Images: Mecum Auctions

When someone references a first-generation Camaro pace car, chances are images of the 1969 Indianapolis 500 Pace and Festival cars dance in your head. But if you’re a connoisseur of classic Chevys or vintage race memorabilia, you know that the Camaro pace car craze actually started with the very first Camaro- a 1967 convertible model that paced the famous 500 mile Indy race two years prior.

These iconic pace cars rarely come up for sale, but this July, one of the very cars that started it all will cross the stage at the Harrisburg Mecum Auction!

The 1967 Indianapolis 500 race was a defining moment for the 1967 Camaro. As a first-year car, the ’67 model was a popular choice on the market, which Chevrolet celebrated by pacing the Indy 500 with one of the new models.

The particular model used for the race was a RS/SS model equipped with a 396ci engine and finished in “0” code white paint with a convertible top.

They were optioned with the traditional nose stripe deleted and painted with a special “bumble bee” blue nose stripe with blue pinstripe accents running the length of the body. A 732-coded interior trim topped the car off with a matching blue interior while exclusive Pace Car Decals were shipped with each vehicle to be applied prior to the race.

In total, 81 official Pace Cars and Festival Cars were commissioned for the 1967 race. These consisted of one official Pace Car, two back-up pace cars (one as an official back-up and another believed to be the official prize car for the race winner), 43 Festival Cars, 10 Speedway cars and 25 cars for exclusive Chevy VIP transportation duties. In addition to the official Pace and Festival cars, Chevy also released a limited run of official Pace Car Replicas, which could be bought through Chevy dealerships after the running of the race.

In all, only about 350 cars are believed to have been built by Chevy factories featuring the Indianapolis 500 color scheme and options, though this number differs from source to source (from 103 to over 400).

No matter if the official number of ’67 Indy cars is in the 100s or 400s, however, the model remains significantly rarer than the 1969 Indy Pace Cars and replicas, which were produced to the tune of 3,675 models.

The particular Indy Pace Car that will grace the Mecum stage next month is a true 396/375hp, 4-speed car. Formally of the Bob McDorman Collection, we can reasonably infer that because of this, that the car is a legit commissioned pace car, festival car or official factory replica, rather than someone’s attempt at making their own ’67 pace car. Certainly documentation would be the only way of determining this for sure, which the auction listing does not mention anything about.

In addition to the official Pace Car graphics and paint scheme, the ’67 Camaro soon to be heading to Harrisburg features power disc brakes, a 12-bolt rearend, AM radio and redline tires. These features all come secondary to the notariaty this iconic piece of race history brings with it.

Whether you’re an Indy 500 fan, Chevy enthusiast or just like a good car story, this ’67 Camaro Pace Car is sure to conjure up interest. If you’re interested in bidding on this car, be sure to register with Mecum Auctions for the July 24th through 26th event!