Indy Pace cars have covered a broad swath of American auto brands and models – this beige Buick Riviera coupe doesn’t look like one – it looks more like grand ma’s drive once-a-week car. Nevertheless, it is an official 1983 pace car replica, one of 500 and worthy of a closer look. This Riv is located in Scottsdale, Pennsylvania and is available, here on craigslist for $5,500. Thanks to Chuck F for this tip!

In more recent years, pace cars were often based on flashy, high-performance pony cars or Corvettes and had the stripes and side billboards to remove any doubt of their intended role. A convertible is usually part of the mix too, and that was the case in ’83 as Buick offered a convertible as one of the Riviera’s body variants. But the true pace cars were a bit different than this example, as the seller offers, “The on-track pace cars that led the race was an automotive engineering marvel at the time. It had a 4.1 dual-turbo V6 that produced well over 500 horsepower. It was a convertible with beige two-toned paint and wire wheels. It’s believed that there are only a few of those in existence“.

Unfortunately, this comparative pace car has had to make do with a 140 net HP, 5.0-liter V8 engine which appears to be an Oldsmobile 307 CI motor. Interestingly, the engine is mounted longitudinally in spite of its front-wheel-drive four-speed automatic transaxle – much like the ’60’s Oldsmobile Toronado. Operating aspects aren’t revealed and “great shape” is the only descriptor used. With 155K miles on its clock, this Buick/Olds will still have some life to it mechanically, but its long-term outlook will be a bit confined.

Externally, this repainted Riviera presents well. The finish is two-tone beige with brown trim and pinstripes, just like the 499 other examples. There is also a golden “Riviera XX” emblem adorning both front fenders to denote this Riv’s exalted status as an Indy pace car. I’m honestly not certain what XX (roman numeral 20) references. The wire wheels were made by Appliance and were painted in the same beige with chrome beauty rings and hubcaps. Unique Riviera logs for this edition were etched in gold on the hubcaps. That’s a nice identity touch, too bad the caps are missing. The seller mentions that the rear bumper fillers are starting to crack, a typical problem with GM cars of this era, but overall, this Riviera checks out.

The images of the interior are poor. There’s a good one of the carpet but most potential buyers are going to be a bit more interested in the seats, dash, instrument panel, door panels, etc. Anyway, there is lots of gold and brown slathered around with seats that are upholstered in suede and leather. There’s more “burled wood” than you would find in a lumber yard. I’m guessing that it’s “burled plastic” but I could be wrong. The interior has a very ’80s GM feel about it from what can be spied.

OK, this car has some uniqueness to it but it’s not exactly going to start juices flowing like the ’69 Camaro SS, ’70 Oldsmobile 442, ’71 Dodge Challenger, or many others that have paced the great race with more sporting aplomb. It’s mostly just a nice ’80s GM front-wheel-driver that happens to have a non-remarkable V8 engine. But for many, that will be enough, would it be enough for you?