SERIOUS BUSINESS: An Enduring Legacy On The Street

June 13, 2019
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Statham

This Dusk Blue 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 (Lot #659) will be offered with No Reserve at the Northeast Auction.

The Z/28 version of the Camaro was conceived as a racing package, but built an enduring legacy on the street.

American muscle cars of the 1960s and ’70s tend to all get lumped together as if they were more or less the same, but in reality the cars exhibited several different personality types. For example, some muscle cars gave off a whiff of being more the creation of a marketing department than a machine that burst forth from the engineering and motorsports departments.

The first generation Camaro Z/28 was definitely one of the latter.

The Dusk Blue 1969 Z/28 Camaro (Lot #659) that will be offered with No Reserve at Barrett-Jackson’s 2019 Northeast Auction at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut is an excellent example of what many would consider the pinnacle of the Z/28’s development. In two short years the package that started as an obscure option for racers had grown to legendary status on the street, without losing any of its edge.

The original Z/28, first released in 1967, was built to give the raw material for Chevy drivers in road racing, particularly the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans-Am series. General Motors was still officially following the Automobile Manufacturers Association’s ban on factory-sponsored racing, but that didn’t mean everyone inside Chevrolet was content to let Ford and Chrysler win every motorsports contest. The Z/28 was added as an optional performance package, and it transformed the Camaro into a track-ready machine.

First, it received the 302ci version of the small-block Chevy V8 ‒ exclusive to the Z/28 ‒ which was developed to conform with the SCCA’s 305ci displacement limit in the over-2-liter Trans-Am class. The 302 was fortified with forged steel connecting rods, forged crankshaft, solid-lifter camshaft, large intake and exhaust valves, 11:1 compression ratio, windage tray, high-rise aluminum intake manifold, Holley four-barrel, a heavy-duty radiator and temperature-controlled fan. It was rated at 290 horsepower, and the 302 was one engine that really came alive in the upper reaches of the tach. It was not available with comforts like automatic transmission or air conditioning.

The Z/28 was also fitted with a special suspension tuned for handling and quick-ratio steering. What it did not receive was a garish styling package. Other than a pair of racing stripes and Rally wheels, the 1967 Z/28 Camaro offered no external clue to the race-minded hardware under the sheet metal. In its first year, the Z28 carried such a low profile that only 602 were produced.

That low profile didn’t last long. Roger Penske’s Z/28 Camaros won the Trans-Am championship in 1968 and 1969, and word quickly spread about these special Camaros. By 1969, prominent Z/28 emblems had been added to the package and a cowl-induction hood had joined the option list, but the car was still strictly business. For the extended 1969 model year, Chevrolet built 20,302 Z/28 Camaros, a remarkable number for a car that made so few concessions to the daily commute.

The 1969 Z/28 offered June 26-29 in Connecticut is as fine an example as can be found. It has its matching-numbers engine, transmission and rear end, and comes with extensive documentation, including certifications from Jerry MacNeish of Camaro High Performance, Inc., judging sheets and thoroughly documented ownership history. The correct Dusk Blue paint is complemented by the black custom interior option. Other options include the center console, power steering, tinted glass, special instrumentation, spoiler equipment, 3.73:1 posi-traction, and M22 heavy-duty 4-speed manual transmission.

Following its frame-off, concours-level restoration, this Z/28 has racked up the top awards from the muscle car show circuit. Among other honors, it scored 999 out of 1,000 points at Chicago’s VetteFest, and has won Concours Gold awards from the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. It has spent the last several years in a climate-controlled environment, and is in pristine condition. The 1969 Z/28 is the favorite of countless muscle car fans, and this car incorporates all the reasons why.

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE. For a look at all the vehicles on the 2019 Northeast Auction docket, click HERE.