Sixty-nine was a killer year for Camaro. The body packed on a heap of muscle for the first generation car’s final outing, it was the last time you’d be able to buy a convertible model for over 15 years, and Chevy scored the second of two back-to-back Trans Am titles.

The car it used to win that title was the Z28, a homologation special powered by a high revving 302 cu-in. (5.0-liter) V8 created by cross pollinating a 327 V8 with a 283 to fit under the series’ 305 cu-in. capacity limit. It was ludicrously underrated at just 290 hp since it actually made closer to 400.

Much like a modern Porsche 911 Turbo will beat a GT3 in a straight line, there were quicker Camaros available in 1969, specifically the big-block 396 (6.5-liter) versions, and the really nutty 7-liter ZL1s and Yenkos. But just as the GT3 is the driver’s choice of the 911 line, so too was the Z28.

And if you wanted to draw a further parallel, a Z28 with the optional RS package makes a great spiritual ancestor to a modern road-biased, de-spoilered 911 GT3 Touring. The RS package with its hideaway headlights had been available on both ’67 and ’68 Camaros, but it got a distinctive new look for ’69 courtesy of a pair of semi-covered headlight doors.

Related: Joe Rogan’s 1969 Camaro Restomod Has An 860 HP Supercharged LSA V8

The car pictured here ahead of its trip to Mecum’s January Kissimmee auction was originally ordered in Hawaii. The original buyer opted not to get the cowl induction hood or rear spoiler often seen on ’69 Z28s, or even a heater, but he did tick the RS package, a Positraction rear differential, tinted glass and dressed-up Deluxe interior, plus that stunning Le Mans Blue paint.

Well, not this exact paint. As is pretty obvious from its condition this Z28 has undergone a concours-quality nut and bolt resto and is almost certainly in better condition than it was the day it left the Van Nuys, California plant in January 1969. Incidentally, the Van Nuys factory was a hive of activity that year. The ’69 Camaro’s new styling was a big hit, and so was the Z28 package, which found over 20,000 buyers, almost three times as many as it had done in 1968.

Mecum doesn’t list an estimate for this Z28, but based on insurance company Hagerty’s valuation data any prospective new owner is going to be looking at well over $100k to take this special single-season Z28 home. Sounds like a good investment to us.

The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range
The RS Z28 Was The GT3 Touring Of Chevy’s ’69 Camaro Range