Corvette Forum Classifieds: C3 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica
One of 6,502 Indy 500 pace car replicas made in 1978, this super-clean C3 has tons of documentation and an eight-track player.
he holiday season is a special time of year, full of holiday cheer, festive light displays, and dreams of placing a new Corvette inside the garage. Your favorite Chevy dealership is, of course, the easiest place to check out your perfect Corvette, but why not visit our Corvette Forum Classifieds before heading out? You may find things easier dealing with our forum members than on the sales floor.
Fifteen different Corvettes have served as the official pace car of the Indianapolis 500, including the blue ZR1 from the 2018 running. We happened upon a replica of the first Corvette pace car, the 1978 25th Anniversary C3 Corvette, in our classifieds not too long ago, and we think you need to check it out.
This replica, currently owned by forum member SonnyAK, is one of 6,502 built upon the 25th Anniversary Corvette for the 1978 model year, celebrating the 62nd running of the Indy 500 on May 28, 1978. The replica resides in Alaska, has been with the seller since 2014, and was featured on Bring a Trailer a few months ago. It also has all of its original documentation, including the original owner’s manual and build sheet.
Under the long, black hood is a 350 cu in L48 V8, which only made 185 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. The three-speed automatic sent that power to the rear pair of 15×8 slotted aluminum wheels, wrapped in a fresh set of white-letter BF Goodrich Radial T/As. The engine has a new carb that needs tuning, but the engine is running on fresh oil.
Inside, the gray leather seats look as good as they did four decades ago, which was about the same time eight-track tapes were still in vogue. And speaking of eight-tracks, you can play your collection in the Corvette’s functional eight-track player. You won’t be able to tell the time, though, as the clock is broken, nor will you be able to rely upon the cruise control, as the seller says the ‘Vette continues to accelerate with it on.
“The car is a nice driver and still presents really well,” the seller says. “I purchased it 4 years ago and it’s been fun to own, but I just don’t have the space for it now or the time to maintain it properly.”
If you ever wanted a 25th Anniversary Corvette or a Corvette Indy 500 pace car replica, you can’t go wrong with this late C3-era time machine.
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