Here’s Your Chance to Own the Lamest Indy 500 Pace Cars
Of all the cars to choose from, the big wigs at Indy thought these would be the best… for some reason.
I love the Indy 500. I'm truly excited that we're now just three weeks away from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. However, someone at Team Penske is apparently less excited, because they've decided to part ways with some of the Indy 500 pace car models in their collection. At first, I was like, "How could they?!" But after seeing the catalog, I thought, "Oh, yeah. Good riddance."
A total of 16 Chevy, Chrysler, Ford, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile models are hitting the auction block at the 2024 Mecum Indy sale later this month. It's worth highlighting that none of these cars actually paced the Indy 500—no, these are "Indy 500 Edition" cars, meaning they were dressed up to look like the real pace cars. However, two of these cars, the Ford Mustang and Pontiac Fiero, were trophy cars gifted to Rick Mears after winning the 1979 and 1985 races.
And while the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am, 1994 Mustang SVT Cobra, and a couple of Corvette Z06s are pretty darn cool, some oddballs make ya wonder how they even became Indy 500 pace car candidates.
2002 Oldsmobile Bravada
I mean, excuse me? Just look at it. A bloated, uninspiring, and seriously underwhelming piece of sheet metal plastered with stickers on the outside and embroidered Indianapolis Motor Speedway logos on the inside. It's even got Simpson racing belts—just in case you end up going fast.
A 4.0-liter inline-six engine with 270 horsepower and a four-speed automatic have helped this behemoth travel a total of 616 miles over the course of 22 years. To be fair, its stance ain't all that bad, with the suspension lowered a whopping three inches and some cool-lookin' Budnik 19-inch wheels.
1988 Chrysler Lebaron
Yes, that's a Chrysler Lebaron Pace Car Edition. Friends, this magnificent beast has seen no more than 227 miles in its 35-year existence. It's powered by a 2.2-liter, turbocharged inline-four, and back in the day it made 146 horsepower stock (there's no mention of this one being modified).
This car has been in the Penske collection since new and is one of only 1,000 cars ever produced. According to the listing, it was driven by four-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Sr. at the 2015 Woodward Dream Cruise.
1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais
Another Oldsmobile makes the cut. Shocker. Nothing, and I mean, nothing stands out about this Indy 500 Pace Car Edition car. If I really had to choose something, it'd be its very bright red interior that looks alright but doesn't match the exterior styling whatsoever.
It's worth highlighting that the 3.0-liter V6 under the hood makes a whopping 92 horsepower. That means a zero-to-60 mph time of 11.2 seconds, according to MotorWeek—who also called it "commendable" for some reason.
Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com
