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Before Rick Mears won his fourth Indianapolis 500 in 1991, he already had his eye one sweet prize.
A Stoddard-Dayton roadster in 1911 not only paced the first Indy 500, it was the first pace car in auto racing history. A Dodge Challenger crashed on pit road just after leading the start of the 1971 race, a 2001 Olds Bravada was the first SUV, and a Chevy SSR two years later was the only pickup truck. This year’s pace car, a Corvette E-Ray 3LZ, is the first hybrid. Mustang, Camaro and Corvette pace cars are among the most popular for collectors.
“They claimed it wasn’t American and there should be an American car to pace this American race,” Vansickle said. “At the last minute, they pulled the car and put into commission the Dodge Viper.” “I felt like they owed it to me,” Mears said. “Finally, I thought I would buy one. They told me there’s a dealer close to my home that has one, so I called and asked how much. The guy said, ‘Ten over. That’s what we’re charging everyone.’ I said thanks but no thanks. It wasn’t the 10 over that was the problem, it was the idea that I didn’t like.”
The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro pace car replica remains one of the most popular, and most collected, in history. Unlike the Corvettes of recent years that are high-performance machines out the showroom door, many pace cars needed performance mods to achieve the quick acceleration and speeds of 120 mph or more needed for on-track duties.
“That C pillar is what Foyt and Tony Hulman rode on the back in those legendary photos,” Vansickle said. “The back window can come out, too, which was unique to that car.”
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