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The original 1988 Pace Car was driven by Chuck Yeager at the
72nd Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 1988. The car was not a true
convertible, as it didn't actually have a top and had no actual
side windows. It had been modified at General Motors request by
a now defunct company called
Cars and Concepts
in order to comply with Indy rules that require the Pace Car
have no top. The doors were opened using push-down door handles
located on the top of the door sill, similar to the 1970's 3rd
generation Corvette. There likely was a hard top that could be
used in case of foul weather. Goodyear ZR225/50ZR16 rubber
adorned special 16"x 6.5" aluminum wheels which were not
available on any 1988 production Cutlass Supreme. These wheels
later became factory equipment on the 1989-1991 International
Series.
The Pace Car also had a unique front air dam which housed
integrated fog lamps. The engine was a 250HP turbocharged and
inter-cooled 2.3L Quad4 which literally produced
twice
the horsepower of the 2.8L V6 used in production class Cutlass
Supremes. The engine was built using mostly off-the-shelf parts,
and was specially modified by the General Motors' Lansing
Power train Division. Modifications consisted of a custom
stainless steel exhaust manifold, intake plumbing, and special
tuning. This engine was unique to the Pace Car, and the
turbocharged version of this engine was never used in any other
production W-body car.
The transmission was a beefed up TH440T4 and power was
transmitted to the front wheels via strengthened drive axles.
The Pace Car suspension was standard production FE3 and used
stock struts. Stopping power was provided by the Delco/Moraine
ABS.
The Pace Car was also the first W-body car to get a HUD (Heads
Up Display) with the
Hughes Electronics
logo on it. The Delco/Hughes HUD unit was developed using
heads-up display technology borrowed from Hughes fighter jets.
It projects the digital speedometer onto the windshield in the
driver's line of sight.
The interior was basically the same as a production
International Series, with the exception of special black
leather upholstery with red accents. The seatbacks also had a
unique Pace Car embroidery. Other features included three-point
competition seat belts for the driver and passenger, a Halon gas
fire extinguisher system, a fuel cell, and a removable roll-over
bar.
A total of 5 Pace Cars were built, some with minor differences such as amber fog lamps, reverse, and front cornering lamp lenses.
If you have any information pertaining to the existence of this car or have any questions or comments please visit the
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