Vehicle Description
Gateway Classic Cars of San Antonio/ Austin is proud to present
this 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Pace Car. In 1978, Chevrolet
celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Corvette by pacing the
Indianapolis 500 and releasing a handful of special-edition pace
car replicas to the public. Just 6,502 of these very special Black
and Silver Corvette models were produced, each with a unique VIN
sequence, this being number 3361. Besides the special two-tone
paint, each Corvette Pace Car featured unique front and rear
spoilers, polished aluminum Red-stripe wheels, mirror-tint roof
panels and contoured sport seats finished in silver leather and an
Indianapolis 500 decal kit was also included. The 25th anniversary
of Corvette was marked with one of the most extensively redesigned
Corvettes since the 1968 model. The new "fastback" rear end styling
featured a large rear window, reminiscent of the lines of the
mid-'60s. The interior of the 1978 Pace Car sported a special "clam
shell" seat. This Pace Car includes the sought-after L82 350 CI
engine with a 3-speed automatic transmission. The L82 was designed
as a high-performance engine, featuring a 9:1 compression ratio
that generated 220 horsepower with the use of larger heads and
valves, a stronger cam, four-bolt mains, forged-steel crank,
different pistons, and aluminum intake. The three-spoke
leather-wrapped steering wheel frames a 140-mph speedometer and a
7k-rpm tachometer. Gauges for coolant temperature, oil pressure,
battery voltage, and fuel level as well as a clock are in the
center stack. The five-digit odometer shows just over 71k miles
although true mileage is unknown. This is an amazing piece of
history that's ready to be someone's ultimate collectible.