No month of May would be complete without a Chevrolet Camaro Indy Pace Car Edition, and this 1969 SS Convertible seems like an appropriate inclusion during a period when we have seen vehicles of this type from many marques crossing our desks at Barn Finds. It made me wonder what our readers consider to be the most desirable example of the breed. This amazing classic is heavily documented, meticulously restored, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting it here on Craigslist in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Of course, cars of this caliber are rarely cheap, meaning that interested parties must hand over $95,700 to take this one home.
Chevrolet’s First Generation Camaro was chosen to pace the 1967 Indianapolis 500, one of the greatest honors in American motoring history. However, the company didn’t rest on its laurels, with the Camaro SS Convertible serving in the same role in 1969. The company planned to leverage this exposure by producing approximately 6,400 examples of the Pace Car Edition, allowing virtually every dealer to get a slice of the pie. However, production ended after 3,675 cars left the factory, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of dealers who didn’t receive one to park in their showroom. This Pace Car Edition looks stunning in its correct Dover White with a matching power top and Hugger Orange stripes and graphics. The seller confirms that it underwent a rotisserie restoration, and the results justified the cost and effort. The paint looks perfect, the panels are flawless, and the stripes and graphics are crisp and clean. It wears the correct SS spoilers and badges, and the purposeful cowl induction hood. The seller includes a mountain of documentation, comprising the original Owner’s Manual, Window Sticker, Protect-O-Plate, and promotional material. The Window Sticker verifies that the first owner chose desirable options like Soft Ray tinted glass and bumper guards to help this classic stand out.
The color scheme set by the exterior Hugger Orange stripes continued inside the Pace Car Edition, with Chevrolet creating an interior that was dazzling but classy. The Orange vinyl is perfectly complemented by the Houndstooth cloth on the seats, ensuring that the Camaro turned heads with the top lowered. This car also features luxury touches like air conditioning, a tilt wheel, a console, an AM/FM radio, and a fold-down rear seat. Considering this Camaro’s recent history, the fact that this interior is in as-new condition is unsurprising. It is as close as you are likely to find to perfect, and wouldn’t look out of place on a showroom floor.
A 350ci V8, three-speed TH-350 automatic transmission, a Posi rear end, and power assistance for the steering and brakes. That is a mechanical combination guaranteed to perfectly combine performance with a user-friendly driving experience. Chevrolet’s small-block was at the height of its power during this period, producing 300hp and 380 ft/lbs of torque when bolted under the hood of the Camaro SS. However, this is one aspect of the seller’s listing that leaves us longing for more. They don’t indicate whether the SS is numbers-matching, which is an important factor when assessing the Camaro’s long-term investment potential. They also don’t supply specific information on its mechanical health, although the engine bay presentation and asking price indicate that the news should be positive.
We’ve seen a few Indy Pace Car Editions appear at Barn Finds during the last couple of weeks, and this 1969 Camaro SS Convertible is a gem that appears to need nothing. The Camaro proved the second most popular choice to fulfill the role, pacing the Indy 500 on nine occasions. The only badge to score more often is the Corvette, which was selected twenty-two times. That made me wonder what our readers feel is the most desirable of the breed. Is this 1969 Camaro a contender, or do you have another vehicle in mind? So, it’s over to you for comments.
I just can’t get into these Camaro pace cars,all that crap on the doors,the bright orange hounds tooth interior, and the matching orange stripes. It seems like your advertising something on the doors, (eat at joes) looking at that interior for a while you’ll need your sunglasses,and hounds tooth interior looks so cheap compared to vinyl or leather.and you seen one you seen them all!
How do you piss off your adult children? Cash in the retirement account, quit your job, and daily drive it until the day you die.
Ahh, blondes in bikinis, comb over waving like Old Glory as your hair spray loses it’s grip.
Go ahead, complain one more time. I dare you.
Al, I don’t mind the orange stripes and interior, but I always thought the side graphics were ugly. Hopefully these are removable. Everybody who’s going to be impressed by this one already knows that a white convertible with orange stripes and interior is an Indy pace car.
I always wanted a blue 69 Z/28 because the Roger Penske/Mark Donahue race cars were Sunoco blue. I was lucky enough to buy two of them over the years (28 and 43 years ago) but they were both Hugger Orange with black stripes. The orange grew on me over the years, so they aren’t blue.
This one is rare because of the factory A/C and tilt wheel. I haven’t seen one with A/C before. My guess is it was a warm climate car that needed A/C. The only thing that would be better is a 396/4 speed.
I saw one of them for sale at a nationally advertised auction about 12 years ago. It was a 100 car estate auction in New Wilmington PA. The pace car Camaro was a numbers matching 396/325 HP/4 speed car that had been hit hard in the front end and caught fire. Then it sat outside with a blue tarp over it for a while. If they tried to give it to me, I would have run away.
In a “Barrett Jackson” moment it sold for over $13K. The back story was a big time collector wanted it, but the son of the original owner also showed up. If anybody knows which one got it and where it ended up, please let me know. My guess is the son got it, hope he had deep pockets. It would take a lot to fix that one.
I would never remove the decals. I just wouldn’t buy one of these if the decals do not appeal to me.
There are plenty of other 69 Camaro models to choose from.
Yes, nice condition, but just another “Indy Pace Car” to me. I don’t like the graphics either. Now if it had documentation that it had been an actual pace car. Then I would be interested. As my grandfather worked at Marmon when it was in it’s heyday with the Wasp. And Joe Dawson (won Indy in 1913) was his buddy. (Cessie Cummins worked there at the same time.) So anything actually connected to Indy interests me.
Remember the days when it was a big deal to be chosen Indy 500 Pace Car? When manufacturers would celebrate with flashy, limited-edition replicas? It’s been a while since anybody cared.
In the early 2000s Chevy must have bought the pace car rights. Since then it’s been nothing but corvettes and a few camaros. So there’s been no real excitement about it since then, for me at least.
Kinda beats having a Camry as a pace car…even if they are competitive…
No greater automotive irony than the 69 pace car. All the cool equipment, in that gawd awful color combination. Some people say they like the color combo, but I’ve never seen it on a car that wasn’t a z10 or z11, so not too popular at the time at least.
I’ve always liked these, without the door graphics of course. They came from the factory in the trunk for the dealer or owner to apply if desired. A girl I dated owned a 396/4 speed version, with the factory gauge setup, which this does not have, but it sure is loaded otherwise. She came out to go to work one morning and someone had stolen the hood overnight!
A pal in High School’s mom had one which he drove regularly. Always trying to get him to pull a hole-shole ended with a mere tire squeak. Hmmm… He let me show him how to do it and produced a square block of tire smoke. He freaked out! Gaudy? Yeah; but its still reminiscent of that era. Hell, Ive got a ’72 GSX in white with Cragars. Not exactly a “blend in the crowd” car.
Melton, I believe that the white with orange stripes and orange interior was unique to Indy pace cars. If you had enough money or knew the right people at Chevy, you might have been able to special order a plain Camaro or a Z/28 in those colors. I’m sure Jerry MacNeish would know if something like that is out there. But it may cost a few bucks to find out.
In my “coulda, woulda, shoulda” file is one of these.
Back in the mid-80’s, I was on the hunt for a convertible. On my list was a chrome bumper Corvette, a ’69 Pace Car convertible, among others. They were all in the same price range, but I opted for the Corvette.
I enjoyed that Corvette for almost 30 years before moving it on, but just looking at the values these pacers are getting makes me second guess my choice.
Assuming everything about this car is legit, you don’t try to sell something like this on Craigslist! To me, that speaks volumes about the seller.
I always wanted an Indy Pace car, 67 at the top of the list, with 69 behind it, they both look great. I almost had an orange with white letters 1970 Cahllenger Pace car once. I thought about a 78 Vette Pace Car as well, but ran across a great one, number 241 of 500 2008 Corvette Indy Pace car, put 32k miles since I got it, so much fun to drive. It’s a 25th anniversary of the 1st Vette Pace car as well.
I have the matching Beam Bottle if one of you buy it and want a desk top twin. Still full of Jim Beam too, seal never broken.
The Pontiac Fiero was the pace car for the 1984 Indy 500. There were four. Pontiac sold replicas. If I could post a picture, I would. They also had a red interior.
As I recall, the Fiero Indy Pace Cars had a huge snorkel intake that went from the deck lid up to the end of the roofline in order to take in fresh air. Not sure if those came on the replicas too.