Hooniverse Asks- What's your Favorite Indy Pace Car?

By Robert Emslie May 27, 2011


This being Memorial Day Weekend there’s going to be a spectacle – one of the world’s biggest sporting events in fact – set to take place in America’s midwest. That would be the Indianapolis 500. There’s different kinds of car nuts out there – there’s those who like to drive cars, those who like to wrench on cars, and those who like to race cars. Odds are that you check off one or more of those boxes on your car nut census form.
But that being said, watching Indy cars – especially on TV – doesn’t seem to be high on many Hoon’s to-do list. The Brickyard starts with the emphatic and historic Gentlemen, start your engines! and ends with a lusty gulp of cow juice, the traditional drink of the winner’s circle residents. And in between there’s racing, and that racing is sometimes interrupted by crashes or debris on the track each of which causes the unfurling of the yellow flag and the appearance of the pace car.
Being anointed the year’s pace car at Indy is an honor sought be many manufacturers, and achieved by Chevrolet for this year’s race. Over the years, Pace cars grew from simply the leader of the rolling start to a car maker’s opportunity to position a new performance model as connected to America’s race, as well as to sell some horribly marked-up pace car editions of said model. Sometimes the cars were appropriate and even despite the gaudy Indy Pacer graphic add-ons, were desirable, while others – seriously, Olds Bravada? – are simply head scratchers.
Many more are equally brow-furrowing in their selection, but others are not just logical, but damn desirable as well.  But which is the most so? This year is the centenary of the Indy pace car, giving you a butt-load from which to choose. Out of all those cars and trucks – remember that Bravada – which one gets your vote for best?
Image source: [Car and Driver]

30 thoughts on “Hooniverse Asks- What's your Favorite Indy Pace Car?”
    1. The dual cowl was my first choice as well.
      <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2663/4009479682_c9d7f86cca.jpg"&gt;
      My fallback selection is the 1991 Viper. A Stealth was originally supposed to pace the race. When UAW rumblings over a Japanese-built vehcle pacing the American classic event got too loud, Dodge rushed a Viper into pre-production to appease everybody.
      <img src="http://hooniverse.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/4519127551_0315e5ae38_b1-495×650.jpg"&gt;

      1. It wasn't just the UAW- it was the general population (once it was pointed out the Stealth was Japanese built).
        There was a wave of American pride right after the kickoff of the first Gulf War. George HW was riding a 90% wave of popularity and the USA was kickin' ass!! And Shelby was driving a V10!
        I think that was about the time where there was a stink about Japanese interests owning American properties… so it was a perfect storm.

      1. But look at what they did with the malaise they were dealt! Special grill, naca duct, crazy paint, targa roof (T-tops for the non-pacers).
        Of course, I've never seen a real pacer in person, I suspect that's because they collapsed on themselves midway through the race.

        1. Couldn't they at least taken off the chrome-railroad-tie bumpers? After all, it's not a street car.

  1. living in Indy, I have seen a lot of replica/special edition pace cars rolling around… I can tell you for sure that the new camaro is not my favourite (seen 3 or 4 of them this week).. but i don't know which one i would actually choose. I think Tanshanomi has a great point…. that torino just looks so good.

  2. Three 1964 1/2 convertibles were built with the sole purpose of pacing the 1964 Indianapolis 500.
    These three cars were sent directly from the factory to Holman & Moody in North Carolina to be specially modified for pace car duties. These modifications included extensive work to the 289cid engines, a Borg-Warner 4-speed transmission, and lowered suspension with differently valved shocks on each side of the car to accommodate the banked turns of the Indianapolis Speedway, and high-speed rated tires.
    In addition, thirty five convertibles were used as dignitary cars during the festivities of the Indy 500. Due to a shortage of Mustangs available from the factory, these 35 were pulled from dealer lots to fill the need. All of these cars were D-code cars (289 cid V8, 4-barrel, 210 hp) in Wimbledon White with either red, white or blue interiors.
    After the race these cars were auctioned off to dealerships and absorbed into the general population, instead of being made available for sale as special edition cars
    <img src="http://www.lowcountrymustangs.com/1964%20pace%20car.jpg"width="500"/&gt;

  3. In 1988, after another driver blew through a stop sign and totalled my daily-driver '69 tri-power Corvette, I came pretty close to buying a very clean '69 pace car for eight or nine thousand bucks. I passed because it only had the 350 and I was hungry for a 396.
    I wonder what that car is worth today?

    1. I'd say outside of the Bravada 'pace truck', these are the most ridiculous. I do like that indigo, but not so much with the yellow wheels/graphics… white over red is far more tasteful.

      1. With those bollards or whatever they are behind it, it almost looks like the Challenger has a Daytona wing on it.

    1. The '78 Corvette, despite its heart-of-Malaise attitude, is inexplicably classy. It would've been my choice as well.

  4. 1980 T/A is my choice beautiful car but under powered.Great cruising car though. I owned on for two years in MN.

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