The pandemic delayed the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500. But it’s now all set for August 23, 2020—although without fans in the stands. Nonetheless, the Indy 500 will continue to honor its storied traditions, including the use of the coolest and fastest new vehicles as pace cars. What’s even more remarkable is how many Indy 500 pace cars are offered for sale on eBay.
The Indianapolis 500 has used a pace car since 1911. The pace car gets the 33 speedsters up to speed before the green flag waves. The pace car also gets deployed when a caution flag flies. In that case, the pace car literally sets the driving pace for the racers to maintain a slow and cautious speed during cautions.
Here’s Why You Don’t See Honda Indy Pace Cars for Sale
Chevrolet has had an exclusive contract to provide the pace cars for Indy since 2002. And a Chevy has been a pace car 31 times. Todd Christensen, who works on strategic marketing for Chevrolet Motorsports, told eBay Motors that the company makes four examples of the pace car every year. Indy uses two on the racetrack—one as a primary car and another at the backup. The third unit is donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and the fourth is delivered to the race’s winning driver.
Depending on the model, they are commonly equipped with additional lights, safety harnesses, roll bars, and a fuel cell. This year’s pace car, a stock model, came with the Z51 performance package, the spoiler and ground effects package, and carbon-fiber accents. It can move from 0-60 mph in less than three seconds, thanks to the 495 horsepower produced from its LT2 engine.
Here’s the latest Indy pace car, a Torch Red 2020 Corvette Stingray coupe.
Christensen said that the two cars doing actual high-speed track duties are often used for other races and then kept for historical purposes. He noted the only alteration to the stock Stingray this year was a six-point harness for the two occupants and the addition of warning strobe lights. “They didn’t want to place an ugly light bar on top of the beautiful Corvette,” he said.
Festival Cars Allow Fans to Drive Indy-Style
Photo of Ray Harroun, who won the 1911 Indy 500
Jason Vansickle, the curator of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, told us about the origins of the so-called flying start of the Indy 500. It was initiated—with the pace car doing duties—in 1911, so the smoke created from engines would dissipate during the warm-up laps. Otherwise, the crowd would not be able to see the start of the race.
The Indy museum has numerous pace cars in its collection, including every example since 1975. They all can’t be on display at the time due to space limitations. So Vansickle and his team rotate five of the pace cars each month in their “From the Vault” display.
Chevy loans festival cars to community leaders before the race. Residents love getting an up-close and personal look at these unique cars. Unfortunately, Indy canceled this year’s Festival Parade with the drivers due to the pandemic.
Vansickle’s fondness for festival pace cars led him to buy a 2010 festival pace-car Camaro as his daily driver. The owners of the festival pace cars and those who see them in use on roads develop a different relationship to the race. “It’s a tangible item that the vibrant racing community can relate to,” said Vansickle.
Pace Car vs. Festival Cars vs. Replicas
Chevy typically brings 50 “festival” cars to Indy. They each bear the same markings and decals as the pace cars used on the track. Dignitaries and track officials use these cars in the weeks leading up to the race. After the race, Chevrolet distributes the festival cars to local dealerships for sale to the general public.
For some years, the manufacturer produces additional Indy 500 pace cars—dubbed “replicas.” Chevrolet builds the replicas so that auto enthusiasts can still buy a Corvette (or another pace model) like the one they saw leading the pack at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s a way to buy racing history even though the set of Indy cars produced for the actual event were already scooped up.
Chevrolet Last Offered a Replica Indy Pace Car for Sale a Decade Ago
Take note: This doesn’t happen every year. Chevrolet hasn’t offered a replica version offered of any pace car since 2011—a Chevy Camaro. When Chevrolet offers replica pace cars for sale, there’s competition for them. A niche group of collectors actively seeks out and bid up these cars. Scoring an Indy pace car for sale can be tough.
Chevrolet’s Christensen is among the Indy fans who have a fondness for pace cars. The devotion started early in his life. His father owned or restored four of the 1969 Camaro pace cars—and Dad still owns a 1967 Camaro pace car. The younger Christensen fondly remembers building a model of the 1978 Corvette pace car in his youth.
Indy pace cars command a premium price, due to the limited production run. There’s no mistaking the pace car when decked out with their decals and signage.
Our Favorite Indy Pace Cars over the Years
It’s impossible to pick just one favorite Indy pace car as a favorite. But here are three outstanding Indy 500 pace car for sale on eBay.
1969 Camaro Convertible RS SS
The ’69 car marked the last year of the first generation of the Camaro. The broad Hugger Orange stripe running up the hood, the orange and black houndstooth cloth interior, and the convertible top transports you to a simpler time. Chevrolet built more than 3,600 as replicas. Many more have since been created to pay tribute to the original.
This replica now available on eBay has undergone some modifications, but it still sports that classic unmistakable look.
1978 Corvette Automatic Coupe
This C3 Corvette, with the black-and-silver, two-tone paint with red pinstriping, is eye-catching. This was the first production model able to use a stock powertrain without any modifications or extras. (See our post about all the Corvette generations.)
The decals were not applied at the factory but were shipped with the car for the dealer to apply. Every once in awhile, you’ll still see these pace cars offered with the decals not installed. Open the trunk, and the stickers are probably still there in their package. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Corvette, Chevrolet was going to offer 2,500 replicas but later decided to provide one for each dealer—ramping up the production of the replicas to 6,502 copies.
This version on eBay features the decals and 2,100 miles on the odometer.
1998 Corvette Festival Car
This Radar Blue Corvette with yellow rims isn’t an obvious choice of colors. But it grabs us. The model highlighted the addition of a convertible option to the C5 generation of the Corvette for 1998. Chevrolet produced more than 1,100 replica pace cars for sale that year.
This model, situated in Nashville, sold quickly. Notably, it has the documentation to show that it was in the festival parade.
Pace Cars for Sale on eBay Motors 24/7
Like other Indy pace cars, the ’98 Corvette came and went fast. That’s okay. At any one time, eBay Motors has a dozen or more Indy 500 pace cars on sale, as well as lots of Indy racing attire and memorabilia. Keep checking back to see which one deserves a place in your driveway.
