98 Indy pace car GM press release photo
“That’s the coolest looking car I’ve ever seen!”; “OMG!”; “Awesome!”; “Ewwww!”; “Fantastic!”; “Way cool!”; “Garish!”; “ "Nice car!"; "You buy it like that?".
These are just some of the comments the driver of a 1998 Corvette Indy pace car replica encounters in normal driving. Of course, when you drive a Radar Blue (almost purple) Corvette convertible with in-your-face bright yellow wheels, black and yellow interior, and bright yellow, white, red and gold stylized checkered flag graphics extending along both sides, the hood and the trunk, you have to expect a few comments. Amongst the standard, run-of-the mill, bland cars and equally bland SUVs that populate roads today, the 98 Indy pace car stands out like a rainbow against a cloudy sky.
For the fourth time since 1978, Corvette was selected to pace the Indianapolis 500 for 1998. Chevrolet’s designers set out to create a car that would get noticed in the parades and pageantry of the Indy 500 festival and one that would stand out while being followed by 33 race cars. As then Chevrolet general manager John Middlebrook said: “We told the designers we wanted something that would grab people immediately, and they didn’t disappoint us.” Indeed they didn’t.
To celebrate the occasion, Chevrolet produced replicas which were identical to the actual Indy pace cars used for the race, except for the strobe lights and communication systems on the actual pace cars as required by race officials. The actual pace cars had standard, unmodified Corvette engines, drive trains and suspensions as did all of the replicas. The 5.7 liter Corvette LS1 engine produced 345 hp and 380 lb.-ft. of torque, plenty enough to keep the Corvette out front when needed. 1158 replicas were sold, with 1106 being sold in the US, 15 in Canada and 37 throughout the rest of the world.
All pace car replicas were convertibles and could be had with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic transmission. The Indy Pace Car Option Package (RPO Z4Z) included a host of other Corvette options aside from the special pace car graphics and added $5,039 to the base price of the Corvette. The option package included an active handling system that was initially exclusive to the Indy pace car replicas, but which was subsequently offered on all Corvettes.
Golfing great Greg Norman was scheduled to drive the actual pace car in 1998, but he was forced to withdraw while recuperating from shoulder surgery. 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones was selected to substitute for the injured Norman.
The car pictured in the slide show has been owned by Cindy Troxell of Annandale, VA since 2004. In addition to being a low-mileage, automatic transmission car, it came with the pedigree of being used as a track event car during the Indy 500 festival. The track pass sticker, which was still affixed to the windshield when the car was purchased, was carefully removed intact and now resides in a scrapbook. Cindy drives the pace car only in good weather – no doubt so she can put the top down to better hear the comments.
You may love the 98 Indy pace car replica or you may hate it - but you can’t ignore it.
For more info:
- Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car Registry
- Official C5 Registry - 1998 Indy Pace Car
- Official C5 Registry
- Indy Pace Cars
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Copyright Dec. 2009 by Bruce H. Troxell
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