1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396

1969 marked the final year for the first generation Chevrolet Camaro and several updates were made to the model. The grille was tweaked for both the standard and RS model Camaros and the body was given some new lines trailing off the more squared wheel arches. Louvers were stamped in the rear quarter panels and the interior was refreshed as well.

The ’69 Camaro SS 396, listed at $3,075 new, was available in a wide array of trim levels and powertrain options, making it the ideal choice for that year’s Indy 500 pace car. At the bottom of the list was the humble 250 cubic inch inline six and toward the top was the big block 396 cubic inch V8 that produced anywhere from 325 to 375 horsepower.

This particular car had been totaled after a front-end collision with a food truck. Hagerty acquired it in 2011 and the vehicle became the second Hagerty employee restoration project. Work began on September 20, 2011 and involved 123 employees putting in 2,750 hours of work. It was a challenging project that concluded with a paint job in the car’s original Hugger Orange with black hockey side stripes. Nicknamed “CiCi” by popular vote on the Hagerty website, the car went on to compete in the 2013 Great Race. CiCi was driven by Hagerty employees Tabetha Hammer and Tricia Finfrock—the only all-female team—in a race covering 2,100 miles from St. Paul, MN to Mobile, AL. The team, and the car, finished 57th out of 99 entrants.