Topic: MORE 78 Pace Car 0001 pics
in Forum: C3 Special Edition Vettes
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Could be??? I looked back at the pics Marshall took back in June at the Indy car show and the Vette apparently owned by the museum doesn't have the 2 names on the sides. Neither does the one pictured as Unsers.
The info I went by is from the "Chronology of the Chevrolet Corvette" which simply states 0001 went to the "museum in Detroit" while 0002 and 0003 were used at Indy. 'The Pace Car that is driven is given to race winner Al Unser".
Also, I noticed the same non power antenna on the Indy Museum's Pace Car.
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I also enjoyed the pictures. Thanks Mike.
Dumb question...can you get a 78 pace car with manual trans???
If so, how rare are they? Thanks
Dumb question...can you get a 78 pace car with manual trans???
If so, how rare are they? Thanks
Steve, Lifetime Member #129
74 coupe 4 speed 350, 54K actual miles,
all original; paint, interior, engine,
split bumper. #'s match. 2nd owner, no stress cracks.
[QUOTE=cilrah]
I could be wrong but doesn't this look like the same car you two just saw at the show.
[/QUOTE]
Mark, that sure does look like 0001. I've seen that pic before and assumed they had names on all 3 Pace Cars.
Spent a while last night googling various Pace Car combinations and looked through a few Corvette books I have from the early 80s. All of the promo shots at the race track show the Pace Car without the names on em. So the following is just my SPECULATION.....
In another post on the other Pace Car thread you stated that Al Unser sold the 71 Charger he received for that race because it wasn't the actual Pace Car and therefore held no real meaning for him. Well, he's held on to the 78 Corvette for 30 years now so it probably means a lot to him. The ACTUAL race used car? VIN 0002? No names on the doors.(would he take the names off??).
The Pace Car owned by the Indy Museum was probably the back up. Also no names. Being a museum I doubt they would remove names from the doors. 0003?
0001 owned by GM with the names on the doors.....maybe just used for a few pre race laps so the celebrities(Rathman and Cloutier, whoever he was)could wave to the fans. I would think that pic is not during the race with the guy waving to the crowd and all! And names on the doors so people would know who the heck they were waving at!
There were no Corvette parade or courtesy cars. Those were either Camaros or Monte Carlos.
Mark, get me in through your contact Ellen to see the museum's Pace Car and I'll head right down there again!!
One more observation I made at the Indy Auto Show. They had an information placard in front of the 0001(should hve taken a pic!!). One of the statements was about the first 300 units having special Goodyear tires with "Corvette" on them. We know this didn't happen. So how much other info was wrong? Anyway, it also stated a different cam was installed(L82 cam or something bigger?) and special dual exhaust. What did they mean by "special"? 0001 had factory Y into a cat and to the Y again.
It would be interesting to get a look underneath the speedway's and Unsers' Pace Cars to see if there's true duals.
[QUOTE=steves74]I also enjoyed the pictures. Thanks Mike.
Dumb question...can you get a 78 pace car with manual trans???
If so, how rare are they? Thanks [/QUOTE]
Dumb question...can you get a 78 pace car with manual trans???
If so, how rare are they? Thanks [/QUOTE]
There is nothing in the Black Book that says you couldn't order the 4-speed for your PC. In fact it says all options were available.
No cost addition for the manual or auto.
Out of 46,776 built that year, only 3,385 ordered the 4-speed.
38,614 got the automatic.
That only totals 41,999, so not sure of these numbers.
and of course, there is no way to tell how many PC got 4-speeds, but i am sure there were a few.
We actually have 4 members listed with a PC VIN and manual tranny. One is listed as a 3-speed manual. (Former member Timmer)
Is it possible that the 3-speed manual was standard?
The plot thickens.
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[QUOTE=dwright][QUOTE=steves74]I also enjoyed the pictures. Thanks Mike.
Dumb question...can you get a 78 pace car with manual trans???
If so, how rare are they? Thanks [/QUOTE]
mkapp7879 2008-01-02 21:21:27
Dumb question...can you get a 78 pace car with manual trans???
If so, how rare are they? Thanks [/QUOTE]
There is nothing in the Black Book that says you couldn't order the 4-speed for your PC. In fact it says all options were available.
No cost addition for the manual or auto.
Out of 46,776 built that year, only 3,385 ordered the 4-speed.
38,614 got the automatic.
That only totals 41,999, so not sure of these numbers.
and of course, there is no way to tell how many PC got 4-speeds, but i am sure there were a few.
We actually have 4 members listed with a PC VIN and manual tranny. One is listed as a 3-speed manual. (Former member Timmer)
Is it possible that the 3-speed manual was standard?
The plot thickens.
[/QUOTE]
The discrepency in transmission numbers is because the wide ratio 4speed was standard and not listed in the options charts. The 3385 4speeds listed were for the close ratio units that were only available with the L82. If ya didn't check the option box or ya got an L48 then you got the wide ratio.
No 3 speeds offered, that must be a typo.
Speculation says about 250 4speed Pace Cars produced. But mostly a guess.
There were no 3-speed tranny's, no special exhaust, and certainly no tires with Corvette on them.
The Pace Car with Jim Rathman on it was the actual Pace Car, the honorary Pace Car driver actually drives the Pace lap. The 71 Pace Car driver was a Dodge Dealer from the Indy area, and apparently not very experienced in driving at high speeds, he wrecked the car during the actual race. I believe the Rathman car was the only car that actually Paced the race the others were spares inwhich Indy kept one and Al got the other, was there a fourth? Hell I don't know.
And yes Mike, there were Monte Carlos there in 78, I've got pictures of the Hurst (shifter) Girls riding round the track in a Monte Carlo.
I just purchased a huge package of pictures from the 78 Indy 500 from a guy whos Pacer used to be on display at the NCM. All pictures of the Pace Car and one of the Monte Carlo.
MARK
LIFETIME MEMBER #117 
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"Keep up the Pace"
Heres one of the two pics I have of the Monte Carlo that was at Indy in 78. cilrah 2008-01-02 22:09:22
MARK
LIFETIME MEMBER #117
Click here to see my new friend P-Racer
"Keep up the Pace"
in Forum: C3 Special Edition Vettes
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