1969 Camaro Z/28: A little ferocious animal that eats Mustangs!

It was Chevrolet’s answer to the Ford Mustang, and when it first showed its taillights to the blue oval in the latter half of the 1960s, they became very nervous. It was sleek and muscular, with the power and handling to match, and when the first one rolled off the assembly line in 1967, the pony car wars were officially born.

We speak of course about the Chevrolet Camaro, a car that came to us with one goal – to trounce the Ford Mustang in every category imaginable. In fact, when the automotive press asked what the name “Camaro” meant, Chevrolet replied, “It’s a little ferocious animal that eats Mustangs…”

On this episode of Hemmings, TESTED Muscle, brought to you by American Collectors Insurance, Mike Musto jumps behind the wheel of a 1969 Camaro Z/28, a car whose purpose was to dominate corners on both the street, and in Trans Am racing.


TESTED Muscle Episode 3: Is the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 the Best Pony Car Ever Made?

Hemmings Marketplace - 1969 Chevrolet Camaros for Sale


BUYER'S GUIDES - 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

A Decades-Abandoned Restoration Effort Yields a Z/28 Project Too Good to Pass Up

Unearthing a barn find special-order color 1969 Chevy Camaro Z/28

50 Years of Camaro


1969 Chevrolet Camaro

@AmericanCollectorsInsurance #musclecar #Camaro #Z28 #Chevrolet #americancollectors #Hemmings #MuscleCars

[ajm]

I was 19 years old when I bought a used 69 camaro in 1973 and it looked just like this one😊 and that’s no bullshit, had it for 4 years, sold it and got married and bought a house and moved on, I was young enough to enjoy it, no regrets, I now have 9 grandchildren and still married to the same girl, every cop in town knew my name 😊

[Revival]

It’s like you said, he’s had it for that many years and hasn’t really changed anything. I think that’s pretty special. It shows a level of appreciation for what the car is and it means it must be a great fit for the owner. So cool.

[vernhoke]

I fell in love with Camaros when I first saw one in the parking lot of the apartment complex I lived in as a kid in the spring or 1967.
Over the decades I've owned 6.

[cew]

I just found this video. It gave me goosebumps.
I bought my Z/28 in July of 1969. It was brand new. I still have it. It does go around corners like he said. It was my daily driver for years.

[GeorgeWWashington]

To give the z28 DZ 302 more creedance than the factory rated 295 hp rating, engine tester on YouTube Richard Holdener dyno tested the DZ 302 with a tune and headers on the engine stand.The output came to 357 hp and 334 lb-ft torque. The 302 was never a high torque engine like the 350 which came later in 1970.The Lt1 350 z28 engine made horsepower everywhere in the rpm range and significant torque over the DZ 302 .

[charlesdalton]

What a honey of a car and congrats to the owner for hanging onto it! I had to go back and check the underneath shots, because it sounded like the car had the factory chambered exhaust. Certainly made beautiful sounds. I finally figured out why I like your reviews so much - your respect for the car. The way you drive them, shows their capabilities but never are they abused. One final thought - when the @#$@#$ did 1970 become “50 years ago”? Shouldn’t that be like 1940 at least? 😂. Thank you as always ~ Chuck

[mikewozawski]

I used love watching Mike on big muscle glad to find him here

[pinchus]

Full confession...I am not a big Camaro fan. However, I love that Monte has owned the car as long as he has and I love that it's really, really nice but not perfect because it's been used. Mike, thanks again for something special.

[mattf]

Side note...look at all the pony cars rated at just under 300 hp..a result of insurance companies setting a 300 hp line for increased pretty much made more than 300 hp in the real world

Cool to see the Gilmore get some love..if any of y'all are near southwest Michigan be sure to see this world class museum

[ericvitelli]

Beautiful machine and love story!
I love my 67 Camaro.

[irocitZ]

You know whats crazy? Every car show i go to i always see a 69 Camaro in some form or another, no matter how many times I see one i never get tired of looking at these. Its one of the coolest cars ever, especially the Z28.

[edwardberry]

I really enjoyed the History about the z28 Camaro, great job !

[jeffreyyeater]

I had a 69 z28 that I fully restored . 302 was balanced, and had a general kenetics cam that almost matched the Z offroad cam . 410 gears . 7200 rpm with stock points . It was fast . Ive driven boss 302s . No comparison.

[ShadowBend]

Very cool car. I know the monster horsepower stuff from that era get alot of love, but I like the more race ready versions like this Z/28 and the Boss 302.

[willyhwang]

i love these Big Muscle type series.
please keep them coming and keep it going!!!

[lowellmccormick]

When I was in high school, my friend was an amateur boxer. His dad told him that if he won the national championship, he could choose the car he wanted. He won the NAAU boxing championship and chose a 1969 Z28, orange with black stripes and a few go faster options. It was awesome.

[leosun]

My absolute FAVORITE muscle car and year of Camaro of all time- and in my favorite ’69 Camaro color of Daytona Yellow.
I had a ‘69 RS Z/28 that was Daytona Yellow when I was a senior in high school. I’ve had a bunch of Chevy cars- mainly Camaros and Chevelles, and a couple of Mustangs over the years, but my ‘69 RS Z/28 I had in high school is the only one that I regret not holding on to, to this day. Monte was smart to keep his Z/28.
Thanks for a sharing such cool story and car.👍🏻

[erikalarson]

Mike, I am really liking this series. I am going be critical of the term you are throwing around continually: Muscle Car. The Camaro, Mustang, Javelin, Firebird, Cougar, Challenger and Barracuda are ALL Pony Cars. Kevin Oeste has a great explanation of the difference on his channel. I will leave the Sport Car and Full-Sized performance car definitions aside for now. A Muscle Car is an American Mid-Sized car rear wheel drive built from approximately 1962-ish to about 1976-ish, with a minimum of 383 cubic inches displacement, and a 2-door sedan or convertible, with various combinations of transmissions and axle choices. The Corvette, Cobra, and maybe the AMX define the American Sports Car. The Full-Sized cars are Impala's, Wildcats, Galaxies, Polara's, etc. I give full credit to the Australians for the Falcon's and Torana's Let to controversy and arguing begin.

[johngoodman]

The 69 Z was a trans-am car. Change the rear end gear and a few tweaks under the hood it became a street beast.

[charlesroyal]

nice to see you doing these types of videos again!