1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 pace car found with just 13 miles

usmusclecars · October 25, 2011, 10:33:18 AM

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Just when we thought the heyday of pristine barn finds had all but dried up, cars like this one bubble to the surface. Back in 1978, Chevrolet celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Corvette by pacing the Indianapolis 500 and releasing a handful of special-edition pace car replicas to the public. Just 6,502 of the black and silver Corvette models were ever produced, and the vehicles sold out quickly. Sensing a potential future collectible, the original owner of this 1978 Chevrolet Corvette pace car bought the car and tucked it away in his garage.

In 1995, the owner sold his house and had the Corvette pace car transferred to a Detroit-area storage facility, where it was locked away for good under a pile of boxes. Now the car is being offered for sale through Corvette Mike New England. According to the site, the original tires still hold air, and surprisingly enough, the engine still runs. We had to wince a little when we heard that the seller decided to run the original half-tank of gasoline through the engine. Dropping the fuel tank and draining the system surely couldn't have been that hard.