A chrome bar across the grille
A single chrome bar joins the headlamps across a grille cast in plastic, and the parking lamps sit in slots in the bumper.4one source
Class of '69 · Chevrolet Chevelle · 1968–1969 body · second generation
1969Chevrolet Chevelle
A facelift with a chrome bar across the grille, the SS 396 turned into an option package, and 323 Chevelles with a 427 by special order.
The year in brief
Chevrolet sold the 1969 Chevelle as «America's most popular mid-size car». It kept the 1968 body with a new front: a chrome bar joined the headlamps across a plastic grille, and a slotted bumper held the parking lamps.4one source
The base Chevelle 300 was dropped, and the wagons got names of their own: Nomad, Greenbrier, Concours and Concours Estate. The 350 replaced the 327.145
The SS 396 was no longer a series but option Z25, for the Malibu sport coupe and convertible and the 300 Deluxe coupes. It cost $347.60 and brought the 325-hp 396, power disc brakes and a special hood. Over-Drive counts 86,307 SS 396 Malibus.124
The story of the year
The COPO 427
GM did not allow engines over 400 cubic inches in its mid-size cars. Chevrolet's Vince Piggins got round the rule with the Central Office Production Order system, normally used for fleet orders, and a run of Chevelles left the factory with the 425-hp L72 427.3one source
Consumer Guide counts 323 COPO Chevelles and Wikipedia estimates 323, 99 of them for Don Yenko's dealership. None were SS models; they were 2-door hardtops with an option package costing about $860.34
How to spot a 1969
What tells it apart from a 1968.
Tall tail lamps
Larger, more upright tail lamps run into the rear quarter panels.4one source
No front vent windows on hardtops and convertibles
Astro Ventilation replaced the vent windows on hardtops and convertibles.5one source
Round gauges
Round instrument pods replace the 1968's linear layout.4one source
Serial plate on the dash
The serial-number plate moved to the top of the dash; on the 1968 it is on the door pillar.26one source
Production1one source
454,100 cars, by group of models.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Coupe, sport coupe and sedan | 300 Deluxe, six | 21,050 |
| 300 Deluxe, V8 | 20,050 | |
| Group total | 41,100 | |
| Sedan, sport sedan, sport coupe and convertible | Malibu, six | 23,500 |
| Malibu, V8 | 343,600 | |
| Group total | 367,100 | |
| Station wagon | Nomad, Greenbrier and Concours, six | 7,400 |
| Nomad, Greenbrier, Concours and Concours Estate, V8 | 38,500 | |
| Group total | 45,900 | |
| Total | 454,100 | |
Over-Drive's table, which gives only a total for each group of models, six and V8 apart; the figures look rounded (our reading). Without the El Camino's 48,385 they add to 454,100 (our sum); with it, to Over-Drive's 502,485. The 86,307 SS 396 Malibus are counted in the Malibu V8 row. GM's 1969 kit has no production page. One source only.
Engines235
11 engines. The code is Chevrolet's regular production option (RPO) code from GM's own lists; standard engines have none. Until 1971 the VIN tells only six from V8.
Gross ratings. GM's engine table of September 1968 lists the 255-hp LM1; GM's option index of April 1969 has the 250-hp L65 instead and adds the L78 and the aluminum-head L89. Over-Drive dates the L65 to 1 May 1969. The 427 was never on Chevrolet's regular lists: it came through the Central Office Production Order system.
Price when new1245
Base retail prices in 1969 dollars, before options.
Suggested retail prices from Chevrolet's price schedule of 1 April 1969 (coupes, sedans and convertibles; GM's page has no wagons). Over-Drive's table has the same prices row for row and adds the wagons, from $2,668 for a six-cylinder Nomad to $3,266 for a three-seat Concours Estate. The SS 396 package (Z25) cost $347.60 by Wikipedia's account (Over-Drive repeats it); GM's option page leaves its price blank.
Colors25
17 factory colors. 13 of the 17 color names are confirmed by a second source25; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Tuxedo Black10
Butternut Yellow40
Dover White50
Dusk Blue51
Garnet Red52
Glacier Blue53
Azure Turquoise55
Fathom Green57
Frost Lime59
Burnished Brown61
Champagne63
Olympic Gold65
Burgundy Maroon67
Cortez Silver69
LeMans Blue71
Hugger Orange72
Bright Yellow76
GM's sheet of September 1968: fifteen colors for every series, plus 72 and 76 on the Malibu page as «special order for SS Packages only», which GM calls just «Orange» and «Bright Yellow»; Over-Drive names 72 Hugger Orange. Over-Drive also lists a 79 Rallye Green that GM's sheet lacks, and has no 53 Glacier Blue. No source we have counts cars per color.
Reading the VIN124
A 1969 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
134699A3000262one source · GM's own example from its 1969 serial-number page, an illustration rather than a known car: The 26th Chevelle of any series built at Atlanta, in GM's example a V8 300 Deluxe four-door sedan (13469).
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Chevelle |
| 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 8 | Series; an odd digit is a six, an even one a V8 |
| 27 · 35 · 36 · 37 · 39 · 46 · 67 · 69 · 80 | Body: 2-door coupe (pillar) · 4-door wagon, two seats · 4-door wagon, two seats · 2-door sport coupe (hardtop) · 4-door sport sedan (hardtop) · 4-door wagon, three seats · Convertible · 4-door sedan · El Camino pickup |
| 9 | Model year (1969) |
| A · B · G · K · Z | Plant: Atlanta · Baltimore · Framingham · Kansas City · Fremont |
| 300001 → | Unit number, from 300,001 at each plant regardless of series |
Where to find it: Stamped on a plate on the top left of the instrument panel.2one source
Questions about the 1969
How many 1969 Chevrolet Chevelles were made?
Chevrolet built 454,100 for the 1969 model year. The source counts them only in groups of models, which the production table on this page lists.1one source
How can you tell a 1969 Chevelle from a 1968?
Five signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: a chrome bar across the grille; tall tail lamps; no front vent windows on hardtops and convertibles; round gauges; serial plate on the dash.2456
What engines did the 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle have?
Eleven engines, from the 230 cu in inline-six to the 427 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.235
How much did a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: 300 Deluxe 2-door coupe, six $2,458; 300 Deluxe 4-door sedan, six $2,488; 300 Deluxe sport coupe, six $2,521; 300 Deluxe 2-door coupe, V8 $2,548; Malibu 4-door sedan, six $2,567; 300 Deluxe 4-door sedan, V8 $2,577; Malibu sport coupe, six $2,601; 300 Deluxe sport coupe, V8 $2,611; Malibu 4-door sedan, V8 $2,657; Malibu sport sedan, six $2,672; Malibu sport coupe, V8 $2,690; Malibu sport sedan, V8 $2,762; Malibu convertible, six $2,800; Malibu convertible, V8 $2,889.1245
What colors did the 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 17 factory colors.25
Where is the VIN on a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle?
Stamped on a plate on the top left of the instrument panel.2one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1969, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Settled
1969 COPO 427 Chevelles
Our ruling: About 323, with 99 for Yenko Chevrolet. Consumer Guide counts 323; Wikipedia gives 323 as an estimate and as the number of COPO orders. GM's 1969 kit does not mention the COPO cars.
What each source says (2)
- 323 built, 99 of them for Yenko3one source
- an estimated 323, a confirmed 99 sold through Yenko4one source
Sources
- Chevelle production, 1968–1972 (five tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle COPO 427 HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Chevelle Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1968Chevrolet ChevelleThe second-generation Chevelle arrives: a new long-hood body on two wheelbases, 112 inches for two-doors and 116 for the rest, and the SS 396 as a series of its own.422,878 built
1970Chevrolet ChevelleNew sheet metal and the 454: the SS 454 with the 450-hp LS6, the 402 still badged SS 396, and almost 302,000 Malibu sport coupes, Canadian-built cars for U.S. dealers included.440,262 built
1971Chevrolet ChevelleSingle headlamps, round tail lamps in the bumper and lower compression for low-lead fuel: the SS became one package for any optional V8, and no source shows an LS6 Chevelle sold.345,449 builtSee the whole second generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1968–1972.