Author Topic: The 1967 Camaro as Seen at Auto Shows & Unique Promotional Exhibits in 1966/1967  (Read 83307 times)

KurtS

  • CRG Coordinator
  • *****
  • Posts: 5960
    • View Profile
The Calvair has a sterling engine. No mention of being electric drive.

4 of the first pilot build Camaros were destined to be converted to electric drives, ala the Electrovair.

Kurt S
CRG

MO

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1178
    • View Profile
Interesting to hear that. Wonder what changed that they decided not to have engineering build them? Or did they?

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
Here is a cool photo and caption that appeared in the March 30, 1967 edition of The Terre Haute Tribune from Terre Haute Indiana.  It shows what I assume to be one of the actual cars destined to be used to pace the 1967 Indianapolis 500 coming off the production line at Norwood.  Standing next to it are Anton Hulman, President of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, W.C. Clark, Chevrolet Mideast Regional Manager and John D. Rhoades, Chevrolet Plant Manager.  The fact that these VIP's were there to see the car at final inspection and the fact that there were reporters there to record the event must indicate that this was one of the actual pace cars. 

If so, this answers a question that I had posted earlier.  The caption states, "this pace car will first be exhibited at the National Automobile Show in New York City April 1 through April 9."  This fact would mean that the car mentioned as the "Super-Special 500 Pace Car" in a previously posted article about the 1967 New York Auto Show was in fact one of the actual Camaros that would be used to pace the 1967 Indianapolis 500.  It probably went straight to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the show.

newspapers.com
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

MO

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1178
    • View Profile
I thought I read that the actual race Pace Cars were sent to engineering and then to Indy. I believe they would have needed to be race prepped.

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
I thought I read that the actual race Pace Cars were sent to engineering and then to Indy. I believe they would have needed to be race prepped.

Good point.  That makes sense.  Produce the car, make it pretty and then show it off before updating the mechanicals for its duties.
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
According to this document it looks like the actual pace cars were to be delivered to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway "on or before April 24th." 

This means that it is possible that after the car finished being shown at the New York Auto Show on April 9th it might have gone back to be upgraded for pace duty.

http://www.pilotcarregistry.com/1967-pace-car-documents.html
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

CantRepeat

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 251
    • View Profile
Did the SS396 horn button ever make it into general release?

-Tim

group/7

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 375
    • View Profile
Scott, came across these two shots of  a restored, or in the process, '67 Camaro Pace car from the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix held

 at Mosport Park, Ontario, Canada, September 27th. 1967.

Any idea where these might have been taken ? The terrain looks South Western, or So-Cal.

Note the flags attached to the A-pillars.

I found these on a French forum I frequent, not sure if they have been here before.

Mike

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
Scott, came across these two shots of  a restored, or in the process, '67 Camaro Pace car from the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix held

 at Mosport Park, Ontario, Canada, September 27th. 1967.

Any idea where these might have been taken ? The terrain looks South Western, or So-Cal.

Note the flags attached to the A-pillars.

I found these on a French forum I frequent, not sure if they have been here before.

Mike

Hey Mike, thanks for adding those current pictures.  Nice to see someone has taken the time to create and add those door decals.  I remember spending hours and hours looking for and finally finding a picture that showed what they might have looked like on some but not all of the cars.  The flags are cool too!

Not sure where it was taken but I concur with your assessment of it being in the southwest USA or California.  Neat bunch of old gas station signs!
« Last Edit: October 04, 2022, 04:01:49 PM by SMKZ28 »
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
Scott, came across these two shots of  a restored, or in the process, '67 Camaro Pace car from the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix held

 at Mosport Park, Ontario, Canada, September 27th. 1967.

Any idea where these might have been taken ? The terrain looks South Western, or So-Cal.

Note the flags attached to the A-pillars.

I found these on a French forum I frequent, not sure if they have been here before.

Mike

The location in the photos is a restaurant named Cooks Garage in Lubbock, Texas.  The photo was taken when the car was being showed at a car show there. 

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/04/have-you-heard-of-cooks-garage-on-route.html

http://cooksgarage.us/

More on the car can be seen here:
http://camaropacecars.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1730031235/m/7613925797?fbclid=IwAR3_zI4frvOHUMNhj4UKR0ewHVeS2QmC03stmlAj3pGNSb6bLSfA_ndh3C4

https://m.facebook.com/groups/334308821546204/
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
October 1966, Dallas, Texas

Just found a few pictures of the Texas State Fair Auto Show which took place October 8-23, 1966 in Dallas, Texas.  The pictures show that at least three 1967 Camaros appeared at the show.  These include one of the Camaro RS/SS 350 cut-away displays, a dark colored RS/SS 350 convertible and a light colored coupe.  The first two are easy to spot but the coupe is hiding behind the station wagon which is behind the Chevelle SS 396 convertible.

Image 1: worthpoint.com
Images 2/3: http://www.pilotcarregistry.com/rare-vintage-photos.html  (I posted this photo in Reply #17 when I first created this thread but I could not identify the location at that time.  Matching the cars and the background in this photo with the location and cars in the known photographs I just came across allowed me to identify it as the Texas State Fair Auto Show.)
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd

SMKZ28

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2845
    • View Profile
October 1966, Dallas, Texas

You can see the Camaro RS/SS cut-away car in the background of this shot of the Cadillac display.

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/vintage-snapshots-and-photography/vintage-photos-the-texas-state-fair-auto-show-1965-1966-1967-1968/
Scott
I don't have a 1st Gen but I have 1971 Z28 RS 4-spd, 1997 Z28 Z4C 6-spd, 2000 SS Convertible, 2010 RS 6-spd