1967 Camaro RS/SS Convertible Pace Car for Trans-Am Race at Mid-Ohio in 1967

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A white 1967 Camaro RS/SS convertible was used as the pace car for the fifth event of the Sports Car Club of America's (SCCA) 1967 Trans-Am series held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.  The event took place on Sunday, June 11, 1967 and was won by Jerry Titus in a Mustang.  George Follmer gave a Camaro its best finish of third in the #16 Penske entered machine.  He was substituting for Mark Donohue who was in France racing at the 24 Hours of LeMans. 

The interesting thing about the pace car is that it looks like a 1967 Indy Pace Car replica but the nose stripe and the pin stripe seems to be black instead of blue.  This Trans Am event would have taken place less than two weeks after the 1967 Indianapolis 500.  The car has the rally wheels but Tom McGinnity at the Camaro Pace Car web site believes that "the door decal is installed off from the parameters set by the cars that were at Indy...and crooked to boot."  I'm not sure if any more information has surfaced but back in 2012 Tom also stated, "I wonder WHERE they got the decals...We have never been able to lock down how they existed or even a part #."  Where ever it was procured the decal placed on the door does not include the portion that states, "51st Annual Indianapolis 500 Mile Race - May 30, 1967."

1st picture:  This is a picture that appears in a pictorial retrospective of the Trans Am race on page 6 of the program for the SCCA Nationals that took place July 15-16, 1967.  It was posted in the Trans Am section of CRG.

2nd picture: The entire page from the SCCA Nationals program. (CRG Trans Am section)

3rd picture:  This picture appears in the July, 1967 edition of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Newsletter.  Jon Mello posted it on the 9th page of the 1967 Trans Am season review in the Trans Am section of CRG here: http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=11290.120

4th picture: The entire page from the Newsletter.

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In this shot the Camaro RS/SS convertible can be seen in front of the Trans-Am machines on the pace lap prior to the start of the event.  I found it at the Dave Friedman Collection on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thehenryford/8554763516/in/album-72157632987770750/ 

The second picture is a cropped version of the same picture.

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Check out the stylized version of a Camaro on the cover of the event program.  An ad for Earl Davis Chevrolet, Inc. appeared inside the program.  Notice that it used the same stylized image as the cover.  This is probably the dealer that supplied the Camaro pace car.  Also notice that this dealer was an "exclusive dealer for Yenko Camaro."

I couldn't find any pictorial evidence but the drivers might have been chauffeured around the track in Camaro convertibles prior to the event.   

Pictures courtesy of CRG member Jon Mello

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A poster for the event used the same image that appeared on the program cover except in a different color.  It is also courtesy of CRG member Jon Mello.

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Here is another ad for Earl Davis Chevrolet featuring the "Yenko-Camaro Stomper."  It appeared on page 50 of the Thursday, May 11, 1967 edition of the Mansfield News Journal, a newspaper from Mansfield, Ohio.  I found it at www.yenko.net