed woven lap belts with photo-etched hardware. The dash and center console are equally clean in appearance, decorated with wood grain trim and additional photo-etched emblems. The console incorporates a chrome automatic shifter and detailed shift gate and the dash features an opening glove-box and my favorite, a pair of deeply recessed gauge pods positioned behind an authentic wood-rimmed 3-spoke steering wheel, detailed with a bowtie horn cap.
In addition to all of the above, Highway 61’s 1969 Camaro boasts an opening trunk which is home to such details as a space saver spare, genuine splatter paint on the trunk floor, and caution and instruction labels on the underside of the trunk lid. Speaking of undersides, this replica features an attractively detailed chassis, with splashes of paint accurately highlighting the Camaro’s dual exhaust system and Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission. The undercarriage also features brake cables, a working suspension with staggered rear shocks, and a rotating driveshaft.
If you’re a first-generation Camaro enthusiast, then Highway 61’s 1/18-scale 1969 Camaro is a purchase that should be pondered with serious consideration. The Tuxedo Black RS/SS 396 shown here is limited to only 504 copies. There’s also a pair of Z/28’s, available in Cortez Silver or Daytona Yellow, which are similarly limited. Highway 61 also has a few non-limited options to choose from - a Cortez Silver SS 396, a Garnet Red Z/28, and a 350 small-block powered bright Orange Rally Sport. Although none of these examples are perfect and each suffers its own quality issues, beneath all of that is a truly outstanding replica of the 1969 Camaro, quite arguably one of the best 1/18-scale Camaro’s ever made.
Happy Collecting,
DetourDave
Highway 61
#50396 1969 Camaro RS/SS 396
Tuxedo Black
Photography & Review by Dave Nicholson
