1969 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car Vs. 1996 Camaro Z28

5.7 liters of bowtie Muscle two generations apartOne of those unplanned moments that set a path for the rest of one's life happened to me while riding my Schwinn Sting-Ray near Hendry's Beach in my hometown of Santa Barbara, California. At eight years old I liked cars, but when I looked over my shoulder that day and saw a new '69 Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car convertible leave the beach parking lot and burn rubber as it accelerated up Cliff Drive, I knew I would love them forever. I only glimpsed that white and orange convertible for maybe five seconds and never saw it again, but the sight and sound of it are vivid in my mind 27 years later. That was the car-power, freedom, and confidence incarnate. Sales numbers, specifications, even tests have nothing to do with it. For me, the greatest Great American Convertible will always be the '69 Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car.

In mission and general specifications, the Camaro hasn't changed much between then and now. The sporty yet affordable 186.0-inch-long '69 and 193.2-inch-long '96 weigh within 100 pounds of each other, and each packs an OHV, two-valve-per-cylinder V-8, a manly countenance, and the ability to mesmerize youngsters.

But in detail everything has changed-everything except that a 350-cubic-inch V-8 is still available. The current 5.7-liter LT1 may sport fuel injection, reverse-flow cooling, and a crank-trigger electronic ignition, but you'll still find the same bore and stroke (4.0x3.48-inch) and bore spacing (4.4 inches) that were underneath most '69 Pace Cars' four-barrel carbs and distributors. The 300 gross horsepower of the '69 350, however, hardly measures up to the 285 net horsepower of the '96. The '69 engine would make roughly 240 horsepower using '96 testing regimens, and its torque curve is agonizingly stingy compared to the fat expanses of the '96's.

No vintage Camaro convertible is as wantonly collectible as the '69 Pace Car. A white '67 Camaro convertible paced that year's Indy 500 and some 100 examples were built for speedway use, but it wasn't a special edition. When the Camaro again was invited to pace the '69 race, Chevy determinedly exploited every aspect of the expensive opportunity. Thus was born regular-production-option Z11, a $37 striping package that recast a Camaro convertible into a Pace Car.

That $37 price is deceiving, because the RS trim package (which included hidden headlamps) and the SS trim package (with the Z/28-style Cowl Induction hood and decklid spoiler) also were required. Furthermore, the Pace Cars had their own special interior with orange and white hound's-tooth upholstery complementing the orange stripes and white paint. Buyers could choose either the 350-cubic-inch/300-horsepower small-block V-8 or one of the four 396-cubic-inch big-block V-8s with outputs ranging from 325 to 375 horsepower (the latter with aluminum cylinder heads and an 11.0:1 compression ratio). The car 1960 Indy 500 winner Jim Rathmann drove at the head of the 1969 Indy field was powered by the 375-horse 396, but the vast majority of the 3675 replicas were 350-powered.

A white Camaro with orange stripes will pace NASCAR's 1996 Brickyard 400 this August, but it isn't a convertible, and the few replicas to be built will be T-top coupes as well. What a shame.

With rose-colored glasses affixed, approaching the '69 raises immediate questions. Why are the radio and ventilation controls angled so they're inaccessible to the passenger? Why are the seats so flat? Was there really a time when 14-inch wheels and 70-series bias-ply tires were considered high-tech? Were steering wheels always that thin-rimmed? All questions vanish once you drop an anvil on the throttle.