Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car
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2011 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car (left) and
2011 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car (right)
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21st January, 2011
A special-edition Chevrolet Camaro Convertible will serve as
the official pace car of motor sport's 2011 Indianapolis 500 which is held each year in Indianapolis USA.
The new Camaro Convertible is the 22nd Chevrolet chosen to pace the world famous motor racing event and the
seventh Camaro model to have been selected. Adding to the rich heritage is the fact that 2011 will mark the
100th anniversary of the first Indianapolis 500, as well as the centennial year of Chevrolet.
The pace car, along with the matching festival cars, features a Summit White exterior accented with orange
stripes and door graphics. The interior is trimmed in orange leather, including front seat head restraints
embossed with the Indy 500 logo, along with white door panels and instrument panel trim. The instrument panel
trim features extensions of the orange exterior stripes.
The colour combination is similar to the design used on the 1969 Camaro Indy pace car.
“It's an honour for Chevrolet to pace the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, especially during
this landmark year,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “This is also a great
opportunity for us to build on Camaro’s strong momentum ...”
“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Chevrolet name have long been associated with one another
beginning with Arthur, Louis and Gaston Chevrolet’s participation as competitors in the Indianapolis
500,” said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and CEO Jeff Belskus. “It is fitting in this 100th
year for both brands that we reinforce that relationship through this year’s Camaro pace car, which resembles
what many argue is the most famous pace car in IMS history, the 1969 Camaro. We are looking forward to seeing
this car on track, pacing the greatest 33 drivers in the world on May 29.”
Pace car details
Equipped with a 298 kW (400-horsepower) V8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, the actual pace car
for the race requires no performance modifications to perform its duty in front of the racing field.
All 50 of the Festival Committees cars will be SS convertible models fitted with the 2SS equipment package,
offering the following standard features:
- Four-wheel disc brakes with Brembo four-piston callipers and hydraulic assist
- StabiliTrak electronic stability control
- Competitive/sport mode that enhances on-track performance
- Performance Launch Control (with the manual transmission) that optimises hard-acceleration launches for
quicker, more consistent performance
- Twenty-inch polished aluminium wheels and performance tyres
- Head-up instrument display
- Centre console with auxiliary gauge package.
Along with the 2SS equipment, the cars feature the RS package, which includes HID headlamps and unique
tail lamps.
Convertible refinement
The Chevrolet Camaro Convertible delivers coupe-like driving dynamics, with the fun of open air driving.
The Convertible model contains an enhanced structure designed to eliminate the traditional compromises of
open cars, such as cowl or steering wheel shake. The goal is a convertible that drives like the coupe. All
the powertrain and suspension elements of the existing Camaro Coupe carry over unchanged in the convertible.
The top has a smooth, tailored fit, with acoustical foam in the headliner that helps deliver a quiet ride
with the top up.
Four strategic reinforcements enhance the already-stiff body structure to eliminate common convertible
maladies of cowl and steering wheel shake. They include:
- A tower-to-tower brace under the hood
- A transmission support reinforcement brace
- Underbody tunnel brace
- Front and rear underbody “V” braces.
The power-folding top retracts in about 20 seconds. It is built in partnership with the same manufacturer
as the Corvette convertible top, and operates in a similar manner. That means it folds in a simple “Z”
pattern and latches with a single, convenient handle located at the centre of the windshield header. Other
convertible models in this segment still offer convertible tops with dual latches, forcing drivers into
two-hand operations reaching across the car.
The regular-production versions of the 2011 Camaro Convertible will begin arriving in North American
Chevrolet dealerships in February, opening a new chapter in the Camaro’s ongoing 21st century revival. Even
before the introduction of a convertible model, Camaro ended 2010 as the sales leader in its class in the
United States for the first time since 1985.
Chevrolet’s pace car heritage
Louis Chevrolet, who founded the brand with William “Billy” Durant in 1911, was a racer, mechanic and
pioneering engineer. He raced in the early years of the Indianapolis 500, which also started in 1911, and
served a luminary of the event in the years after he retired. That included driving the official
Indianapolis pace car, which was developed by Indy 500 founder Carl Fisher, who believed a rolling start
was safer than a standing start. The first Indianapolis 500 featured a pace car driven by Fisher.
The first Chevrolet selected as the Indianapolis 500 pace car was the 1948 Fleetmaster Six. The brand
would go on to lead the racing pack more than any other manufacturer. The list of Chevy pace cars
includes:
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Self-Catering Holiday
Accommodation in
Denmark, WA
..... more
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- 1948 Fleetmaster Six
- 1955 Bel Air
- 1967 Camaro
- 1969 Camaro
- 1978 Corvette
- 1982 Camaro
- 1986 Corvette
- 1990 Beretta
- 1993 Camaro
- 1995 Corvette
- 1998 Corvette
- 1999 Monte Carlo
- 2002 Corvette
- 2003 SSR
- 2004 Corvette
- 2005 Corvette
- 2006 Corvette
- 2007 Corvette
- 2008 Corvette
- 2009 Camaro
- 2010 Camaro
- 2011 Camaro
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