1978 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car

There is something fascinating about the Chevrolet Corvette, a car that not only looks good, but can also GO! The Corvette is arguably the first US made supercar, with a history starting all the way back in 1953. Loads of them were made, but loads of them were wrapped around poles or neglected and getting the chance to see one live, in pristine condition, in Europe is a real treat!

But there is more to this particular Corvette that makes it interesting, other than it's condition. There were supposed to be just 300 replicas of the 1978 Indy 500 Corvette Pace Car, to match the production number of the first, 1953 Corvettes. But there was uproar amongst the dealers as they all wanted one (can't blame them). In the end Chevrolet built a number of 6502 cars, one for each Official Chevy Dealer.

A few hundreds of these Pace Car Corvettes, were special. They were supplied with a higher HP motor, and maybe the best part, a MANUAL gearbox. We all know how the Americans like their lazy automatic gearboxes, but there are a few that know what the deal is with race cars.

But enough with the history lesson, let's talk about Simon's gorgeous car. It was bought about 10 years ago, after he saw it at a car show in the UK. The car was fully restored. The chassis had been stripped and galvanized, the engine was rebuilt with the usual upgrades: better carbs, intake, cam, headers and so on.When it came to the running gear the suspension and steering was uprated with modern parts similar to whats found on newer Corvettes.

About two years ago, Simon did a bit of refurb himself. He gave it a brand new paint and a complete new interior. Nothing on this car was left untouched, the attention to detail is staggering. From the front skirt to the rear bumper, from the shiny gear shifter to the stickers on the car, everything was done to such a high level that will make you think that people with OCD obsessed over all the details for years. Now, the car looks and drives even better than it did in 1978.

Chevrolet still makes these cars today, they are still cool, still fast, but it's like the new ones are missing something. They don't have that "magic" the older models used to have. Even if they were made in great number, you don't see to many here in Europe, and certainly not many in this condition.

Thank you Simon for taking the time to speak with us!