Corvette Model Gallery
The 1978 Indy Pace Car
Amazingly it took a quarter of century of production before Corvette was selected as Pace Car for the Indy 500. Despite its Johnny-Come-Lately status Corvette represented a number of firsts in its role as the pace car. It was the first vehicle that could run the race using a stock drive train. It was the first pace car with a fibreglass body and the first two seater since before WW II. For this job Corvette was given a unique black over silver color scheme with a narrow red stripe to separate the two colors. Two other unique features that set the pace cars apart were special front and rear spoilers and an interior containing the new thin shell seats which would not be used in other Corvettes till ‘79. Seats could also be ordered in optional silver leather or silver leather and grey cloth. Engine was the optional L-82, up 10 hp to 220, mated to an automatic transmission although many replica owners chose the four speed manual.
Corvette had originally planned to produce 2500 cars, one hundred for each year of Corvette’s twenty-five years of production. These would be designated as official replica pace cars available for purchase by the general public. As early as March, the Wall Street Journal predicted that the pace cars would soon attain collector’s value so the demand for them became so great that GM relented and produced 6502 cars. Despite the fact that the pace car option came with a $4300 premium few would come out of the showroom for less than $15000. Even today many pace car replicas have low mileage, proof that they were put away by owners hoping to see their collector value rise.
The Pace Car driver was Jim Rathmann making his fifth appearance behind the wheel of a pace car, although he had made 14 previous appearances as a racer. And the winner in 1978, Al Unser Sr. winning for the third time.
The model:
Mike added this '78 Pace Car to his collection of 1/8 scale Corvettes.
Someday, Mike may attempt a '78 Pace Car Convertible! That would be intereting.
If you have any questions on the model's construction, you can e-mail Mike at: Perhach@keynet.net
Page updated 10/13/00