- Seller: Dennis B
- Location: Rochester, New York
- Mileage: 10,336 Shown
- Chassis #: 1Z87L82901424
- Title Status: Clean
When it comes to low mileage claims, documentation is king. Well, the seller of this 1978 Corvette Pace Car believes the car has only covered 10,336 miles and they claim to have the documentation to back that up. It’s been parked in a barn, so it will need some work to look its best again, but the seller has done the work to make it a driver again. If you’d love to be its next owner, it’s being offered here as a Barn Finds Auction!
For its 25th anniversary, the Corvette was selected to be the Pace Car at the Indy 500. 6,000 Pace Car Replicas would be built and sold to commemorate the occasion. They ended up creating an additional 502 examples. All of the Pace Car replicas shipped with the same two-tone paint job, Pace Car stickers, front and rear spoilers, sport seats, and tinted roof panels. This one was optioned with the L48 engine and an automatic transmission, which reportedly could reach 123 mph and hit 60 in 7.8 seconds.
The seller has service records for the car showing the work done and the mileage at the time. They also have the dealership key tag from when it was sold, the original owner’s manual, and the service manuals. The car also retains its original T-top bags, tires, and exhaust system. Unfortunately, the car’s original paint shows some checking, and the antenna is inoperable. Since the body is fiberglass, a new coat of paint isn’t required to protect the body from rust. The checking is part of the car’s story, so preserving it as is is a reasonable choice.
Overall, the reviews of the Pace Car Corvettes were positive, with reviewers praising its performance and improved quality. The interior is well-appointed, with the sport seats offering support while still being comfortable. As you can see, this one presents well, although some of the plastics are starting to show their age. It even retains its original 8-Track player. There aren’t many signs of use but signs that the car sat in a barn.
The L48 was the base 350 V8 offered in the Corvette, but power increased to 185 horsepower for ’78. This one could use some detailing to present better, but we would be inclined to leave it as is, just as long as everything is in good working order. The seller had the brakes rebuilt but retained all the original parts.
As cool as the Pace Car package is, what makes this car special is its history. Its condition isn’t perfect, so you could drive it without too much concern for rock chips and wear, but it’s nice enough to enjoy, and it would be a popular conversation piece at car shows. If you’d love to own this piece of automotive history, be sure to place your bid. And if you have any questions for the seller, please leave them in the comments section below.
Bid On This Auction
- ACcars1 bid $14,600.00 2024-03-19 16:47:41
- Kenny bid $13,000.00 2024-03-19 16:39:10
- ACcars1 bid $12,500.00 2024-03-19 16:34:20
- Kenny bid $11,500.00 2024-03-19 15:47:53
- ACcars1 bid $11,000.00 2024-03-19 15:46:24
- Kenny bid $10,225.00 2024-03-19 15:42:23
- ACcars1 bid $9,725.00 2024-03-19 15:36:33
- Kenny bid $9,140.00 2024-03-19 15:31:28
- ACcars1 bid $8,640.00 2024-03-19 15:28:26
- Kenny bid $8,140.00 2024-03-19 06:28:33
- ACcars1 bid $7,640.00 2024-03-18 17:40:28
- Kenny bid $7,100.00 2024-03-18 13:20:00
- Alexander1 bid $6,600.00 2024-03-18 05:07:48
- Dennjis bid $6,100.00 2024-03-14 07:28:16
- Dio vettes bid $5,600.00 2024-03-13 16:04:01
- Alexander1 bid $5,000.00 2024-03-13 13:50:52
- Ken bid $4,000.00 2024-03-12 17:16:12
Amazing how a car parked indoors and with just 10k mi looks this bad.
The Pace car was not covered. The fellow I bought the car from I have known for 25 years is 69 mustang was not covered his fountain racing boat was not covered and his hemi charger was not covered
I stopped putting a car cover on my cars. 1. Rodents love the dark environment.
2. The car needs proper ventilation to prevent mold and dampness from occurring. Mold likes darkness also.
3. The transfer of dust and abrasives have a high likelihood of transferring onto the paint and scratching it when taking it off and on.
can the car be seen, before bidding?
How can KEN be bidding against himself?
He’s just hunting for the reserve. Our system doesn’t use proxy bidding like eBay so every bid placed is shown.
I’m thinking it’s 110K miles, not 10K. My C5 is in about the same shape as this, but it sits outdoors and has 175k (granted C5’s did wear better than C3’s).
The gentleman I bought the car I had known 25 years when I first saw the car over 10 years ago
The pace car had 9900 miles back then! I have most of the service documents to back that to the best of my knowledge is original 10,000 or so miles!
The interior is consistent with 10,000 miles. The leather-wrapped steering wheels and silver leather seats in these cars did not wear well and would look far worse at 110,000 miles. The carpeting looks nearly new, also.
Original exhaust system? Those are headers and side pipes.
We have the complete system except for the manifolds
I understand you can buy them on eBay
Original tires
Extra alloy wheel
Repair manuals etc
Im in NYS you are most welcome to look at the car
I did not want to wax the car or clean the interior with cleaning products
I was not sure what to use
And didn’t want to damage anything
Head lights
Tail light directionals all work
Radio sounds good too
Wow… the difference in tastes…… I guess a Shelby Cobra would be REEEEALY tacky, yes? IMHO……
@Kink Creole, And dipsticks are dangerous too….. You could put your eye out…. But I don’t know anyone that’s done that either….
For a “low mileage” car that’s a lot of rust underneath.
Here in NYS you are most welcome to view the car
Or I can go out to the storage building and take more pictures
I can take more pictures for you
Or you are local in NYS please come look at the car
Rust never sleeps.
I remember when these were new, everybody snapped these up thinking they would be worth something. They just weren’t. So many of these to choose from.
I had one with 1600 miles on it and didn’t look much better than this one poor paint jobs.they were worth money when they made around 200 of them,then they made 6000 of them and weren’t worth that much!
This is a 46 year old original car
Original? With headers and pipes?
I had one of these with the L48 motor. I don’t know how they figured the 0-60 time. Mine was so slow it couldn’t get out of its own way. I decided to sell it when a foxbody mustang handed my ass to me.
That time was measured and reported by several automotive publications when they were new. We keep an extensive collection of old car magazines so we can look up period reviews. Obviously, things like engine health, fuel quality, altitude, and weather will impact performance.
Well that explains that. It was a California car burdened by smog equipment plus police didn’t like vehicles that could outrun them.
I also had an L48, after upgrading the intake, ignition system, exhaust, cam, and a shift kit. I was handing a few people there ass. Corvettes had good traction.
A corvette guy will make this a great car with a little work
The t top are like new and all the seals are good too
The silver grey leather
Wheel and carpets are all good
It runs good too
Option 1978 L-52 or L-88, stringrayc-2, auto R-700 4auto-shiftrear modified ignition350 370horsee. Over-drive møde.ttan-slip. limited-torque-slip8.5 inch 3:02 to #1ratio.pace /black silver line overdrive model L-52copo Vette. Limited edition.!
Hi Dennis, I m the hi bidder now. Others have commented on rust. Can you please post some more pictures of the rust areas. Thanks in advance. Dennis.
The rust is surface rust from moisture in the air in the north east
My lotus never used winter and Porsches
And my triumphs all look the same
The car is really low in the barn 60 miles from the house I will try to get out there today
To my knowdge never used in the winter
Thanks Dennis. If I flew up to Rochester, could I drive it back to Tenn? You can use my E mail account if you like.
You could yes
But don’t forget you have 4 extra tires
An exhaust system and extra wheel
In reality I would suggest shipping just in case you have snow storm, bouncing deer
Etc
Send email and I will send them to you !!
I agree with the seller (I’m a Dennis too, LOL!) on this one. Driving a car that is not a daily driver for any amount of distance is just asking for trouble. Better, and ultimately cheaper, to just have it shipped. Then take it to a mechanic for a once-over, then drive it and enjoy it for many years to come!
Send me your email and I will send pictures back
The mechanic just went out and took pictures for me of the underside
Send email
Has this Corvette been mechanically checked out? How would I ship it to Alberta, Canada?
Does this car run Ok and move? Will the seller assist a shipper in getting it in position to drive on a transport?
Hi there!
I had the car sent to my mechanic when I bought the car last year .I had bought new brakes for it saving the original parts
The car comes with the set of the original tires and exhaust minus the manifolds
I can assist the buyer get it driven up on a transport sure!
Don’t forget the exhaust and 4 tires and extra wheel!
Dennis
Is it possible to drive car to Alberta?
I’m not sure I would
How would you get threw customs!!
The extra exhaust brake pads and tires might be difficult to fit in the car
It is funny when we find a low mileage documented car, we all have an idea of what we expect it to look like. I recently bought a 73 Ford F-100, with a fairly accurate history of its life. Some things were as I suspected they would be, others were not even close. I was sure I had been scammed or are at the very least taken advantage of. Now I believe the history of the car was mostly true, I think the fact is cars like people all age at a different rate. Some do it very well others not so much and every combination in between.
If you don’t like the car or can’t afford it just shut the he’ll up.FOR GODS SAKE, let the man advertise the car
Amen.
The Lambrecht one had 4 miles on it and was untitled, it went for $80k in 2013. These cars have become collectors given you can find one in great shape with low miles.
Hi everyone just to be clear
The car needs cleaning but I didn’t want to use carpet shampoos or leather or vinal cleaners
It might damage the silver colors
I was going to use windex to clean the gauges but I didn’t what if I scratched the plastic faces of the gauges So left it as is by choice
I’m not a mechanic at all
I’m hopefull some one will give it a good home spend some time detailing the engine
Put the original exhaust back on
And cleaning the car
A corvette that’s affordable for now
Hope this helps
Dennis
Why does the left side valve cover show flaking paint? Were rodents under the air cleaner on top of the intake manifold?
I wish I had a good answer I’m not a mechanic but I do know painted metal
My Mercedes’ air cleaner is painted metal and is flacking like that
It’s the heating and contracting of metal here in the north east temperatures