1978 Chevrolet Corvette C3 Z87/Z78 Limited Edition Pace Car Coupe

Just before Chevrolet celebrated the Corvette's 25th anniversary in 1978, the 500,00th example rolled off the production line on March 15, 1977. The 1978 Corvette was given the first major design revision in ten years, featuring a rounded glass rear window and a new fastback body design.

1978 was the Corvette's Silver Anniversary and it was selected to be the Pace Car at that year's Indianapolis 500. The 'Limited Edition,' more commonly known as the Indy 500 Pace Car, was produced with one-off Silver and Black livery with red highlighted striping and Pace Car decals with a coordinated silver leather interior. Initially, three hundred examples of the 'Z78' optioned Indy 500 Pace Cars were intended to be produced in 1978, but its popularity prompted General Motors to produce one for each Chevrolet dealer across the US and Canada.

This particular Z78 Indy 500 Pace Car example was sold through Dick Irwin Chevrolet of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of 512 examples equipped with the most potent 350 cu-in L82 V8 engine and the close-ratio M21 manual transmission. These two options comprised less than eight percent of the Indy 500 Pace Car production that year.

This Pace Car has been driven 899 kilometers (approximately 559 miles). It is an award winner, claiming a 96.8 National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) 'Top Flight' score in 2006.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2024