The Chevrolet Camaro entered the pony car market more than two years after its September 1966 launch. Despite this, though, it went on to become one of the most recognizable cars of the golden age of muscle cars. Without any delay, Chevrolet introduced rivals for each and every Ford Mustang iteration. It featured six-cylinder entry-level versions, small-block V8 pony cars, and big-block vehicles that could be converted for drag racing with few modifications.
The first-gen Camaro also spawned a pair of high-performance COPO models and even an SSCA Trans-Am homologation special. The latter arrived in December 1966 and introduced the now-legendary “Z/28” badge. Created to enable Chevrolet to race the Camaro in the Trans-Am series, the Z/28 was quite popular with the muscle car crowd.
In 1967, Chevrolet sold just 602 units; however, in 1968, deliveries increased to 7,199 units. Chevy sold 20,302 cars the next year, outpacing the rival Ford Mustang Boss 302 by a ratio of 12 to 1. The Z/28 is a highly sought-after rig by 2023.
Although the 1969 model is not nearly as uncommon as its predecessors, certain modifications have the ability to transform a Z/28 into a low-production jewel. Paradoxically, the majority of these vehicles are limited edition due to rather commonplace features. Usually, it’s a choice made within the cabin or a color scheme. It’s the black paint on this 1969 Camaro Z/28, for instance.
I know, right? Black seems like a super common color on muscle cars. It’s viewed as fitting by many enthusiasts and found its way on many high-performance rigs from the golden era. Well, as it turns out, not so many customers ordered a 1969 Z/28 in this hue.
There’s no specific figure from the factory on how many were painted black, but records indicate that 0.6% of the total Camaro production in 1969 left the assembly line in this color. Since Chevy built 20,302 Z/28s that year, we can estimate a black Z/28 output of around 122 cars. I know it’s not a super accurate figure, but trust me, you won’t see too many black Z/28s out there. They’re mostly red, blue, green, and yellow.
And if we are to believe Camaro expert Jerry MacNeish, only a few of them soldiered on to rev their engines into 2023. His database includes only 12 cars. They’re probably more out there, but perfectly restored examples like the one you see here are hard to find.
This Z/28, on display at MS Classic Cars, has been restored to its original specifications, down to the all-black interior and the white-striped rear paint. Additionally, it has a ton of features including an AM pushbutton radio, cushion grip steering wheel, tachometer, four-speed manual transmission, and power disc brakes.
The engine is factory original, even though not all of the parts match the numbers. The 302-cubic-inch (4.9-liter) V8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor was an exclusive feature of the first-generation Camaro Z/28 when it went off the manufacturing line. Its ratings were 290 hp and 290 lb-ft (393 Nm) of torque.
The Camaro looks spotless from every angle, and both the interior and the engine bay are squeaky clean. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that the restoration took a whopping 11 years. So, how much is a Z/28 like this worth nowadays?