Build Thread: Fataz ATA Camaro

[Steve Holmes]

Often times, when a new build begins, plans deviate from what they started out as. Hopefully this Camaro will stay on course, because Woody is building this car as a Mark Donohue Penske replica, so this is looking like being a simply epic race car.

1969 was the third and final year the Penske team ran Chevy Camaros in the SCCA Trans-Am series, before switching to AMC Javelins fort 1970. The team completely dominated the 1968 championship, winning all but three of the 12 rounds that year. They went into 1969 having built all-new cars, for lead driver/developer/engineer Mark Donohue, as well as new recruit Ronnie Bucknum.

One of the interesting features of the '69 Penske Camaros was the fitment of vinyl roofs. The true reason behind this is not really known outside those involved at the time. Mark Donohue stated in his book, The Unfair Advantage, it was because the team repainted the cars between each race, and it saved them money. He also admitted they went a little heavy on the acid dipping of body shells, so the vinyl helped cover up rippling in the metal. But there have been numerous theories over the years as to various other reasons.

But regardless, Penske's opponents protested the vinyl tops, such was the paranoia at the time between the factory race teams, and the SCCA eventually made them remove them for Round 6 of the series, at Bryar. The 1969 Trans-Am saw factory teams of Camaros, Pontiac Firebirds, AMC Javelins, and Ford Mustangs, with Ford entering a twin-pronged attack, with both Bud Moore and Shelby Racing entering two cars each. Curiously, up to the Bryar race, Penske had only won one race, with victory at Mid-Ohio for Bucknum, while the Bud Moore Mustangs dominated the others, and were generally fastest. When the vinyl tops were removed, the Penske cars won all remaining seven races, with Donohue taking six victories.

The '69 Penske Camaros were beautiful machines, with dark blue bodywork, and intricate pin striping, being off-set with bright yellow Minilite wheels, and yellow lettering. For '69, most teams, including Penske, had switched from the previously popular American Racing 5-spoke wheels to the 8-spoke Minilite.

Pictured here is one of the original 1969 cars, that races in the Historic Trans-Am group: www.historictransam.com



Photo by Jimmy Huston/Historic Trans-Am