You Can Buy An Indy 500 Corvette Stingray Pace Car Replica From 1978

If there’s one aspect of the Indy 500 which is just as iconic as the race itself, it would have to be the official pace cars used to lead the field every year since 1911.

Throughout the decades, dozens of different cars have been used as Indy 500 pace cars, and perhaps one of the most iconic was the 1978 Chevrolet Corvette C3. Coincidentally, one of these prized cars is heading to auction this month from GAA Classic Cars.

Also Read: 2019 Corvette Grand Sport Reports For Indy 500 Pace Car Duty

While some of the pace cars used at the Indy 500 are one-offs or standard production models, the 1978 Corvette pace car was distinct from typical C3 models and was also put into production. Chevrolet initially intended on building just 300 replicas but ended up producing 6,502 examples to ensure all of its 6,200 established dealerships at the time could have at least one to sell.

At the time of its launch, the Corvette Pace Car Replica had a starting price of $13,653, or $53,626 in today’s money. This was approximately $4,300 ($16,889 nowadays) more than a standard ‘Vette, meaning it was far from cheap.

Limited details about this particular car are known, but it appears to be in superb condition. In fact, it still features the original window stickers, original Goodyear tires, and plastic across the seats. The listing makes no mention of the car’s mileage, but a look at the odometer on one of the interior photos indicates it has only 4 miles under its belt! There is no auction estimate listed, though we expect it to fetch more than $50,000.