Vehicle Description
This 1994 Corvette Brickyard 400 Official Corvette Convertible was
used for the Inaugural Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on
August 6th 1994. This particular car is 1 of only 25 Corvettes, 12
black 13 red produced for this historic occasion. It was
Indianapolis Motor Speedway number 50 out of 137 total Chevrolet
vehicles used in the event. These Corvettes were used for specific
pre-race parade vehicles to transport NASCAR drivers around the
Motor Speedway. All 25 Corvettes were what GM calls Special Purpose
Built by the Gm Technical Center. All 25 Corvettes were what GM
calls Special Purpose Built by the Gm Technical Center. It was
reported that these 25 Corvettes got more Horsepower and other
changes as they were to be used at Indy to give what Indy refers to
as hot laps. Purchased new with only 90 miles on the odometer it
now shows 15,859 miles, this Black Brickyard 400 Corvette
convertible is completely original except for a replacement
battery. Garage-kept since new and still in as-new condition.
ON AUGUST 6, 1994, THE INAUGURAL BRICKYARD 400 RACE WAS HELD AT THE
WORLD-FAMOUS INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. THIS WAS THE FIRST NASCAR
EVENT HELD AT THE INDIANAPOLIS AND IT DREW A RECORD CROWD OF OVER A
QUARTER MILLION RACE FANS. IN PRIOR YEARS, INDY WAS THE HOST OF
ONLY ONE ANNUAL RACE, THE INDIANAPOLIS 500. THE ADDITION OF A
SECOND MAJOR RACE AT INDY WAS AN HISTORIC EVENT AND DREW HUGE
INTEREST. THE HYPE SURROUNDING THE INAUGURAL 400 WAS EVEN ENOUGH TO
LURE FOUR-TIME INDY 500 WINNER AJ FOYT OUT OF RETIREMENT FOR A
CHANCE TO MAKE EVEN MORE HISTORY.
CHEVROLET SUPPLIED 137 SUPPORT VEHICLES FOR THE RACE, INCLUDING THE
NEW-FOR-1994 MONTE CARLO THAT WOULD SERVE AS THE PACE CAR. TWENTY
-FIVE 1994 CORVETTE CONVERTIBLES (13 RED, 12 BLACK) WERE USED AS
PARADE OR FESTIVAL CARS. THE CORVETTES WERE MAINLY USED TO
INTRODUCE THE 43 NASCAR DRIVERS IN A PARADE LAP AROUND THE TRACK.
MOST OF THEM CARRIED TWO DRIVERS, WHO SAT ON THE DECK-LIDS AND
WAVED TO FANS IN THE GRANDSTANDS DURING THE PARADE LAP. IN ANOTHER
PART OF THE PRERACE FESTIVITIES, THE CORVETTES WOULD PARADE VIPS
INCLUDING RICHARD PETTY, BOBBY ALLISON AND THE INDIANAPOLIS MAYOR
PLUS MAJOR SPONSORS AROUND THE TRACK.
THE CORVETTES WERE SHIPPED DIRECTLY FROM THE BOWLING GREEN ASSEMBLY
PLANT TO THE GM TECH CENTER IN WARREN MICHIGAN. IT HAS BEEN
CONFIRMED THAT THE MONTE CARLOS WERE ALSO SENT TO THE TECH CENTER
AND RECEIVED 30 HORSEPOWER BOOST OVER THE STANDARD MONTE CARLO. NO
FACTS WERE EVER OFFICIALLY DISCLOSED ABOUT THE MODIFICATIONS MADE
TO THE CORVETTES. HOWEVER, RUMOR HAS IT THAT EXPERIMENTING WITH
SOME MINOR TWEAKS WOULD GENERATE MORE HORSEPOWER FOR GMS NEW LT4
WHICH DID DEBUT IN THE 1996 CORVETTE. IT WAS CALLED THE GRAND
SPORT. THE GRAND SPORT HAD A 30 HORSEPOWER GAIN OVER THE STANDARD
CORVETTE. TWO OF THE CORVETTES HAD THEIR BRICKYARD DECALS APPLIED
AT THE TECH CENTER AND WERE EVALUATED BY CHEVROLETS EXECUTIVES,
THEN TRANSPORTED TO INDIANAPOLIS. THE REMAINING 23 HAD DECALS
APPLIED AT CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS IN THE INDIANAPOLIS AREA. ONCE THE
CARS WERE AT THE TRACK, THEY WERE ASSIGNED INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR
SPEEDWAY NUMBERS IN SOMEWHAT RANDOM FASHION. A DECAL INDICATING THE
NUMBER OF EACH CAR WAS APPLIED TO THE LOWER WINDSHIELD ON THE
DRIVERS SIDE.
TWENTY-TWO CORVETTES PARADED THE DRIVERS ACCORDING TO STARTING
POSTIONS. TWENTY-ONE OF THE CARS WERE GIVEN TWO NASCAR DRIVERS
EACH, AND DECALS OF THEIR NAMES WERE APPLIED ON THE HOODS OF THAT
PARTICULAR CAR. SINCE NASCAR STARTS AN ODD NUMBER OF CARS AT EACH
RACE, ONE CAR WAS ASSIGNED A SINGLE NASCAR DRIVER. THE REMAINING
THREE {TWO RED, ONE BLACK} HAD NO NAMES BUT WERE USED IN THE VIP
PARADE.
AFTER THE RACE, THE CARS WERE SENT BACK TO THE GM TECH CENTER FOR
EVALUATION AND THEN DISTRIBUTED TO DEALERSHIPS FOR SALE TO THE
GENERAL PUBLIC. SOME DEALERSHIPS TO FACILITATE EASIER SALES,
REMOVED THEIR BRICKYARD DECALS AND WERE SOLD AS ORDINARY 1994
CORVETTE MODELS. IT MAY WELL BE THAT SOME OWNERS OF THESE CORVETTES
HAVE NO IDEA OF THEIR UNIQUE HISTORY.
THERE ARE SEVERAL CLUES TO IDENTIFY A BRICKYARD 400 CORVETTE. ALL
WERE CONVERTIBLES, EITHER RED WITH RED INTERIOR OR BLACK WITH BLACK
INTERIOR WITH A BUILD DATE ON JUNE OF 1994. BUILD SHEETS OF MOST
KNOW CARS HAVE A "CHARGE-TO" CODE OF 00-502 {NAO CVO-TECH. CENTER}
AND A" SHIP-TO" CODE OF 70-847 {C-P-C GROUP C/O QUAL-EFFIC INC.}.
THE CARS ARE ALSO IDENTIFIABLE BY VIN THROUGH THE INDY MUSEUM
HISTORIAN AS WELL AS BY THE COMPANY THAT SUPPLIED THE ORIGINAL
BRICKYARD GRAPHICS FOR THE CARS.
EXTERIOR Base coat/clear coat paint
Full folding roof
Pwr operated retractable halogen headlamps
Underhood courtesy lamps
Halogen fog lamps
Front cornering lamps
Dual electrically adjustable heated outside rearview mirrors
Solar-ray glass
Intermittent wiper system
Front license plate bracket
Acoustic insulation pkg
INTERIOR
Leather bucket seats w/lateral support & back angle adjustment
Scotchgard fabric protector on floor covering
Center console-inc: coin tray, locking lighted storage compartment,
cassette/ CD storage, integral armrest
Leather-wrapped sport tilt-wheel steering wheel
Electronic liquid-crystal instrumentation w/white analog & digital
display w/ switchable English or metric readout
Telltale check gauges
Low oil level indicator
Headlamps-on reminder
Pwr windows w/driver-side express down
Pwr door locks
Electronic speed control w/resume speed
PASS-Key II theft-deterrent system
Passive keyless entry w/remote hatch release
Rear window defogger
Side window defoggers
Air
Please contact Kennith Stewart for more information at 803-283-7289
