HISTORIC VEHICLE ASSOCIATION THIS CAR MATTERS LIBRARY PRESERVED Penske's dominant Sunoco Camaros helped fuel the popularity of Trans Am.
Enthusiastic spectators delighted in intense, wheel-to-wheel battles on the best tracks in North America. During the “golden years” from 1966 to 1972, active factory participation by Chevro- let, Ford, Plymouth and Dodge, and American Motors, along with numerous independent teams, made the racing unforgettable. Thundering pony cars raced alongside the snarling imports from Alfa Romeo, BMW and even Porsche. Despite vigilant inspectors and the prying eyes of competitors, rivals sought an edge with clever legal and illegal ways to circumvent the rules.
Our feature car is the first of two 1968 Camaros, scratch-built from bodies in white by Ron Fournier, chief fabrica- tor for Roger Penske. Competitive, professional and fast, with former engineer-turned-driver Mark Donohue behind the wheel, the Penske team captured the 1968 Trans Am Champi- onship by winning 10 of 13 races.
The car shown here first appeared at Daytona on February 3, 1968, where it wore the number 6 and was raced by Mark Donohue and Bob Johnson to 12th overall and 2nd in class. It was powered by a Traco-built 302-cid small- block producing 400 horsepower, which would prove to be a major part of Team Penske’s success for the season.
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At Sebring, Johnson teamed with Joe Welsh and Craig Fisher and again finished 2nd in class, but this time behind Donohue in a sister car. More importantly, the Camaros were 3rd and 4th overall behind a pair of Porsche 907s. In perfect illustration of what a team would do to gain an edge, the Camaro was sent through tech inspection twice, wearing both its own number 16 and Donohue’s number 15.
Following the Florida successes, the Penske team concentrated on Dono- hue in the car he’d driven at Sebring. However, beginning at Bridgehampton in June, Sam Posey joined the team for a five-race deal to drive the Daytona car. He finished on the podium four times and helped Penske claim the Manufac- turer’s Championship for Chevrolet.
This authentic Sunoco Camaro fea- tures many of the Penske/Donohue “unfair advantages,” like increased fuel capacity from a trick fuel tank filler neck that holds two extra gallons, a sneaky vacuum-assisted device for quick brake pad replacement, an early structural roll cage, factory prototype dual carburetion, artfully revised suspension geometry and one of the most audacious modifications: acid- dipped panels to lighten the car.
An era ended in late 2012 when Hearst Publishing moved iconic motoring magazine Road & Track from its longtime home in Newport Beach, California, to Ann Arbor, Michigan. One of the biggest challenges was to ensure the continuation of its substantial library and archive, which included thousands of volumes, photos, press releases and extensive correspondence dating from 1947.
Fortunately, the collection has been transferred to the Revs Program at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, which is in the vanguard of the new movement to create an acces- sible repository of automotive history. According to the pro- gram’s director, Reilly Brennan, that repository has now been bolstered by “527 boxes weigh- ing more than 10,000 pounds” from Road & Track.
“The collection will be physi- cally housed at the Stanford University Libraries on campus,” says Brennan, although the goal is to digitize, preserve and make available to the public via the Internet a collection rich with items much more diverse than just the back issues of Road & Track. — Rob Sass
The HVA is looking for stories from historic ve- hicle lovers around the
country to help create an oral history of the automobile within American culture. It’s easy to get involved. Check out the HVA website —
historicvehicle.org — and click on the "This Car Matters" tab to share your story.
PHOTO: C. FISCHER PHOTO, COURTESY DON LEE
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