Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 selected as 2012 Indy 500 pace car

By: Dale Jewett on 5/08/2012

The 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will be the pace car for the 2012 Indianapolis 500.

The 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will be the pace car for this year’s Indianapolis 500–a fitting victory lap as the current sixth-generation Corvette heads for the end of its production run and the end of this version of the ZR1.

The Indy pace-car Corvette will wear the 60th-anniversary trim package–an arctic white exterior with silver stripes down the center of the car and a blue interior with suede leather coverings on the steering wheel, center console and in the seats. Changes for the pace car include only the addition of a light bar on the roof, some racing-safety equipment and race logos.

Chevy says it will not produce pace-car replicas for public sale.

 


An overhead view of the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Indy pace car.

The Corvette ZR1’s supercharged 6.2-liter V8 is rated at 638 hp. Use of carbon fiber in the front fenders, hood, floor pan and rocker panels helps keep curb weight at a low 3,353 pounds. This translates to 5.2 pounds per horsepower.

The 2012 race will mark the 11th time that a Corvette has been used as the Indy 500 pace car. The first time a Corvette paced the race was the 1978 model, which marked the car’s 25th anniversary.

A celebrity driver for the pace car will be named later; that person is expected to be chef Guy Fieri.

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