Video: Rare Ragtop 1969 Camaro Pace Car Fights Winter Weather

The 1969 Camaro pace cars are a rare breed. With only 3,675 ever made, it is rare to find one, let alone one in decent condition. Every once in a while, however, you’ll find one where you least expect it and that’s exactly what we did when we were perusing YouTube last week. Would you ever expect to find an authentic Camaro pace car doing donuts in the snow in Michigan? We didn’t either, but found one that was bold enough to do it anyway.

When it comes to small towns in Massachusetts in the winter, it’s cold, snowy, and not necessarily overflowing with things to do. However, that didn’t stop owner of Evers Auto Repair, Tom Evers, and his friends from having some fun in Uxbridge, Massachusetts one Saturday afternoon. All in the name of a good time, Evers took to the snowy shop lot in his authentic ‘69 Camaro pace car for some good ‘ole donut fun.

The 1969 Indianapolis 500 Camaro pace cars were limited edition RS/SS cars finished in Dove White with Hugger Orange Z28 hood stripes, with deck lid and fender stripes and stripes. They also had white rocker panels, a white rear tail panel and the authentic Indianapolis 500 lettering on the doors. The interior included Orange houndstooth cloth seats and convertibles were equipped with white tops. Based on the two cars that actually paced the Indy 500 in 1969, the Camaros came standard with a 350ci small-block, and a three-speed manual transmission, but a 396 big-block and other transmission options were available as well.

In talking with Evers, we found out that this particular pace car is equipped with the basic small-block 350 and the optional Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. It also has power brakes, power steering, and a 12-bolt rearend. Although it’s not a big-block car, it’s still rare and some would say, worth preserving.

Housed in a one-stall garage with the door always open one town over from Uxbridge since 1981, this Camaro pace car caught Evers eye from a young age.

So, when Evers found out that the car was for sale about a year ago, he contacted the woman who owned it with an offer. But it wasn’t a quick sale. The woman went back and fourth about selling the car and didn’t cave until two hours before Evers’ wedding, a year later. With a flushed gas tank and a new battery, the car fired right up.

We can’t say that many people would be pleased to see this Camaro pace car doing donuts in the snow, but why not? These cars were built to pace the Indianapolis 500, so some donut shenanigans won’t hurt anything. In fact, we commend Evers for having some good ‘ole fun without worrying about what kind of car he was driving.

Check out the Camaro pace car donut fun above.