Indy Pace Car Project: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro

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Since the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, there have been manufacturer-supplied cars to pace the field. One of the most popular automobiles to have this honor was the Chevy Camaro, which did it four times between 1967 and 1993. And, of them, the most famous of all Indy pace cars may be the ’69 Camaro, which paced the 53rd running in May of 1969. This drop-top is said to be one of those cars or an authorized replica, which is in rough shape and located in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s available here on eBay where the bidding has reached $19,600.

Camaro production exceeded 243,000 units in 1969, the car’s third year on the market. The numbers remained strong as the model year ran for 15 months due to delays in readying the all-new 1970 Camaro’s for the assembly line. More than 17,500 were convertibles. The 1969 pace cars would carry both Super Sport and Rally Sport trim and be Dover White in color with Hugger Orange stripes and a matching interior, finished off by a “ducted hood.” Chevrolet provided 133 of the cars to serve in pace and festival capacities. While some had 396 cubic-inch V8s. most had the L78 350 rated at 300 hp with an automatic transmission.

To capitalize on the marketing possibilities the Indy 500 presented, Chevy commissioned that 3,675 replicas to be allocated to their dealer network. These included the RPO Z11 trim package for what would be known as the Indy Sport convertible. The bulk of these special cars was built at the Camaro’s primary assembly plant in Norwood, Ohio. The seller says this vehicle is an Indy car, and the data on the cowl tag seems to jive with a real deal.

This Camaro has a 350 CI/300 hp V8, but the seller does not know if it’s original to the car. It will need to be rebuilt, though the crankshaft has been machined. The TH-350 automatic transmission is period correct but not numbers-matching. A ton of work will be needed to whip this automobile back into any kind of running order. The body will need a ton of work, as well, including the floorboards, trunk, and fenders. The hood and taillight light panel are new, and the doors have been sandblasted and epoxy-coated. The grill and most of the headlight parts are missing with the RS peek-a-boo covers. So, the cost of acquisition will be just a starting point for this project.

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Comments

  1. Pat P.

    How does car like this get to look like that? Shameful

    Like 6
    • Jay McCarthy

      Years ago there was one of these that sat outside in the town I lived in decaying while the Ford Taurus got the garage

      Like 0
      • GTR

        “Priorities” Sad

        Like 0
  2. Anthony Raymond

    That thing is pretty harsh for the money 😕

    Like 0
  3. Ken Barker Ken

    You’ll have 50 in it when you’re done.

    I’m sorry I don’t see the value.
    Thank you Barret & Mecom.
    Right out of the saddle.

    Like 0
  4. Al camino

    I love the orange paint on the intake,somebody went all out to make this car look nice

    Like 6
  5. Paul

    I think the heads are incorrect one is a fullie double jump the other is a stock 350 I might be wrong correct me if I am

    Like 0
  6. V12MECH

    The resto attempt is slap-dash, like the seller is trying to doll up a rust bucket for a quick flip. Not sure if block is original? Didn’t Chevy stamp a partial “vin” on the right front pad in ’69 ? Or at least the last 6 numbers.

    Like 2
  7. Johan

    Like that freshly painted intake. Nice touch!👍🏻

    Like 1
  8. Claudio

    Ohhh boy
    This was found at the bottom of the ravine submerged !
    I had the pleasure of owning a 69 rs coupe for 18 years
    Loved it but sold it for a real estate deal that worked out great
    When i bought mine , i couldn’t find a decent topless , the canadian winters had eaten away and the looked like this heap…
    Always had a soft spot for the pace cars but the nice ones are too expensive for my liking

    Good luck to the buyer

    YOLO

    Like 0
  9. George Birth

    Someone stopped to count the cost of restoring this one and decided to help another fool part with their money instead.

    Like 2
  10. gaspumpchas

    Yea George it says it went for 19,700. SMH.

    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 1

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