- 1970s: Where It All Began
- 1980s: A Very Yellow C4 Enters The Limelight
- 1990s: C4 Continues Its Run
- 2000s: Corvettes Rain Down At Indianapolis
- 2010s: Six More Appearances And A Lot More Power
- 2020s: Mid-Engined C8 Takes Over The Torch
For 2023, the Indy 500 pace car will be a new Corvette Z06 Convertible, so we're taking a walk down memory lane with all 20 Corvettes to have fulfilled the role at Indy.
Later this month, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible will take to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) as the official pace car for the 107th edition of the Indianapolis 500. By doing so, the new Z06 will join a long line of Corvette pace cars that have done duty for the Indy 500 through the decades in what has become fondly known as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
“As we celebrate the rich history of the Corvette Pace Car at IMS, it's amazing to see the evolution of these cars on and off the track,” said IMS President J. Douglas Boles. “The hardtop convertible on the 2023 Corvette Z06 is just another example of the Chevrolet innovation that translates from track to street.”
Much has been said about the 670-horsepower Z06 already, but this new pace car will look the part with its Red Mist Metallic exterior over a two-tone Jet Black and Sky Cool Gray interior with Torch Red accents.
Let's take a look at the Corvette's Indy 500 pace car history in more detail, though.
1970s: Where It All Began
Over two decades after the Corvette was first launched, it finally had the honor of headlining the Indy 500 as a pace car in 1978, the same year of the Corvette’s 25th anniversary. This first example was a C3 Corvette with a two-tone black and silver body, and it came with pop-up headlights. Although the curvier body was quite a change for this generation of the ‘Vette, it retained the engines and chassis from the C2. This first-ever Indy 500 pace car had the L48 V8 engine making around 180 horsepower and with a four-speed automatic. The silver interior is spotless as this car resided at the American Muscle Car Museum for many years.
1980s: A Very Yellow C4 Enters The Limelight
A C4 Corvette Convertible returned to Indy 500 in 1986, the only year in the decade that a Corvette was used as a pace car at the event. This was the same year that the Corvette reintroduced the convertible body style, so it's no surprise that Chevy wanted to use this variant for such a prominent role. This particular pace car was also an automatic but made 235 hp and shot to 60 mph in about 5.8 seconds, per the American Muscle Car Museum. This example is one of just 732 yellow C4 convertibles ever built.
1990s: C4 Continues Its Run
In this decade, the Corvette made two appearances as the pace car at the Indy 500 towards the end of the C4's life cycle, which spanned 12 years. The 1995 model looked very different from the yellow C4 above with its Dark Purple and white paintwork. Also a convertible, the cabin was finished in the same color combination. The engine was a 300-hp LT1.
Three years later, in 1998, the final C4 pace car arrived sporting a 345-hp LS1, an automatic, and Pace Car Purple paint with yellow wheels. The interior would have been quite somber were it not for the yellow seats.
2000s: Corvettes Rain Down At Indianapolis
This was the decade where the Corvette really took over as pace car at the Indy 500, with six appearances spanning two generations of the Corvette – the C5 and C6. Although the Burgundy C5 used in 2002 was quite restrained compared to the two purple ones seen previously, it was notable in that it was the 50th Anniversary Edition of the sports car.
The Corvette returned in some form or another between 2004 and 2008, the joint-longest streak it enjoyed as pace car. This group included a C5 convertible with a graphic of the American flag on it in 2004 and a C6 convertible in red and silver in 2005.
Another patriotic-branded C6 appeared in 2006 and it was controversial for the fact that Lance Armstrong was the driver, a decision that may have been regretted in retrospect.
2007 saw the arrival of a copper C6 convertible with yellow stripes, and 2008's choice was a Z06 running on E85 fuel. Previous Indy champion Emerson Fittipaldi drove this Z06, which came with a 7.0-liter V8 and was finished in an iridescent green.
2010s: Six More Appearances And A Lot More Power
The Corvette repeated the feat it achieved the previous decade with another six appearances in the 2010s, kicked off by the final C6, a ZR1 coupe in 2012. This one had quite a conservative paint job in white with a gray center stripe.
The first C7 followed in 2013 with striking Laguna Blue Tintcoat paintwork, producing around 450 hp from its LT1 V8. This model also came with the Z51 package. Two more C7s followed in 2015 and 2017, both with white paintwork and blue/red decals.
The 2015 model was driven by Jeff Gordon who participated in NASCAR, and the latter was a Grand Sport model equipped with a carbon fiber aero package.
Chevy turned up the heat in 2018 with a C7 ZR1 coupe with 755 hp, making it the most powerful Corvette ever to pace the Indy 500. A year later, the final C7 had its moment of glory. This one was finished in Long Beach Red Metallic and was a Grand Sport model.
2020s: Mid-Engined C8 Takes Over The Torch
The C8 was a dramatic departure for the Corvette with its mid-engine layout, but that didn’t mean that it was disregarded as a pace car. Taking over where the C7 left off was a C8 Stingray coupe with the Z51 Performance package in 2020, finished in Torch Red – a very popular color for the latest Corvette generation.
In 2021, a white C8 convertible with yellow and black accents took over, once again equipped with the Z51 Performance package. Finally, last year saw racing legend Sarah Fisher pilot a C8 Chevy Corvette Z06 at Indianapolis for the 2022 edition, making her one of just three women to drive a pace car on this stage.
That neatly brings us to 2023 and the return of the Z06, but with its spiffy new paintwork. This year marks the 20th time that the Corvette has been the pace car at the Indy 500 and the 34th time for Chevrolet as a brand.
“We are honored to be pacing the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 with the Corvette Z06 convertible,” said Scott Bell, vice president, Global Chevrolet. “Chevrolet and Indycar share the same spirit of competition, and we are proud Z06 will lead the pack across the brick at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
Last year, before the announcement of the Z06 at the 2023 Indy 500, the previous Indy 500 Corvette pace cars all went up for auction and reportedly sold for $1.375 million.
Keyword: Inside The Chevy Corvette's Special History With The Indy 500