Over the last ten years, YearOne has evolved their business into a full-on performance and restoration shop – building cars for celebrities like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Burt Reynolds. The latter actually helped spawn his own signature edition series of ’77-78 Trans Ams with YearOne’s help.

Innovator started out in life not as a Pace Car, but a 307-powered RS convertible. Quite humble beginnings...

But for those who are just now learning about YearOne, you should know that they originally got their start in the early ’80s. When company founder, Kevin King, needed parts for his ’69 Trans Am, he discovered that there was little to no support for such a rare and (at the time) a relatively newish car.

So he took matters into his own hands, and started YearOne, named after the first Trans Am. His company has grown and thrived ever since, expanding his business into musclecar markets other than Firebirds. With the current day pro-touring scene at full steam, it only makes sense to cater to these enthusiasts as well.

The ’69 Camaro (aka, Innovator) that you’re looking at on this page, was one of their first test subjects, and it still remains with them today. Don’t be mistaken, Innovator isn’t a show car, but rather, a car that’s driven to the dragstrip, the autocross, and just about any car event imaginable where YearOne is present.

It’s got battle scars as a result, sure, but overall, it’s still an incredibly beautiful machine that pays homage to the ’69 Indy Pace Car – a car that’s coveted in its own right. It’s been ten years since Innovator was first conceived, and it was one of the first 1st-Gen Camaros to receive an LS-swap.

Originally assembled with an LS1, T-56, and even some interior bits from a ’98 Camaro Z28 donor car, it currently relies on a Edelbrock-supercharged LS2 for a more updated look and performance level. It’s one of the cars that helped kicked off the LS-swap craze, and it’s a car we’ll continue to admire for years to come.