1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car

Chassis No. 1Z8748S902212
Long known as the quintessential American sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, with its sleek lines, powerful engine, and eye-catching color options, all contribute to its timeless appeal. Moreover, the Corvette's spacious cabin and comfortable bucket seats make it the perfect blend of performance and luxury. Shortly after producing the 500,000th Corvette on 15 March 1977, Chevrolet would celebrate the Corvette's 25th anniversary in 1978. The year 1978 also featured the first major design revision in ten years, ushering in a new era as the first year for a new fastback body and rounded glass rear window with no less than Brock Yates commenting in Car and Driver that “The Corvette is a genuine pleasure to drive again.”
Amidst all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Silver Anniversary edition, the Corvette was also rightly chosen to pace that year's Indianapolis 500. Truly one of the first collector Corvettes, the “Limited Edition,” more commonly known as the Indy 500 Pace Car, was produced with one-off Silver and Black livery with red highlighted striping and Pace Car decals with a coordinated silver leather interior. More than just cosmetics, it featured numerous options as standard and these were often some of the most highly optioned Corvettes of their era. Three-hundred total “Z78” optioned Indy 500 Pace Cars were intended to be produced in 1978, but such was their popularity that General Motors altered their plans and produced one for each Chevrolet dealer across the US and Canada.
Sold through Dick Irwin Chevrolet of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada this Z78 Indy 500 Pace Car is one of only 512 ordered with the most potent 350 cu-in L82 V8 engine and the close-ratio M21 manual transmission. This combination of these two highly desirable options comprised less than eight percent of the Indy 500 Pace Car production that year. Perhaps even more astonishing is that this Pace Car has been driven only 899 kilometers, or approximately 559 miles, at the time of cataloging, an average of 12 miles per year! As a result, this unrestored Corvette oozes originality from its factory-installed components. In fact, it retains its original build sheet, dealer order confirmation, and original bill of sale along with owner's manuals and other period purchase ephemera. Naturally, this highly collectible Corvette is a very deserving award winner, claiming a 96.8 NCRS “Top Flight” score in 2006. It is said that no Corvette collection is complete without a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Z78 Indy 500 Pace Car. Those on the hunt for a low-mileage example with an L82 V8 paired with a close-ratio M21 manual transmission should look no further.