Indy 500 Chevrolet’s Camaros have a great history and legacy of racing as well as used as pacers cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Over the years, we have seen drivers such as A.J Foyt (first driver to win the race four times), and many other drivers like Jim Rathmann finding themselves behind the wheels of a Camaro.
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Setting the pace
Be sure to know that Chevrolet cars have been the official pace cars at the Indy 500 more than any other manufacturers. The first one was in 1948, and since then, there have been 27 Chevys’ serving as the pace cars, and 9 of them were Camaros.
The first Camaro was used as a pace car in 1967, the same year that this line of vehicles debuted. It was a convertible car with white color on the outside and blue interiors, and the tires had some red lines.
However, the tradition of using Indy 500 Camaros as pace cars came to a halt in 1993, and we had to wait for the reborn of the model after 16 years.
9 Indy 500 Camaros on display at the race
With that said, we are going to look at the list of the Camaro official cars used at the Indy 500 and the year they were placed on display.
1.1967 Camaro RS/SS
It was powered by an SS model’s 396-cubit Big Block V8 engine and painted white with blue interiors and redlines on the tires.
2. 1969 Camaro RS/SS
A 396 Big Block engine also powered it and came in a distinctive orange and white painting.
3. 1982 Camaro Z28
It was powered by a special aluminum Small Block V8 Engine, unlike the previous models, and it was termed as the third-generation of Camaro’s cars. It was driven by Jim Rathmann, a former Indy 500 winner.
4. 1993 Camaro Z28
A 275-horsepower LT1 engine powered it, and it featured a combination of black and white painting with multicolored ribbons.
5. 2010 Camaro SS
After 19 years, that’s when Indy 500 Camaro vehicles were introduced back in 2009 Indy 500. It was powered by a 6.2-liter LS3 engine with 426 horsepower.
6. 2010 Camaro SS
At the 2010 Indy 500, this model was the first one to be used as a back-to-back appearance, and it had inferno Orange paint with traces of white Diamond racing stripes.
7. 2011 Camaro SS
The model was driven by the Indy 500 legend, A.J. Foyt, and it came with a white and orange paint theme and was powered by a 6.2-liter V8 engine with 426 horsepower.
8. 2014 Camaro Z/28
Chevrolet Camero Z/28 was driven by Dario Franchitti (3-time Indy 500 winner), and it was powered by a 7.0-liter LS7 V8 engine with 505 horsepower.
It also came with 19-inch forged aluminum wheels and carbon-ceramic brake rotors.
9. 2017 Camaro SS
It marked the company’s 50th anniversary and was powered by a 6.2 liter LT1 V8 engine with an automatic transmission and 455 horsepower.
Conclusion
Chevrolet has been producing Camaro sports cars consecutively after three years since 2011. We have had a pace car of Indy 500 Camaro in 2011, 2014, and 2017. Are we going to see a 2020 Camaro at the 2020 Indy 500?
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