The Indianapolis 500 has long been called the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and last Sunday's running was no different. It saw last-second fuel shortages and a Canadian rookie in the top 10. Our autoTRADER.ca Find of the Week this week lets you bring home a little bit of that Indy 500 history. It's a 2010 Camaro SS Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replica that's a little more special than most.
The Indianapolis 500 has been running since 1911, with the event now having been run 102 times. For decades, the Memorial Day weekend race has been one of the most prestigious in all of racing. And since 1911, there has always been one car guaranteed to be at the head of the 33-car strong field:The pace car.
The pace car's function is fairly self-explanatory. It paces the field. The car is driven ahead of the race cars to keep their speeds down when they aren't actually racing. Otherwise, race car drivers will be race car drivers, and suddenly the parade lap is running at 300 km/h. Today, the car also slows down the racers when there are safety hazards on the track, like emergency response to a collision. But up until 1978, the cars were only used for that pre-race parade lap.
From the start, pacing the Indy 500 was seen as prestigious, and the cars would wear bright paint schemes to make sure fans knew what make was leading the pack. Then, starting in the 1950s, automakers realized that they could sell a few more cars by copying that paint livery onto production cars and sending them to dealers for sale. That idea has grown, and automakers continue to offer limited production pace car replicas today.
This week's find is a rare model. In 2010, the Chevrolet Camaro was returning to the market after an eight-year break. To show off the new model, Chevrolet had the car chosen as the pace car that year. To go along with it, Chevy offered up a pace car replica to go along with the race. It was the first time for a Camaro pace car replica since 1993, and just the fourth time ever.
The 2010 Camaro Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Limited Edition got some changes over the stock car. Based on the 2SS trim with the RS appearance package, it started with the standard 6.2L V8 that made 400 hp. All were sold with a six-speed automatic transmission. Then it added unique 20-inch polished wheels. The nose used a special heritage grille, painted in the Inferno Orange paint that all of the replicas wore. The engine cover was painted to match.
Emblazoned on the doors was the 2010 Indianapolis 500 race logo, with matching embroidery on the driver and passenger headrests and another paid of event logo badges on the fenders. Oh, and special Indy 500 floor mats.
But that was the US model. GM had something special in store for Canadian buyers.
Chevrolet only built about 294 pace cars editions in 2010. That makes it one of the most rare pace car replicas produced. Officially, 200 of those cars were slated for US dealers (with 199 actually produced), 50 were used at the event, and then 45 cars were put up for sale in Canada.
All of the US cars were automatics. Canadians were offered a third pedal. Along with that six-speed manual transmission came the more powerful 426 hp V8. According to the seller, just 28 of the 45 Canadian cars were equipped with that option. That makes this an extremely rare car. One of just 28 anywhere.
This car is nearly new, with under 2,000 km on the odometer. It still wears the factory plastic seat covers and airbag warning on the glove box. It comes with the original window sticker, the build sheet, and the seller says it has all the documentation to show just how special this car is. It even still has some original factory markings on those 20-inch wheels.
If you're looking for a very rare way to lead the pack, then this Brickyard-ready 2010 Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car replica, for sale in Bobcaygeon, ON, could be just what you're looking for.
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