Nineteen ninety-three marked the beginning of the legendary fourth-generation Camaro on the F-Body platform. The cars just received a major overhaul in every way — in both appearance and performance, these cars were totally new beasts. This year was extra special for the Chevy Camaro, as the Z28 had been selected to be the official Indy 500 Pace Car for that year.
The first time a Camaro would be selected as the Indy 500 Pace Car was in its premiere year, 1967. Driven by Mauri Rose with Tony Hulman in the passenger seat, the pearl white with blue front stripe clad convertible was an instant hit. The next time it would hit the Indy 500 track as a Pace Car would be two years later, in 1969.
Driven by Jim Rathmann, with passengers Tony Hulman and Pete Conrad — this white and orange convertible is arguably the most iconic Camaro Pace Car to date. Jim Rathmann would later return to Indy duties to drive a 1982 Z28 with Don Bailey as the passenger. It would be another eleven years until we would see a Camaro used as a Pace Car for a fourth time, in 1993.
Chevy built a very limited run of these special Indy Pace Car edition Z28 Camaros — only 645 were available in 1993. Of that number, 20 were sent to Canada, and only 625 would remain in the United States. Even more interesting, 125 of the ’93 Pace Cars were sent to the speedway officials for track use — i.e., these were the cars that were actually present on race day. These examples seem to pull the most money when they appear every few years for public auction.
The 1993 Camaro Z28 Pace Cars were fitted with a 275 horsepower LT1 V8, and the same 4-speed 4L60 automatic used in the Corvette that year. The Pace Car edition Camaros were given every optional upgrade available, and a distinctive two-tone black and white appearance package, featuring multi-color striping and matching interior appointments. The normal “salad shooter” 16-inch wheels of lesser Camaro were given a white hue to blend in with the lower section of white paint on the body.
Today, these Camaro Pace Cars are highly collectible due to their Indy affiliation, limited production, and the fact that they were around for the freshmen year of the 4th-gen F-Body. In time, we could see these finally earning their due in collector’s circles. 
Elizabeth is a hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
