Indy 500 Pace Cars

Since there's another topic similar to this, and since I'm a huge Indy 500 fan, I thought I'd post some pics. Here is a truck I almost bought this past fall. All of the Track Trucks came with the standard seat (although with color-coordinated piping), and not the $900 option bucket seat/console. That was the deal breaker (along with the finances). In a year or two, I'll buy a Track Truck if they finally come with the options I want, or else I'll buy a similar white truck and do the stripes. The decals aren't available, except for the 40 or so Track Trucks, and then only when new.

The Camaros were on display in downtown Indy today. Nine total--seven here and two farther down the street.

Anybody else with Pace Car or Track Support pics? Anybody own one?

Two of these are owned by friends

Oh and this is on eBay now, droooool

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Torino-cj429-Nascar-race-classic-muscle-pace-car-/200597693824?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2eb48de580

I came SOOOO close to buying a 79 Mustang pace... Still want one with a Griggs suspension package, a 2.3 and a HUGE turbo.

1986, Freshman year at UW-Stout. PE class went to off campus raquet club and we carpooled. The guy I rode with had one of these, sans decals. Around Halloween, my friend told me his roommate needed a navigator for the gimmic rally the school car club was having. Turned out his roommate was the guy I carpooled with. We came in first, after being the last car out, by thirty minutes. We kicked ass.

Incidentally, there was a girl on campus that also had one, with the decals.

Nothing to add other than that the Corvette Pace Car of the late nineties was UGLY

Daytona 500

bruceman that was like a kick to the goolies

Gorgeous one here

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Buick-Century-Coupe-Indy-500-Pace-Car-Stage-One-455-/280662247397?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4158c607e5

mtn wrote: Nothing to add other than that the Corvette Pace Car of the late nineties was UGLY

I would SO rock that

I saw one of these on my way to work on Tuesday.

Meh. Sticker packages are lame. If you want own a Pace Car, buy one that actually paced the race:

mtn wrote: Nothing to add other than that the Corvette Pace Car of the late nineties was UGLY

I'd have to agree with that. I do however <3 these:

I owned one of these for a while. Vert is 1 of two actual pace cars, fitted w/ 4.1L turbo V6. GM made 502 replica coupes (borrowed image, not me, just for illustration lol). Leather and pigsuede interior, wool carpeting, walnut and leather steering wheel and walnut dash, wool carpet in the trunk. Mine had 307 4bbl. It was a boat but a smooooooth boat, and distinctive.

I got one of these:

Javelin wrote: Meh. Sticker packages are lame. If you want own a Pace Car, buy one that actually paced the race:

Where's your pace car then?

It's very difficult to buy one that actually paced Indy.

There's only three, one is given to the race winner, one is given to the pace car driver and the third usually ends up in the museum.

You can buy one of the many "Festival" cars which are made for Indy but not to be used as pace cars. These are for running officials around, etc and are auctioned off at the end of the race.

Quite often other race series will buy the used festival cars, re-paint them and use them as their own festival cars so getting and actual, documented festival car can also be hard.

Last, the "replicas" are usually a very limited option. There were 5700 1980 Indy T/A's (not really low production) and only around 2000 1981 Daytona T/A's.

These cars (at least my Trans-Ams do) have a different VIN from the conventional cars of that line.

They're about as close as most mortals can get to a genuine pace car.

I've owned a 1984 Indy Fiero, I have a 1980 Indy Trans-Am and I'm contemplating a 1981 Daytona.

That Aztek is an embarrasment though.

Shawn

Trans_Maro wrote:

Javelin wrote: Meh. Sticker packages are lame. If you want own a Pace Car, buy one that actually paced the race:

Where's your pace car then?

That picture I linked to was my Grandfather's Turbo AMX 81 PPG Pace Car. He bought it from Dick Teague, and I've been in it at 130+ at Daytona. It's in a museum now.

We talked about it in another thread, but that reminds me that I need to scan in all of the old family photos and start posting them.

Worst pace car ever.

My grandparent's mechanic had a '78 Corvette Indy Pace car. At the time, it must have been brand-new. Of course I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Nah, this was worse:

I do remember C&D comparing the Beretta to a E30 M3 when they were released. Strange....you don't hear that comparison much anymore.

I had an interesting pace-type car......

It was a 1985 Olds Cutlass Calais Indy Edition. All you'd expect from GM in the 80's -- metallic red paint, silver ground effects, little indy edition badges on the "B" pillars, silver leather interior. The tach never worked reliably, the dash electrics would cut in and out, and the death knell for the car was a sunroof that never quit leaking, even after two places tried to repair it. A third place guaranteed that they could fix it -- by cutting off the roof and replacing it!!

The interesting thing was the engine in the car. It seemed to have more power than I would expect. There was a little yellow sticker under the hood that said, "This vehicle prepared for racing by" and then had someone autograph underneath. Car had no cat con under it, and in the glovebox were a few gas receipts signed by someone named R. Hulman.

Nice car, wish I coulda kept it, but it was 1990 and I was a fresh college grad. No room in a garage to store it and work on it....

Joe Gearin wrote: Nah, this was worse:

I was at that race.

Dammit Kramer, let me know next time you'll be in Indy. Those cars were literally a block and a half from where i've been sitting all day.

I see a LOT of Pace Cars in Indy. (Surprise!)

I know of the location of at least 3 of those damn Berettas.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Dammit Kramer, let me know next time you'll be in Indy. Those cars were literally a block and a half from where i've been sitting all day. I see a LOT of Pace Cars in Indy. (Surprise!) I know of the location of at least 3 of those damn Berettas.

I live back here now. I just need to sell my house in Michigan and get my pregnant wife moved back down here...

I've missed a lot of what's happened at the speedway since I moved away in 2005. It's good to be back.

Oh cool!

I'll have to enlist your help on the ZEscort of Doom!

You going to be autox'ing here?