Worn Out But Running: 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car

Restoring C3 Corvettes is not for the faint of heart. This 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car is a special edition but has not been well taken care of. To add to that, the ad on eBay is full of up close pictures that don’t really show the total car in one picture. The Corvette Pace Car is located in Merrick, New York and has been owned by the seller for the last 21 years. The car has faded paint and decals and the interior is equally sun damaged. The seller states that the car still runs – fairly well.There are two days remaining in the auction and the car has been bid to $9,400 after 12 bids.

Chevrolet built 6,502 Corvette Pace Cars to commemorate the selection of the Corvette to be the pace car for the 1978 Indianapolis 500. When these cars were introduced, many enthusiasts purchased them and tucked them away only to find that so many were built that they were not all that rare. I have always liked the black and silver paint as well as the front and rear spoilers introduced on the Pace Car. I purchased a 1978 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car in 1997 that was auctioned off in a bankruptcy. It was an L82 4 speed car with fairly low miles and in pretty good condition. I remember paying about $13,000 and selling a year later after our first child was born. As striking a car as it was, we were a family of three and the Corvette was not a family car!

Chevrolet offered two engine options in 1978. The base engine was the L-48 350 cubic inch V8 engine rated at 185 horsepower in 1978. The optional engine was an L-82 350 cubic inch V8 engine rated at 220 horsepower and around 280 lb ft of torque. Besides the bump in power, the L-82 350 cubic inch V8 engine came with an improved air induction system, black valve covers, a high lift cam and aluminum intake manifold. Also, the L-82 350 cubic inch V8 engine option also came with a special tachometer designating the L-82 engine. Neither engine were bad for the day but neither was that powerful.

The description for this car is pretty brief. You can see this 1978 Corvette Pace Car here on eBay. There are two days left in the auction. There are no pictures of the front seats. It states the odometer has 33,641 miles on it. The car will need paint and apparently needs a glass T-Top. The undercarriage pictures show surface rust and there is some damage to the rear bumper besides the faded and worn through original paint. The car must have been stored outside due to the extensive sun damage. The original radio has been replaced by an aftermarket Kenwood radio. What do you think of this 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car ?