1986 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible - Indy Pace Car

1986 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible - Indy Pace Car

My car collecting used to focus on Indy Pace Cars.  I’ve kind of moved away from that for some reason, but of the ones we’ve had, this Corvette was probably the best to drive.  We had this car for years but truth be told, I wish we still had it. 

We bought this one in 2010 at an auction going on during the Spring Cars at Carlisle event in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  I was determined to buy something that week, and this was it.  We flew in and originally planned to drive something home for fun, but the mileage on this car was pretty low and we also had some work issues come up that required a quick return.

We kept it – and drove it – for years.  Unlike a lot of cars we have around, this one could be driven every day if desired.  It only had about 20K miles on it and was in nearly perfect condition.  It was reliable, fairly comfortable, and sort of retro-cool.

Here are some interesting facts about the 1986 Indy Pace Car:

• All 1986 Convertible Vettes were designated as "Pace Car Replicas".
• They produced 7,315 of them - plentiful by Pace Car standards.
• 1986 was the first convertible Corvette since the 1975 model year.
• The decal package came in a box and could be left off or installed by the dealer or the customer.
• They could be ordered in just about any option combination and in any color - although the actual car that paced the Indy 500 was yellow.
• Vin #s should end in 00001 - 07315.
• Chuck Yeager drove the Pace Car for the race.

The 5.7-liter L98 was a good motor (this one had the aluminum heads).  It was fast, but not crazy fast, and certainly not by today’s standards.

Other than a Magnaflow exhaust, it was a pretty stock ride.  I didn’t really have to do too much to it during our ownership.  Some tires – a battery – a few odds and ends. 

The Graphite interior wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it wasn’t bad.  The interior was original, and if you wanted to make this car concourse level you could have freshened it up a bit.  The 4^th gen Corvette is actually very comfortable to sit in….but it’s not so easy to get in and out of.  Having the top down helped a lot. 

I really liked the digital dash.  A lot of people don’t care for it, but I loved it and the fear of having issues with it has been alleviated by the fact that you can now get them serviced.

The top was manual, but not at all difficult to put up or down by yourself.  The car had very good AC, so I drove it in the summer as well as the milder months.  There was really no bad time to take the Vette.  It even worked fine in the rain.

I had a ton of documentation with this car as well – not always the case.  It’s surprising to me that of the 14 Corvettes I’ve owned over the years, this is the oldest.  That’s something that needs to change.  I love the C3s, even the bad ones, and they are just starting to get pricey.  C4s aren’t quite collectible, but when they do become so, this car is going to be a great one to have.

Changing the battery.  Even though it didn’t need much, I enjoyed tinkering with it from time to time.

This is kind of what we used it for most of the time.  It wasn’t our first choice for a trip to Home Depot or anything like that, but when heading to lunch or dinner it was always an option.

It was a great car for picking up chicks as well!  (Okay - That's my buddy Erichs' teenage daughter, and her mother is probably the one that took the picture, and she is undoubtedly saying "Who is this creepy guy you're sending me around the block with?", but still.....).

Sharing the garage at our old place with, among other things, our ’75 Buick Pace Car.

It was a sad day when I finally sold the ’86 Pace Car.  The guy was a collector from North Texas.  We haggled on price a bit and ended up flipping a coin for the final sales price.  It’s the only time I’ve ever done that (his idea) – and I lost.  I think it was only like a $1000 difference, but still not a good feeling.  Branelle flipped the coin so I blame her.

What a great Corvette.  Since we sold this, Nel has been adamant about not getting another C4 Vette.  I get it – we had it for a long time.  I agreed and have stayed away from them.  I’d get another one now though.  They are great value right now.  It’s a legit sports car that you can really drive and shouldn’t cost you much to own.  Newer Vettes are better cars but they aren’t as much fun to drive in my opinion.  You can’t go wrong with a well bought C4.