Cars in Yards: 1969 Camaro disappears but RS/SS Indy Pace Car keeps dream car hunt alive

Camaro hunting we will go. Not everyone has a burning desire to own a 1969 Camaro, like I do. From the first time that I laid eyes on one in 1977, at five years old, I decided the third-year Camaro design was flawless. I liked everything about the look of that LeMans Blue 1969 Camaro parked in the neighbor’s driveway. I promised myself, that one day, I would have my very own ’69 model.
  Unfortunately, I was hesitant to pick up the keys to my favorite Camaro when they were still a relative bargain. I passed on rust-free, daily drivers in the $3,500-to-$5,000 price range during the late-1980s and early-1990s. My wallet betrayed my wants. Four grand was a large chunk of change for a high school/college age kid.
  Sacrificing that money would have been a small price to pay to rid myself of ’69 Camaro fever. My dream car is now popular with millions of muscle car fans across the globe and prices reflect that demand.
  Now, I’m a high school kid trapped in a middle age body. My hunt continues for an affordable 1969 Camaro.

Not for sale? Really?
  The neglected, maroon 1969 Camaro (pictured above) was discovered in Cullman, Alabama in 2008. I thought this Camaro was my ticket to ride in my dream car on the cheap.
  These were my clues:

•   Four tires, almost all flat. A good sign – for me. This car is not driven. 
•   Parked on the far side of the driveway, away from the safety of the carport. 
•   Owners don’t know what they have. They should protect my... I mean their investment.

  The owner, who was all too familiar with doorbell dingers, politely explained the reason why it wasn’t for sale and why I could never buy it. Undeterred, I continued to check on the status of the car periodically until it disappeared from the driveway in 2009. I can’t say I didn’t try.
  Several years passed and I was beginning to think that I would never see another 1969 Camaro “in the wild” so to speak. Until...

This diamond in the rough 1969 Camaro RS/SS was found on the brink of destruction in Ohio.

The 1969 Camaro found in the woods
  Jim Kollat found a 1969 Chevy Camaro RS/SS Z10 Indy Pace Car in the woods in Ohio last year. The limited production Camaro was missing the drive train and front end but it is an actual Z10 Indy Pace Car coupe. One-of-400 built and this one features ivory houndstooth interior.
  The previous owner had stripped parts he needed from the ’69 Camaro and left the rest covered with a tarp in a field. Decades passed and the car was finally being loaded up for scrap when Kollat happened by.
  “These guys were pulling cars out of the woods with a 4-wheel-drive and a chain. I watched a Mustang get torn in half. I paid them cash to stay away from this one.” said Kollat.
  Kollat, now a hero of mine, purchased the Camaro just before it headed to the crusher. My 1969 Camaro hunt continues.

Jody Potter

— Junkyard Life

A 1969 Camaro RS/SS Indy Pace Car rides home on a wrecker after Jim Kollat hauled it out of a field.

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