Vehicle Description
1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indianapolis 500 Edition T-top Coupe
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Designer: William "Bill" Mitchell Without Reserve
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000
Chassis Number: 1Z8748S906143
Decoded: 1=Chevrolet; Z87=Corvette T-top Coupe; 4=L82 5.7L V8;
8=1978; S=St. Louis, MO assembly; 9=Pace Car Ed.; 06143=6,143rd
Indy 500 Pace Car scheduled for production.
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Engine: 350 cid OHV V8
4-barrel Carburetor/220 bhp
4-Speed Turbo Hydramatic Automatic Transmission
Power Assisted Four-Wheel Disc Brakes
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Odometer: 27,625 Miles
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Celebrates Corvette's 1st Time at Indy 500
Outstanding Condition All Around
Well Appointed From the Factory
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The Model - It seems odd that it wasn't until 1978, the 25th
Anniversary of America's sports car, that the Corvette was selected
to be the official pace car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's
500-mile race. Not since the 1950's had there been this much
interest from a factory in producing replicas of the official car
and making them available to the general public. Using the first
two-tone paint scheme offered on a Corvette since 1961, the
distinctive black over silver motif made these cars instantly
recognizable. With a base price of $13,653, dealers, who were
limited to just one unit, would often load these cars up with all
the toys to jack up the delivery price, as well as their profit
margins, through the roof. For 2017, a Grand Sport edition paced
the Memorial Day Classic for the 14th time. A lot of great
Corvettes have led those 33 racers down to the green flag, but it
is the first one that people still recognize and it is the first
one that sets the standard for all the rest to try and meet.
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The Car - The 1978 Corvette Pace Car replica we are proud to offer
has it all. Under the hood was the L82, 220 HP, 350 cid $525
optional V8 engine. Even more expensive than the L82 engine was the
AM-FM-CB radio, listed at $638, it found over 7,100 buyers in all
Corvettes, just a few of those were installed in the Pace Car
replicas. While this car has enjoyed a bit of road time, under
27,700 miles from new. This Pace Car has never been abused or
involved in any type of traffic altercation. The car still wears
100% of its factory�applied paint plus its original Indy 500 decal
identification package. Included in the Pacer�Car package but
optional for all other models were the cast alloy wheels with their
red pinstripes. Wearing vintage Goodyear Eagle ST radial tires that
show plenty of life left. Fitted with silver leather seats, which
show minimal wear, and that all important accessory�from the late
1970's, a CB radio, this is one car you can go hunting for a bear
with and let your good buddies on the interstate know where the
Kodiak with a Kodak is hiding out.