Purchased Indy Pace Car 43 Today

[6caddy2]

Fantastic car Brian!!! Hope it brings you the enjoyment that only a car like that can!!! Owned a few of the Indy pace cars "69" Camaro's, should've keep one, but young and dumb, looking at yours brings back some great memories for me, thanks for sharing your photos and your time spent in FL with us!!
             Joe

[76eldo]

Thanks guys.
The 69 Pace Car Camaro is one of my favorite cars of all time.

Charles, dig out your 73 parts and make me a list.

[cadillacmike68]

The actual pace cars were highly modified. From a
Cammed up 1970 500 inch motor to highly modified suspension to a lot
Of other factory tricks. There is a book Tim Prawl has put together on these cars.

Greg Surfas

The 1973 pace cars had 1970 engines in them?? Didn't know that. Were ALL of hem like that or only the ones on the track that day?

[chrisntam]

Prolly just the cars used to pace the race would be my guess.

[Scot Minesinger]

Brian,

Awesome purchase.  You really did it right by selling a car before buying another.  Was your Seville sold to an owner across the pond?

[hornetball]

Prolly just the cars used to pace the race would be my guess.

I'm certain it would only be the two intended for track duty.  As a manufacturer, GM would not have been able to transfer these cars for road use as they would not meet 1973 emissions standards.

I've had a '70, '73 and now a '74.  From a general driving perspective, they don't feel much different.  The mission of the 500 is to make torque.

[76eldo]

Scot,

Just across the PA line in Ohio. So it stays here.

As far as the heavily modified Pace Cars there were 2 according to Tim Pawl.
One for use and one as a back up. They had the AC systems remover to save weight.

Must be a real quick eldo if they are still around.

Mine is still mostly original paint and has the original top.

[carlhungness]

       I remember the car and the race well. I published my first Indianapolis 500 Yearbook in '73, a race that started on Sunday and ended on Wednesday after only 322 miles had been run. The event was a mess created by rain, crashes, death of a pit worker.
      Glad to see you have a wonderful vehicle from that year, it's one branded in my mind.

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Mike just the two track cars. According to Robert Templin there were “a few” mods that were. Ever discussed in public.
Greg Surfas

[spolij]

I'm not into NASCAR so my question is why would you have to "heavy modify" a car to be a pace car?

[hornetball]

This is for Indy cars, not NASCAR, but the same principle applies.  Those cars have to run fast enough to not overheat and try to keep some temperature in the tires.  What is barely loafing for them is max+ for a street car.

[RossDeVore]

Brian,

Congrats! I've had a soft spot for these myself. Happy you have it and will take great care of it. Tim Pawl is a wealth of information on these cars. Fifteen years ago he helped me verify my Bicentennial Eldorado, he even wrote an article about identifying them for the self starter and used the information from my car. Was thinking about him last weekend when I went on a "rescue run" for the first 1971 Eldorado Convertible made. It has a long way to go before looking anywhere as nice as your Pace Car.

Regards,

Ross DeVore

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

The (actual)_ pace car had to meed performance standards which included driving with the top down, a load of 6 people, additional radio equipment (weight) and be able to accelerate to approximate 120 MPH.  Believe it or not it then had to stop from 120 MPH in a reasonably straight line within the distance of the it road entry, (approx 1/4 mile).
All this without that (then) well admired Eldo wallow.
I would suggest you get Tim Prawl's booklet.  It is VERY interesting and factual.
Greg Surfas

[76eldo]

The car arrived late last night, or should I say early this morning.  The car was picked up in Jupiter Fl late in the afternoon on Tuesday.  Much to my delight it ended up in an enclosed car carrier.  I got a fantastic rate from a broker I have dealt with before that only uses trusted drivers.  I was told on Tuesday to expect the car some time on Thursday.

I got a call from the driver Wed at 2:00 and he said that they were running late and to expect the car "later today".  I asked him how that was possible and he said they drive all night Tuesday and were already in Virginia but blew two tires on the right side of the truck and damaged the rims.  They were waiting for a roadside repair on their rig and were coming even if it's late because they have to have a Mercedes in NY Thursday morning.  By 11:00 I figured they had stopped for the night but no, they were about an hour away.

So at a little past midnight they pulled up in front of my house and unloaded the car.  No damage, it fired right up, and every light on the car works including the fiber optic tell tale's on the front fenders.

So the adventure begins.  My great friend Joe Caristo came over after work today to check the car out and we have a game plan forming to make the car as nice as possible.

Stay tuned for more info.  Thanks for all of your supportive comments.  I am excited to have this car in my collection.

Brian

[hornetball]

PLEASE do a build thread.  Cool cars.  Those truckers work hard.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

...... but blew two tires on the right side of the truck and damaged the rims.  Brian   

I hope that the blowouts were not from poor maintenance, overloading or driving too fast for the conditions.   As they were carrying valuable cargo

Bruce.

[chrisntam]

I hope that the blowouts were not from poor maintenance, overloading or driving too fast for the conditions.   As they were carrying valuable cargo

Bruce.

Tires were prolly more than 10 years old but had plenty of tread and looked fine.

[J. Skelly]

Brian,

Congrats! I've had a soft spot for these myself. Happy you have it and will take great care of it. Tim Pawl is a wealth of information on these cars. Fifteen years ago he helped me verify my Bicentennial Eldorado, he even wrote an article about identifying them for the self starter and used the information from my car. Was thinking about him last weekend when I went on a "rescue run" for the first 1971 Eldorado Convertible made. It has a long way to go before looking anywhere as nice as your Pace Car.

Regards,

Ross DeVore

Ross,

How about starting a restoration thread on the first '71 Eldorado convertible?  Since it was the first FWD convertible since the '37 Cord, it was a car that GM should have kept.  I hope you can bring it back to its past glory!  Wasn't VIN #1 (a coupe) in Texas and posted on Ebay or Craigslist a year or so ago?

Texas

[chrisntam]

I recall Dennis Collins of Collins Brothers Jeep had it.  Don't know if he still does...  CBJ is located in Wylie, TX a northern suburb of Dallas.