1969: It Was A Very Good Year!
Just as in music, or movies, there are landmark years in cars as well. Fellow Car Lust Contributor Anthony Cagle already described why 1962 was such a good year, and in so doing may have helped inspire the rest of us to write a series of posts on some very good (and probably some bad) calendar and model years for our beloved vehicles. One of my favorite years for cars, both now and at the time, is 1969. Right on!
Personally, I don't care if a car was a '69 model or made any time during that calendar year, anything that has a "69" on it is good enough for me. Differences between most 1967 and 1968 models were minimal--look for the addition of side marker lights, new grilles, and taillights, and that's usually about it. But most '69 models had all-new sheet metal and bumpers, creating a pleasant, rounded look that may never be seen again.
Why 1969? Well, to me, vehicular-wise anyway, it all seemed to come together that year--we had it all, big cars, mid-sized cars, little cars, fast cars, economy cars, sports cars, convertibles, station wagons (for The Brady Bunch), motorcycles, and pickup trucks that were manly and rough as they should be, gol-blame it. Big cars were big, and little cars like the VW Beetle were common and accepted. We had vans, box vans, step vans, at least one minivan, and some vans had raiseable roofs to become campers, perfect for a Love-In, and were quite the scene at Woodstock. "Flower Power"-painted hippies' rides were hip, taking you to the Peace Rally in style. Car/vehicle/cult movies of '69 included Easy Rider, The Italian Job, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
On top of that, we saw the cancellation of "Star Trek," inaugurated Richard Nixon, and, oh yeah, we landed on the moon. "Ground control to Major Tom!"
Three big changes hit nearly all cars in 1969, and they continue to this day. In no particular order:
First of all, steering columns locked on all cars for the first time--that was the law of the land. Ignition switches were moved from the dash to the column. Keys had to be inserted sideways into the column and turned clockwise to start. That was awkward and took some getting used to, but most of us still do that today. GM and others have done an excellent job of moving some of the keyholes back onto the dash in recent years. Keyless ignitions are coming on strong, but steering wheel locking systems started here.
Second, either adjustable headrests or high-back front seats appeared on all cars for '69. Again this was a federal mandate, in response to "whiplash" spinal column injury medical claims from rear-end accidents. I also think that they are comfortable, great on long trips, and help prevent fatigue. If I were to rebuild a '66 Mustang, and I hope someday to, I would fit high-back buckets from the 1969 model. I've seen pictures of early 'Stangs with high seats, and they look right at home!
Third, most cars lost their vent windows on the doors - VW and Mopar held out a little longer than some. Maybe the greatest example is this 1968 Cadillac Fleetwood that had power vents in both front and back doors. For 1969, the side window count went from eight to four, as the vents disappeared altogether. Personally, I like the cleaner no-vent look, but Gramps sure was bummed out when he had to lower the big window to flick his Marlboro butt. Wind noises went down as well without the vents, as their latching mechanisms usually became loose over time.
I'm not sure how on-track this comment is, but I have to say the nicest car interior I have ever sat in, including a Rolls-Royce, was a 1969 Buick Riviera. What made it so posh was that everything was soft and deeply padded--even the A-pillar trim next to the windshield was cushioned! As kids, we would push the padding on the doors and under the rear side windows and marvel at how deep it was.The car had power everything, and the seats, headrests, and sun visors were first class as well.
Power to the people! 1969 was Muscle Car Heaven! Taking fairly plain mid-size cars and giving them large engines and aggressive styling wasn't new, but it seemed to reach its peak this year. Wide-Tracking Pontiac rolled out "The Judge" (And Judge #2) to a hungry audience. MOPAR's Dodge Charger Daytona made its debut, the Plymouth Superbird followed in 1969 for the 1970 model year. The Mustang Mach 1 was born. For real, does it get any better than this? Holy Moly, if there is a year for Muscle Cars, 1969 is IT!
The '69 Camaro (shown here) and Firebird were hot, with Z-28 and Trans Am versions, respectively. The Judge got "Endura" front bumpers, similar to today's soft, body-colored bumpers - a first for '69. I remember a far out TV ad where a guy was whacking them with a crowbar. The C3 Corvette had been redesigned the year before, and other available sporty cars included the Barracuda and Challenger. American Motor Corporation's "The Machine" was introduced, and the AMX had been out for about a year. Sweet rides, every one. There were plenty more, and darn it, I don't have room for all of them here.
The 1969 model year was the last for the Lincoln Continental's suicide doors. It was also the only year that the Continental had a groovy upright rather than horizontal grille. The four-door Thunderbird, also with "center-opening doors", continued until the 1972 model.
I can't leave out one motorcycle. Honda unveiled the mighty CB750 in 1969; it was a 4-cylinder masterpiece that remains on a pedestal to this day. This happening bike put Honda over the top as a builder of large, quality bikes, whose reputation stands today.
The Discovery Channel called the CB750 the third-greatest motorcycle of all time. With the CB750's electric starter, screw-on oil filter, overhead cam, the industry-first front disc brake, and a low price of $1,495, the term "superbike" was coined to describe this machine. Honda made the 750 for 10 years, eventually cranking out 400,000 of them. The inline design eventually spawned 4-cylinder 650-, 550-, 500-, 400-, and 350-cc bikes from Honda.
Trucks and vans were pretty much carry-overs in 1969. Back then, they were designed, then pretty much left alone for years. This is not to say that trucks weren't fashionable in '69, they just didn't change much. New grilles were about it.
And, finally, there were several amazing aircraft advancements in 1969. Boeing's 747 made its maiden test flight on Feb. 9 of that year, and the Super Sonic Transport (SST) Concorde first test-flew on March 2, then first broke the sound barrier on Oct. 1.
So no matter how we travel in 2009, we can't forget 1969, now 40 years ago. It was a very good year. Peace!
Thanks again to Wikipedia for some great photos. The CB750 image is from "How Things Work". The steering column is in my SuperCrew.
--That Car Guy (Chuck)
Cookie the Dog's Owner on May 20, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Far out, man! Totally groovy post. One thing I just gotta say, man, your rap on vent windows ain't a happening thing. What you said is a drag, man! If your old man didn't have the bread for the optional air conditioning, or, like mine, didn't want to spend it even if he had it, those little vent windows meant the car could be comfortable on the highway at speed on a hot day without killing you with wind noise. You dig, man?
Moon Doggy on May 20, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Like wow, man, we were poor back then too, you know, man. Hey, we would ride around with the windows UP just to make people THINK we had air conditioning, man! Of course, on the highway, we had that good old 255 air conditioning... 2 windows down at 55 miles per hour, man! Of course, those nifty little vent windows came in handy every time we got tailed by the fuzz, ya know, man!
Anthony Cagle on May 20, 2009 at 01:48 PM
I miss vent windows. I hadn't thought about them in a long time! That's why I liked them: you could get air flow without cracking open the big window.
John Bono on May 20, 2009 at 06:45 PM
Damn 1969. Damn 1969 to *hell*. My dad had a 1968 Dodge Dart. Anytime my dad or mom went somewhere, and I was left in the car, I could sit in the drivers seat, say "vroom vroom" and turn the wheel any direction I wanted, allowing me to play speed racer in supermarket . Then my dad "upgraded" to a 1971 Plymouth Valiant. He stops at the corner store to pick up some cigs. In anticipation, I slide over to the driver's seat while he goes inside, anticipating the "vroom vroom" joy of turning a brand new steering wheel. 1/4 turn, and clunk.
Like I said. Damn 1969. Damn it to hell.
David Colborne on May 20, 2009 at 09:16 PM
The best part is that all that new regulation inspired the feds to release another round of it in the early '70s, mandating things like smog controls (necessary, but annoying), 5 mph bumpers (silly), and fixed suspension heights (killed Citroen). Oh, and sealed beam headlights were still the law of the land - no aerodynamic headlamps for us!
Glad to hear it wasn't all bad, though.
salguod on May 21, 2009 at 05:56 AM
Cool stuff.
The vent windows only work if the hinges stay tight. On my 1960 Thunderbird, the driver's window is loose, so you open it up and it'll close itself at speed. Since, at the moment, none of the regular power windows will go down, that's a real bummer.
Oh, and for what it's worth, the Camaro & Firebird ditched their vent windows for 1968. If you see vent windows, it's a 1967 model. I think GM came out with 'flow through ventilation' that they said eliminated the need for vent windows. Ahead of the curve, I guess.
That Car Guy on May 21, 2009 at 07:21 AM
Also, the locking latches on the vent windows sometimes came loose, preventing tight closure. The same latches were easily opened by thieves who, once they got the vent open, could reach inside and open the door by one means or another.
In addition to Cadillac, most premium cars had power vents, but I'd say the vast majority were manual. Very few vents in the rear doors would open; most were just a filler since the rear wheel arches in the rear doors would not allow a full window to go down all the way.
Sigivald on May 21, 2009 at 02:07 PM
Ignition switches were moved from the dash to the column.
Well, unless you drove a Mercedes...
CJinSD on May 21, 2009 at 02:45 PM
Or a Saab, or a Porshe 911.
John B on May 21, 2009 at 07:47 PM
Yes, 1969 was a good year for cars. That spring, my dad traded a 1965 Rambler Classic 770 for a new LTD 4-door hardtop. (The second Rambeler was a bit of a disappointment being somewhat of a "lemon". But we kept its 1963 brother). Back then, Detroit offered some variety, offering fullsize Fords in a range that included two door, 4-door sedan, 4-door hardtop, convertible and wagon body styles...with three engine options (351, 390, and 429). Today, you have your choice of one body style, maybe two engines and either gray or gray interior.
He ordered it from a childhood friend, the Ford dealer in his home town in Western Wisconsin.
I got to take a day off school to go with him to pick it up...wow was it cool. He got the mid-range 390 engine and the mid range interion. The rest was perfect, "Black Jade" with a black vinyl roof, factory AC and all the power assists a car like that needs. I was impressed with the hide-away headlights, because just a few years before the only American car that had them was the Corvette. "Finally", I thought, "we're getting somewhere". Image was a bit important after spending most of the high-performance 1960s as the junior member of a two-Rambler family.
Before settling on the Ford, we looked at Pontiacs with their break-like fronts, Buicks and even a used Cadillac. Dad loved the LTD. He said the ventless front window (a first in our family) reminded him of the pilots side window in one of his favorite planes, the Convair twin-engine airliner...(the 240/340/440 series) which he flew in the Air Force.
Sadly, he died a couple of years later at the age of 49 so the LTD was his last new car. He really liked cars, and mom would often talk oboutthe nice cars that predated the kids that becan arriving in the late 40s. Sometimes when I'm doing domething with my cars, I think of dad and hope he'd be impressed with my taste.
SpeedFlux on May 21, 2009 at 09:19 PM
Glad to hear that on 1969 wasn't all bad.
Geo Walsh on May 29, 2009 at 03:30 PM
Great year, great cars. Don't forget the Buick Electra Duece-and-a-quarter with that long roccoco swoosh of chrome down the side. Growing up on the West Side of Chicago only about half of the families even had a car, if that. But a guy in my hood had a yellow one with a black vinyl roof which to me is still the symbol of that era. It's got to be twice as long as my 2006 Corolla! Flooring the accelerator on that was probably the equivalent of throwing a five dollar bill out the window. In 1969 dollars, too.
Paul on June 06, 2009 at 03:05 PM
My first car was a used '69 Cougar, and I pretty distinctly recall the ignition switch was on the dash, not the steering column. The steering column wasn't without its little quirk, it being spring loaded to kick to the side when the door was opened to make ingress and egress easier (not very consistent with the idea of locking the column I would think).
Speaking of "recall", while driving that same car I heard a radio report that '69 Cougars were the subject of a recall for front seat back support failures. Literally as I was listening the seat back on my car failed.
Sorry to say my recollections from the mid to late 70's recollections of driving a '69 didn't really leave me with warm feelings for the year. The 351 seems in retrospect to have been a decent engine, and the styling was pretty good, except for the awful vinyl roof. But not much else about that car still appealed to me when I sold it in 1981.
That Car Guy on June 07, 2009 at 03:18 PM
Paul, here's an image of a 1970 Cougar, with the ignition switch on the steering column. I don't know when 1969 production stopped and 1970 started, but I'd say it was sometime in 1969.
http://ebayimages.westcoastclassiccougarinc.com/70std/DSCN7798-1028.jpg
Paul on June 10, 2009 at 07:03 PM
OK, I can stipulate that moving the ignition to the steering column (Saabs excepted) occurred during 1969 (the calender year). But I would still guess that a number of 1969 model year cars had it on the dash. For example, I found this image of the dash of a 1969 Cougar with the ignition on the dash:
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/mercury-cougar-interior.jpg
That Car Guy on June 12, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Paul, my guess is that the move came according to the date the vehicle was manufactured, not the vehicle model year. The Feds dictated the feature; maybe some of the car makers got the job done a little early. I'll see if I can find some info on this.
I had a 1970 Cougar back in the day. It would have been a very nice car had the previous owner not wrecked it and bent the frame. Obviously they were gusseyed-up Mustangs, but that was a charm of its own. Did yours have the steering wheel that you squeezed the rim to blow the horn?
That Car Guy on June 12, 2009 at 11:02 AM
Well, here it is: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 114 became effective January 1, 1970. My guess is that since a lot of cars had few changed between the 1969 and 1970 models, that the changes were implemented on the '69 models so that the run all shared the same parts. Of course, there were exceptions.
I tried to explain that "1969" was a vague term, and not a precise automotive year model or calendar year. My apologies if I was not successful.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2817931/Rule-Motor-vehicle-safety-standards-Theft-protection-and-rollaway-prevention
Paul on June 12, 2009 at 11:27 AM
No apologies necessary. A really close call any way you cut it. Obviously some vehicles were getting the treatment before the effective date of the standard.
The horn question really shook off the mental cobwebs. Yes my car had a ribbon around the inside of the steering wheel that you squeezed to sound the horn. I hadn't thought about that little quirk since I bid the car goodbye. I guess with the Cougar being my first car the horn feature didn't strike is odd at the time. That car also had a couple of electric motors to drive the sequential turn signals, which I think Ford also used on some Thunderbirds in the mid 1960's.
A small correction of my own, I sold the car in 1983, a year after I finished school, not '81. Years later, in 1999, my wife and I were buying a station wagon (with the third seat) for hauling kids. The dealer happened to be acquainted with the man who had bought my '69 (the dealer was still servicing it). To the best of my knowledge that old Cougar is still on the road.
That Car Guy on June 12, 2009 at 01:08 PM
Here's a "Tilt-Away" steering column from the 1960s vintage Fords and Mercurys. It is a very rare option, I believe. The wheel goes off to the right, not up and down. There's one shown on "The Andy Griffith Show" in a white Thunderbird convertible, if memory serves.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/66-1967-Mustang-Shelby-Cougar-TILT-AWAY-STEERING-COLUMN_W0QQitemZ370206908412QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxq20090526?IMSfp=TL090526157001r24624
Paul on June 13, 2009 at 12:55 PM
$995 dollars for the steering column! If I'd kept the car I could be parting it out now for decent money.
alan on January 27, 2010 at 03:04 PM
Two other new features on cars made during 1969: full size GM cars had side impact beams in their doors and 1970 Lincolns could be ordered with Sure Trak, an anti-lock braking system for the rear wheels.
tomm on June 18, 2010 at 02:49 PM
My grandparent bought a new 1969 Buick Electra, special ordered without A/C! It also didnt have power windows or seats. But they got the towing package, and cruise control. Also, it was a 4 door sedan with B piller. They owned a welding shop and knew about its strength. It was solid as a rock and could go 75 all day.
Only when my teenage uncle got his licence did they car have issues, due to his 'hot rodding' it. Baby Boomer teens drove like wildcats. Thus, the trans died at 75K miles, and then car started to show more wear and tear by 95K. Back then, that was = 190,000 miles. Was traded in for a 73 Electra, and dealers only had loaded cars with power windows and A/C. But the '73 wasn't as tight, since it was a hardtop, and rattled. When it was sold at 100K, it was a mess.
So, the 69's were tough cars, but done in by planned obsolesance [sp?]