1969 Pace car information

[MosportGreen66]

I'm just asking. Is the Z-10 considered a Pace Car or just a Camaro with a pace car color scheme?

[JChlupsa]

Z11's window stickers will show the Z11 option as Indy Pace Car accents

Z10 will not

[rpoz11]

Ok, well Im sure you're right Hawaiian. However, I had a friend in the past who owned a stack of the orig photo's from 1969 INDY back in early/mid 80's showing a large group of these Z10 cars AT the track! All were lined up in a photo staged behind the actual replica convert's for a group GM/Track photo. So, where in the end do the Z10's actually consider themselves: SS Cars or...This reply post of mine is STRICTLY for conversation purposes only...

[Kurt S]

That might be tough. Track cars were built 3 months before the race. Z10's were there though they were just built a few weeks before? I doubt......

[Seattle Sam]

I agree with Kurt. These cars were at the end of their usefulness to the Speedway on the day of the race; their purpose at the track was to provide transportation for all the VIPs and officials during the months and weeks leading up to the race. Cars built three weeks before the race would not have any use to the folks at the Speedway unless there were some last-minute, unforeseen need for vehicles just before the race.

-Sam

[rpoz11]

OK: I will offer this; Quite possibly that photo Im discussing about the Z10's and the reeplicas could have been assembled POST-Race! I never looked at the dates on the photos when I was at them!

[MotownMadman]

According to the answers I have received to the very same question, provided to me by some well placed at the time GM executives, there was enough interest in house between actual GM employees who were provided cars, and the upper management at the dealerships, that these cars were produced with one of the main reasons of employees who liked the style and color scheme who did not want to have to deal with the cold in winter as well as the leaks in summer, combined with the year round wind noise and flapping provided by the canvas of the convertible. At the same time the marketing and advertising people figured that if enough employees would drive the Camaro hard top with the pace car colors it would add public interest to the pace car, in which it would be a great deal more then if the employees were not driving a Camaro at all. We have to remember that many of the employees who qualified for a company car were married family men with kids, the Camaro was not the optimum car for that duty, add the aggravation that can come with a drop top and all of a sudden the pace car would have received limited exposure from the employee driven area. Who better to be involved with the marketing or sales of a car then the people who were actually driving them, vs not driving them at all or being less then 100% pleased with the non practical problems associated with a drop top. I would guess that many a pace car had been sold after John Q Public saw the catchey color scheme on a Z10, only to arrive at the dealer to find none available, but the same colors and more styling options available on the spot with the pace car. This was opposite of a situation of seeing one thing advertised then to be dissapointed that what was advertised was sold out and have to settle for a lesser model. In this case the opposite was true, expect one model from the memories of those you have seen, only to find out you had to settle for a better model instead. Pretty tricky marketing all while keeping the employees happy. And they say that Ford has a better idea....HaH!
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