Messages

646

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 02:32:35 PM »

More images of the Dream Cars/Concept Cars at the event.

Click on the link to use the magnification tools on the pictures at their website

1st picture (Aero Coupe): https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=251846&collection=p17257coll1
2nd picture (Aero Coupe): https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=234116&collection=p17257coll1
3rd picture (Manta Ray): https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=272021&collection=p17257coll1

647

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 02:29:20 PM »

This is also one of the events where Chevrolet brought out some of its Dream Car/Concept Cars to show off to the public.  I'm not sure if they were paraded around the track along with the drivers prior to the start of the events but photo evidence shows that the Camaro Z/427, Corvette Aero Coupe, and Corvette Manta Ray were on the grounds during the weekend.

Click on the link to use the magnification tools on the pictures at their website

1st picture (Aero Coupe, Z/427, Manta Ray): https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=246216&collection=p17257coll1
2nd picture (Aero Coupe & Z/427): https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=253281&collection=p17257coll1
3rd picture (Manta Ray & Z/427): https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=270589&collection=p17257coll1

648

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 02:20:30 PM »

The Corvettes of a local club were used to chauffeur the drivers around the track prior to the start of the Can-Am event.  A photo of the 34 Corvettes all lined up on the starting grid with the Can-Am drivers inside appeared on the cover of the October/November 1969 edition of Corvette News magazine.  You can see Denny Hulme in the modified green C2 and Bruce McLaren in the red C2, both McLaren drivers.

worthpoint.com

649

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 02:15:52 PM »

1) Cover of the souvenir program for the event (ebay)
2) Camaro & Corvette advertisement inside the souvenir program (worthpoint.com)
3) Poster for the event (ebay)

650

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 02:11:35 PM »

Here is some footage taken during the weekend onboard the McLaren M6B 50-17/Chevrolet of Oscar Koveleski during practice for the Can-Am event.  At the 0:41 mark in the film you can see the white 1969 Camaro SS 396 convertible pace car off to the side of the racetrack during the cleanup of a broken down Can-Am car.  Notice that the car has its black convertible top in the up position.

See the footage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NUWlViGF2s

651

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 02:03:41 PM »

Photo taken during the weekend with a spectators Camaro in the background.  Notice the Gulf racing sticker on the door.

https://library.revsinstitute.org/

652

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 02:01:28 PM »

Here are a few images of the Camaro Z/28 advertisement that hung above the pit lane during the weekend.

They also came from here: https://library.revsinstitute.org/

653

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 01:58:36 PM »

This picture shows that a different 1969 Camaro SS 396 was also at the track during the Can-Am event.  You can just see the front end of the car parked at the end of pit lane in this image.  Notice that this Camaro has the standard dog dish hub caps and not the Rally Wheels of the pace car.

It also can be found here: https://library.revsinstitute.org/

654

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 01:41:07 PM »

Here is the best shot of the 1969 Camaro SS 396 convertible as it leads the Can-Am cars around the track on the pace lap prior to the start of the event. 

For reference the license plate on the car is 7902-EE (New York).  You can read it if you click on the following link and use the magnification tools: https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=586301&collection=p17257coll1

655

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 01:37:39 PM »

The following day, Sunday, July 13, 1969, the same white 1969 Camaro SS 396 convertible was used again as the pace car for the SCCA Can-Am event.

You can just see it in these color photos parked at the head of the field on the starting grid prior to the start of the event.

These came from here: https://library.revsinstitute.org/

656

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 01:30:09 PM »

In this picture you can see a 1969 Camaro RS/SS convertible Z11 parked in the background beyond the #9 Matra 650 of  Johnny Servoz-Gavin/Pedro Rodriguez.

It came from worthpoint.com

657

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am Races

« on: December 31, 2021, 01:17:47 PM »

In this color image of the grid prior to the start of the Six Hour event you can just see the rear portion of the white 1969 Camaro SS 396 convertible pace car at the bottom of the photo.

Click on this link to see a larger version of the image: https://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/1969/Watkins_Glen-1969-07-13-br1.jpg

658

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Watkins Glen: 1969 Camaro SS 396 Conv Pace Car for 6 Hour Sports Cars & Can Am

« on: December 31, 2021, 01:14:38 PM »

In July of 1969 a white 1969 Camaro SS 396 convertible was used as the pace car for a double header weekend of sports car racing held at Watkins Glen International Raceway in Watkins Glen, New York.  An endurance race known as the Six Hours for the World Championship of Manufacturers was held on Saturday, July 12, 1969 and the Sports Car Club of America's (SCCA) Canadian-American Challenge Cup race (Can-Am) took place on Sunday, July 13, 1969.  The driving pair of Jo Siffert and Brian Redman were victorious in the Six Hour event driving their Porsche 908/02 Spyder while Bruce McLaren won the Can-Am race in his McLaren M8B 2/Chevrolet. 

This white 1969 Camaro SS 396 convertible is not the same car that was used in some official capacity at the U.S. Grand Prix held at the track nine months earlier in October of 1968.  That particular car was optioned with the Rally Sport equipment.  This one is not a Rally Sport.  In addition, this 1969 Camaro SS convertible is not the same car that is currently for sale as the "1969 Chevrolet Camaro U.S. Formula One Watkins Glen Grand Prix Pace Car"  That car was built in September of 1969, two months after the events depicted in these images.  (A thread on this car will be posted in the future.)

These four pictures show the Camaro parked in front of the field of sports cars prior to the pace lap for the Six Hour event held on Saturday, July 12, 1969.  You can see it on the right side of each image.  They are attributed to Dave Friedman.  I found them about a decade ago but unfortunately the web site where they were located no longer exists. 

Click on the link to see footage of the start of the Six Hour event.  It's not very clear but you can see the 1969 Camaro SS convertible pace car entering the pits at the 12:22 mark in the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJpvsBpG0kQ   

659

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Riverside Int. Raceway: 1968 Camaro RS/SS Convert. Pace Car for NASCAR Jan. 1968

« on: December 24, 2021, 04:35:12 AM »

Check out this article on the 1968 Camaro SS 396 convertible pace car located inside of the souvenir program for this event.  It mentions that "the Raceway recently took delivery of five spanking new Chevrolet Camaros..."  It goes on to say that "the cars are all the same shade of Corvette Blue and they're all equipped the same; 396 cid porcupine mills, the Chevrolet hydro-type trans, handling kits and disc brakes."

Notice that the door decal/stickers differ in this picture from the ones that are on the car during the actual race weekend.

posted by Bruce Ward at the Remembering Riverside Facebook page

660

Promotional Events and Concept Cars / Re: Re: Watkins Glen 1968 Camaro RS Conv Pace Car Sports Car Road Racing 6 Hour & USRRC

« on: December 23, 2021, 04:12:44 AM »

Thanks Scott for the pictures of the 1968 Z28 pace car at Watkins Glen.It could be the same Camaro but the one I am helping with doesn't have frt.and rear bumper guards.Maybe they were removed.They are trying to find earlier pictures of the car. Thanks Mitchell

Your welcome Mitchell.  Good luck with the search.  Let us know what you find out about LeMans Blue with white stripes 1968 Z28 you are researching.