1978 Chevy Corvette Pace Car Replica For Sale With Just 57 Miles Shown Is An L48 V8 Time Capsule

Every year, around 350,000 racegoers head to the Indy 500, descending on the hallowed Indianapolis Motor Speedway to take in some motorsport goodness. Attendance like that establishes the 500-mile race as the world's largest single-day sporting event by headcount. In short, it's a big deal — and it has been for quite some time. For the 62nd running of the Indy 500 back in 1978, the event decided that the duties of the official pace car would be offered to Chevrolet— only the fifth time the Bow Tie had been entrusted with it.

Enter the 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car. It was the first year Chevrolet used a Corvette as an Indy 500 pace car, and it spawned a run of special edition Pace Car Replicas. Today, finding a 1978 Corvette Pace Car Replica with fewer than 1,000 miles on the clock seems like witchcraft. This survivor, however, has lived an impossibly sheltered life and has the odometer reading to match. For one lucky Corvette (or Indy 500) fan, the babied Pace Car Replica is up for grabs and heading to the auction block in early November. With this mileage, it's sure to net a lot more than the average C3 Corvette Pace Car.

The very first Corvette ever made rolled off the line back in 1953, igniting America's love affair with Chevy's "Plastic Fantastic." A quarter-century later, Chevrolet chose the 'Vette to strut its stuff as the official pace car of the 62nd Annual Indianapolis 500. It made history. The first Corvette pace car? Check. The first Indy 500 pace car with a stock drivetrain? Also yes. In keeping with the "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" sales philosophy, Chevrolet released factory replicas of the pace car built on the stock 1978 Chevy Corvette L48 — just like the real-deal pace car.

One of the lowest mileage examples of these factory replicas is about to be offered at auction by GAA Classic Cars. On the outside, the 1978 Chevy Corvette Pace Car is finished in the quintessential black, red, and silver Indy 500 livery, right down to the script that reads "Official Pace Car 62nd Annual Indianapolis 500 Mile Race." Of course, a stock 1978 Corvette of this sort means rad T-tops, power windows, and four-piston, four-wheel disc brakes.

Under the hood, the 1978 Corvette packs the 350-cubic-inch V8 and Rochester four-barrel carburetor combo you'd find in a factory L48 'Vette. Compared to previous years, the 1978 model enjoyed a modest bump in grunt, with a factory-rated 185 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Nothing seems too crazy, at a glance. That is, until you look at the odometer. GAA Classic Cars says this Corvette Pace Car has just 57 actual miles. Considering the pace car replica is 48 years old, it's been driven a little less than 1.2 miles per year. We only hope the next owner drives it a bit.

How does a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car keep an odometer that low? Well, it helps when it's been confined to a showroom. GAA Classic Cars says the factory pace car replica sat in a Chevrolet dealer showroom from when it was new until last year. It's difficult to build five- or six-figure mileage sitting in a showroom. It's the real deal, too. See, Chevrolet swapped the eighth digit of the replicas' VIN sequences to identify the special edition cars. This one has a 9 in the eighth position of its VIN, as opposed to a 4 like a plain ol' 1978 Corvette.

An odometer reading that low in any 1978 Chevrolet Corvette is desirable, but the connection to one of America's favorite races might push the sale price of this thing that much higher. The year after the 62nd Indy 500, the Blue Oval got the chance to field the Indy 500 pace car. Even though it wasn't of the 'Vette persuasion, the 1979 Ford Mustang Indy 500 Pace Car was a big deal, too. After all, the Indy 500 is so sacred to motorsport fans, it can make just about anyone understand the appeal of racing.