Article by A Schult
1998 not only marked the 45th birthday for the fantastic American icon that is the Corvette, but it also meant an additional year that the Corvette would be chosen to pace the field at the Indianapolis 500.
This would be the fourth time that the Corvette would earn such an honor and that meant as soon as once more the very good folks at GM would be putting together a pace auto replica as a restricted edition and what they created has turn out to be one of the most sought soon after Corvettes that there is.
The 1998 Corvette pace vehicle replica was practically identical to the actual pace car that leads the field on race day at the 500. In truth the only differences with the replica and the real factor was the strobe lights, the roll bar, and the on board fire extinguishing technique that the genuine pace vehicle had and the replica didn’t.
Besides those little differences the replica and the actual pace cars were identical. This was a claim that none of the other previous replicas could make. Add to that the fact that there were only 1,158 in total that were built (only the 1995 pace car replica was less with 527) and you start to understand why this Corvette pace car replica is so special.
The limited edition Corvette was decked out to the nines with yellow wheels, a beautiful yellow and black interior, and it sported a wild flag logo style all over. These were the principal features that were responsible for adding an additional ,800 to the price tag of the 1998 ragtop Corvette that was already basing at ,900. However with the limited number that would end up getting created it was properly worth the added couple of grand.
The paint was produced up of a brilliant mixture of blue and purple and was officially named “Radar Blue.” As would be assumed it was the only color obtainable for the replica (hence the word replica).As you would expect, the replica pace vehicles would share the identical features performance wise as the stock Corvette convertibles did. That meant an all aluminum LS1 V-8 engine to energy the replica pace automobile with 345 horsepower and a six speed transmission that was produced accessible for the year. Also featured for the year had been anti-lock brakes and a handling stability system which would preserve most Vette owners out of trouble in the turns.
The replica pace vehicle featured a lot of get up and goes as nicely. The replica ragtop Corvette was capable of carrying out miles per hour to 60 miles per hour in around 5 seconds making it one quick and great seeking automobile.
While the Corvette would go on to pace the field at the Indianapolis many occasions more and will likely do so moving forward, there is little doubt that the 1998 Corvette Pace vehicle replica will hold a unique location in the hearts of all who belong to the Corvette Nation. Others might come and go, but this Vette will often remain special
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IZOD Indy Automobile driver Dan Wheldon was killed in a 15-vehicle crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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