1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Pace Car

1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Pace Car- 350ci V8- 185 Horsepower- Automatic Transmission- 15k Miles Shown- Black Exterior- Silver InteriorBy the late 1970's the Corvette Hobby...

1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Pace Car

- 350ci V8
- 185 Horsepower
- Automatic Transmission
- 15k Miles Shown
- Black Exterior
- Silver Interior


By the late 1970's the Corvette Hobby had begun to evolve. Vintage examples were beginning to sell at elevated prices, and organizations such as the National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) had established guidelines for what was correct for top-end restorations and correct stock assembly and even what part numbers were correct for installation. This set a precedent for the correctness and grading of restored and unrestored Corvettes helping to establish the collectible values of America's Sports Car. This later influenced the collector car market for American Muscle cars which began to soar in the 1980's thanks to the Corvette's collectability influence. With selling prices on collectible Corvettes rising, Corvette owners started to fantasize about what if they had the forethought to purchase a highly collectible Corvette model back in the day and store it for sale later in the future. In 1978, the Chevrolet Corvette celebrated its 25th anniversary of production and was chosen to pace the Indy 500. The initial announcement from GM was they were only going to build 300 units of the 25th Anniversary Indy 500 Pace Car Chevrolet Corvette. Of course, this created a buzz among Corvette enthusiasts that this model Corvette would be an “instant collectible”, leading dealers to pressure Chevrolet to produce at least 6000 units, one per dealer. Chevrolet ended up overshooting that target with a total of 6,502 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica Corvettes being produced. These Pace cars had a two-tone silver and black paint scheme, their own production sequence number, and raised white letter tires. The Indy 500 door stickers that made this model of Corvette truly special, were delivered inside the car for dealer installation in case the buyer didn't want them on the car. Naturally, the speculation of the collectability of these cars led many dealers to sell these cars over sticker, and for many buyers to trailer their precious Pace Cars right off the showroom floor to storage, keeping the mileage to a minimum. Featured here is a very nice example of this collectible model of Corvette showing only 15,000 miles on the odometer.

The two-tone finish on this 1978 Chevrolet Corvette presents as original with some minor chips here and there in the finish but overall has been well maintained and shines with a very nice brilliance. The correct “Official Pace Car” decals are present commemorating the 62nd running of the Indianapolis 500-mile race. A special Corvette emblem is mounted on the gas door commemorating the 25th anniversary as well as limited edition decals on the front fenders. A major design change for 1978 was the fastback rear window that gives more storage space behind the seats, and this car features the electric defogger option. This Corvette features removable glass roof panels, which in 1978, only 972 Corvettes came equipped with. The driver's side roof panel does have some minor damage on the corner.

Inside this Corvette's silver cockpit is in very good condition with some minor wear in spots. The silver leather seat upholstery shows some very light wear on the driver's side and there is a small tear in the driver's door panel. The original carpet is present, protected by the factory-carpeted floor mats with the Corvette emblem embossed on them. There is some light wear and soiling on the driver's side carpet, otherwise, the carpet is well-preserved throughout the rest of the vehicle. The leather-wrapped steering wheel features a 25th Anniversary center horn emblem and sits on the top of a tilt steering column. Full factory gauges adorn the dash and monitor the engine vitals. Options include intermittent wipers, power windows, power locks, air conditioning, cruise control and Delco AM/FM with an 8-track cassette Stereo player. It should be noted the vehicle comes with several 8-track cassettes with purchase.

Under the hood sits the RPO L48 350cid V8 engine with 180hp. The engine compartment presents as well-kept with many of the factory decals and markings still present. The air filter has been upgraded to a K&N cotton filter and a set of chrome valve covers add some additional bling to the under-hood area. Power is transferred through a GM 3-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic transmission to a limited-slip differential and independent rear suspension.

Underneath, the undercarriage of this Corvette is clean and in original condition with many of the factory assembly markings still present. Maintenance items replaced include shocks, the power steering slave cylinder, and the exhaust system. Standard equipment on the Corvette is four-wheel power disc brakes. The factory alloy wheels with red accent striping are wrapped in BF Goodrich radial T/A tires mounted with the blackwall facing out. Included in the delivery of this car are the correct chrome center caps with Corvette emblems.

This is a great car with some decent collectability, but importantly with T-tops and some of the best handling the 70's had to offer on any car produced, this is a great car to cruise on a sunny day to a car show or even the beach. You will be sure to be greeted with plenty of smiles and thumbs up! Please call if interested or e-mail with specific questions. Thank you for looking.