Its funny, I like my stuff trad but a rim change doesnt bug me that much or at all BUT early c4 rims look hideous on a C3.  The motor job looks clean and that hood maybe needed for clearence.  On a nice car I wouldnt have done it but maybe he saved a pig.  Me, I like  em stock looking..

Theres always the possiblity that the motor replacement was due to unrepairable damage to the original, in which case, I agree with the new motor. 

   Once you have the new motor, the other mods are more understandable, since you end up with a lower value on the Vette already.  However, those rims do suck

The Blue Plates are special.  There as a relatively short period of time between the ages old black plates, and the new white plates that we have now.  I tend to think that they are worth mentioning, as they themselves are getting rarer all the time.

   Anyways, my 2 cents on it.

If something like that were a cheap buy on ebay, id strongly consider doing a "de-bubba" resto on it. it should be 100% stock. the pace car is in my opionion a perfect car to start with!

its a shame to see that someone did that to it. i dont think they knew the value of what they had.

the 78 pace car always was and still is my dream car of my childhood. i really hate to see that!!

You guys are correct.  Like Steve, I too love the Pace Car.  I grew up at the dirt tracks in Oklahoma and the Indy 500 was where we all wanted to end up.  I even crewed a Formula Atlantic for a while.  The Shark Pace Car is the top of the heap for me.  I'd at least maim if not kill to have one someday.  I love the black '80, but the Pacer is it.

A friend of my wife's recently told me she had a pace car NEW, bought by her dad when she started High School.  She didn't like it and traded it for something but she couldn't remember what. 

Did I mention she is Blonde!  Truly she is, under 5' tall too, which may have contributed substantially to her not enjoying the car.

There is a special place for people who do that if it wasn't a salvage.

Dennis