This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Race.
The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum will commemorate the event with a special exhibition of Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replicas supplemented by some actual race pace cars and an assortment of vintage competition vehicles representing several eras of Indy with more than a dozen vehicles.
Pacing the Indianapolis 500 is a prestigious task.
It has become a real honor for the chosen manufacturer and usually coincides with the release of a major new model or a striking redesign resemblance to the actual competition vehicles.
It was also rumored that some pace cars in the first quarter of the 20th century could actually outperform the race vehicles!
Gradually, the race cars became more specialized and soon looked nothing like the production automobiles that paced them.
While the modern pace car is a rolling advertisement, it also represents new technology, safety and performance. "Leading the Pack" will showcase the wide variety of manufacturers and body styles used as pace cars over the course of the "500’s" century of competition.
Vehicle List:
1930 Cord Model L-29
1939 Buick Series 80 Roadmaster
1956 DeSoto Fireflite Pace Car
1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser
1959 Buick Electra 225
1967 Camaro Convertible Pace Car 396
1968 Ford Torino Convertible Pace Car
1969 Camaro RS/SS 396 Pace Car
1970 Dodge Challenger Pace Car
1975 Buick Century Pace Car Replica
1978 Chevrolet Corvette 25th Anniversary/Indy Pace Car Replica
1979 Mustang Pace Car Replica
1981 Buick Regal Pace Car Replica
1983 Buick Riviera
1984 Pontiac Fiero Pace Car Prototype
1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Trans Am
1994 Mustang Cobra Convertible Pace Car Replica
1995 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car Replica
For more information on the museum, events, directions and hours, visit: http://www.aacamuseum.org
