Leading the Pack: 100 Years of Indy 500 Pace Cars

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Race.

The Museum will commemorate the event with a special exhibition of Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replicas supplemented by some actual race pace cars and an assortment of vintage competition vehicles representing several eras of Indy with more than a dozen vehicles.

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Pacing the Indianapolis 500 is a prestigious task. It has become a real honor for the chosen manufacturer and usually coincides with the release of a major new model or a striking redesign resemblance to the actual competition vehicles.

It was also rumored that some pace cars in the first quarter of the 20th century could actually outperform the race vehicles!

Gradually, the race cars became more specialized and soon looked nothing like the production automobiles that paced them.

While the modern pace car is a rolling advertisement, it also represents new technology, safety and performance. “Leading the Pack” will showcase the wide variety of manufacturers and body styles used as pace cars over the course of the “500’s” century of competition.