1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z11 Pace Car Project

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In the late sixties, Camaros had been used as pace cars at Indy for a few years so Chevrolet decided to capitalize on that fact by building a “replica” and offering it to consumers. It ended up being one of the coolest packages ever released for the Camaro and that makes real ones very desirable today. This particular car needs a full restoration, but it appears to be the real deal. Find it here on eBay where you can bid or buy-it-now for $14k.

The Pace Car Camaro was basically a SS convertible with some very cool visuals. You could get a 396 big block, but most were ordered with the 350 V8 as seen here. This particular engine does not currently run and the seller makes it sound like it’s just a good opportunity for you “to make it work”.

While looking around the engine bay, I noticed that the Delco battery looks very old. The seller claims that it has been in a barn for 42 years so maybe it could even be the original?

The part about being in a barn for four decades is not hard to believe when you look at the inside. Unfortunately, the sweet orange houndstooth seats are totally trashed. According to Camaros.org, the Pace Car was the only convertible you could get with cloth seats. Looks like this one was ordered with the optional 3-speed automatic for comfortable top-down cruising.

Closer inspection of the dash reveals 14,102 miles on the odometer. Without documentation, I wouldn’t give that number much consideration. The seller mentions that it may be correct, but without documentation, it would be really hard to verify. Probably doesn’t matter much anyway because this Camaro needs everything.

The important part that we can verify is that this is a real Pace Car and not a clone. Yes, people do build copies of these because of how expensive they were new and how valuable they have become today. You can get all the parts to do it, but real ones should have a Z11 on the body tag. The code is there and all the other clues appear to be present.

This is going to be a huge undertaking, but in the end, you’ll have one of the coolest Camaros ever built. Let’s just hope that the reserve is set at a realistic amount and that the underside isn’t completely rotted out. More photos may be in order and it sure would be nice to see some as-found shots. Man, it had to be exciting to find this Camaro sitting in a barn!

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Comments

  1. Patrick S newport pagnellMember

    Weird rear bumper?

    Like 5
    • Anthony in RI

      Firebird rear bumper

      Like 13
      • Patrick S newport pagnellMember

        Ok Yes

        Like 0
  2. J_PaulMember

    If there wasn’t verification that this is a real pace car, i would be really suspicious of this. It’s missing the RS front. It doesn’t have a white top. It’s got poverty caps. The stripes seem all wrong. And it’s maybe the only ’69 Camaro in existence that someone HASN’T put SS badges on, even though it would be correct! I’ll let the experts chime in here, but there seems to be a lot wrong with this one.

    Even if it is real, it’s had a rough life. Hopefully someone can bring it back to glory.

    Like 8
    • Patrick S newport pagnellMember

      Yea, the Z11 cowl tag looks the part with the build date(04c) puts it in the right time frame. Lo Po air cleaner too.

      Like 4
    • CCFisher

      720, 50 A, and Z11 on the cowl tag are the marks of a true pace car. The non-RS front end and taillights, as well as the Firebird rear bumper, suggest that both ends of the car were damaged and repaired with used parts. At least, that’s one possible explanation.

      Like 11
      • TomMember

        Great car! What a find!. Indeed, imagine finding that in a barn! I agree with having had front and rear end hits.

        All great comments. Maybe it’s 1 of NONE made? Wow……really rare.

        Just kidding. LOL. couldn’t resist from an earlier comment on another car!!

        Like 4
  3. J.R. Ernst

    Some things are right, and some wrong. According to CRG research, the required options with the Z11 package included C05 white convertible top, D80 spoilers, YA1 deluxe seatbelts, ZJ7 rally wheels, ZL2 special ducted hood, Z22 Rally Sport, Z27 Super Sport, and Z87 custom interior (orange houndstooth, code 720). Cloth seats were not otherwise available in a convertible.
    This means that the fact that there is no RS option (headlights or tail lights), convertible top and the steering wheel are all wrong. There are also no D96 fender stripes. It was built during the correct time, and the hounds tooth interior does lend credibility.
    A thorough inspection of the body should be performed looking for filled in RS tail lights, and 2 fuel lines (indicating an SS). I am not disputing the validity of this car, but as a serious ’69 Camaro fan, I see too many discrepancies. It appears as if someone spent a lot of money to remove the RS options, or it was in a significant accident and the repair was very poor.
    All credit and research goes to the Camaro Research Group.
    http://www.camaros.org/69pacer.shtml#ID

    Like 12
  4. redwagon

    Vehicle is offered for sale in Quebec. Given the mish-mash of Pontiac and Chevrolet cars for sale in Canada in the past (in general late ’60s) is it possible that Canadian versions of Z11 were different from their US bretheren? Could they have been offered with non RS fronts, stripes that ended at the hood, standard Camaro taillights with integrated reverse lights and Firebird rear bumpers? Or is that just too much to swallow?

    Like 7
  5. Johnmloghry Johnmloghry

    Yeah, everybody knows Canadian cars are different from U.S cars so you might be on to something. We need to hear from our Canadian neighbors on this point.
    God bless America

    Like 2
  6. Johnmloghry Johnmloghry

    You’ve got a point. Let’s hear from Canadian experts on this.

    Like 1
  7. JoeNYWF64

    How does 1/2 of the speedo needle break off?
    If this is 1 of the last ’69s, it has a ’70 door mirror! Car factory workers have put wrong emblems, etc. on cars – sometimes 2 non matching engine displacement emblems on the same car, perhaps grabbing the wrong part by mistake out of box if in a hurry/behind quotas,
    or running out of the right parts towards end of ’69 production. or perhaps even the assembler had too much to drink? lol
    I see a pontiac delux steering wheel!
    If this is a canadian only camaro, 1 would think they would also use a ’69 firebird dash too, like the Beaumont did.

    Like 3
    • Lynn DockeyMember

      The 69 Camaros where mage for a year and half because the new 70 car wasn’t ready. That’s why you see 70 1/2 Camaros for sale.

      Like 2
    • Skip cavey

      I owned an all original 69 pace car and that air cleaner looks wrong. Is it a 2 or 4 barrel carb? Also the master cylinder indicates drum front brakes, not the standard disc brakes that were a part of all SS models in 69. I’d be curious if it has a 12 bolt rear as well, also standard with the SS option.

      Like 3
  8. Gaspumpchas

    UP TO 10 large with no more buy it now and no reserve. Looks pretty complete, with non human molestation. That Hounds tooth material must have been tasty. no pics of the under belly. Good luck to the new owner. Looker over good….
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 4
  9. Maverick

    Driving in.the winter. Love the snow tires
    Lol. It’s been driven hard and discarded in a shed. No love for the car.

    Like 3
  10. Bob Kelley

    Too much wrong to list here. Missing RS Hideaway front. Missing SS emblems and/or original holes for them. Stripes wrong front & rear. No pinstripes, Missing RS rear backup lights, rear bumper, wrong top, Wrong engine. L48-350 would not have oil tube, alternator on right side etc. So rather than listing all that’s wrong…whats appears right is a trim tag and interior.

    Like 7
  11. Ted

    Curby McCurberson. Bought, loaded and while in the throes of ecstasy he takes the standard curber photo. Why can’t these clowns learn to clean up a vehicle and present it properly? And yes, I’m getting choked these yard maggots are finding these things and I’m not.

    Guy I know pestered the hell out of an older lady who had a 66 Fairlane GT, that she didn’t really want to sell, saying it was his dream car, ooh how he’d looked for one for ages, and he’d restore it and be oh so proud if she’d sell it to him. Got it, ripped the engine out and scrapped it. yard maggots, the guys you see in your yard scoping stuff out and when they’re confronted they say they’re looking for their dog. ‘Nuff said.

    Like 9
  12. Ken Martin

    There almost seems to be more wrong with this car than right. The top appears in relatively decent condition, while the seats are not. Possibly proving it had been changed. What really amazes me is the trunk lip. It seems to be rusted away in a couple areas. I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but wouldn’t you think the top would be destroyed in a barn, especially if the trunk lid is? Just saying. I looked real close at the data tag, to see if it had been changed. I’m not the only one either I’m sure. I would need more documentation before buying it as a true pace car. It would’ve been simple to change the tag, or front clip in the 70s. Could explain a lot.

    Like 4
  13. 427Turbojet 427TurbojetMember

    The Chevrolet dealer in my home town was a good family friend. Often on Saturdays my dad would take me along to stop at the dealership so dad and Rudy (the dealer) could catch up on the local news. Usually I was allowed to buy 1 promotional model car, several of which were displayed on top of the parts bins right on the showroom floor. Starting when I was 5 in 1962, Rudy and I would go into his office and start to “deal”. He would start at $2.00, I would start at $.50 and end up at a dollar. For the pace cars, I had to wait until the end of the model year, Rudy wanted them on display. I played a few of them to death, but most were prized and stayed on a shelf in my bedroom. Would love to be able to relive those happy days.

    Like 9
  14. newfieldscarnut

    I need an aspirin .

    Like 2
  15. stillrunners

    Had two back in the late 70’s…sold the better one and the other shell was around for a while. It finally went to the buyer of my 427 SS Impala.

    Like 0
  16. Larry Wahler

    OK, 1st off … ANY Camaro Pace cars I have seen had the RS Hideaway Headlights. Plus the RS Back Up Lights are missing … not supposed to be in the Tail Lights. Black Top, WRONG! Hubcaps, WRONG, Mirror is Not chrome, should be! Stripes do not go past the hood … probably because the front clip is wrong ….. this car is such a fake.

    Like 1
    • Jon

      How do you explain the body tag.

      Like 0
      • Superdessucke

        What if somebody took it off another car? We’ve all seen complete wrecks sell for a lot of money on here. Where do you think those cowl tags and VIN plates are going?

        Some are going on Dynacorn bodies, true, but some may also be going on roached out base cars to try to turn a quick buck.

        I’m not saying that is the case here but I would be very suspicious of this. The market of course isn’t as bidding is very high but somebody might end up getting ripped off here.

        Like 2
  17. 69Pacecar

    As the owner of a 69 Pace car replica in the 80’s and living here in Canada I can verify that the replica was the same as in the USA with the hideaway headlights and the stripes all the way to the front and the straight bumper on the back. The taillights were the same. Unfortunately I had to sell mine due to people taking parts off it and I had nowhere to put it where it would be safe so to make sure it did stay safe it was sold to a friend and I heard from him recently that somebody in the east of Canada had bought it and done a complete restoration on it.

    Like 2
  18. Kahunah

    Check the hidden VIN stampings before you shell over the dough. If they match the trim tag you would certainly have a unique vehicle. For a long time there was debate as to whether or not Z11 coupes were built…..they were. Who knows, maybe some non RS/SS models too?

    Like 1
  19. Little_Cars Alexander

    Anybody notice the rivets for the tag seem to instead be smoothed over JB Weld? I’m guessing the tag is off a salvaged pace car. Was popped off, added to this regular convertible, the tag being sprayed with flat black paint to disguise the ruse. I don’t see rivet heads there, just like someone paddled a little epoxy in the holes. Seen it done often with the baseplates on Hot Wheels and Tootsietoys.

    Like 0
  20. Larry Wahler

    I see the car sold for Over $12K .. would be curious to know if the new owner got a deal, or if this was a total fake! Be cool to see the owner post on here or Facebook about the car.

    Like 0

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