Chrysler Pace Cars

Pacing the Indianapolis 500 was a sought-after honor for car manufacturers, beginning with the very first “500” in 1911. Chrysler captured this distinction twelve times—the last appearance was in 1996 when then-Chrysler-President Robert Lutz drove a new Dodge Viper GTS. Lutz was a capable driver—having raced in Europe before moving to the United States. The first Chrysler appearance was in 1926, when race driver Louis Chevrolet drove a Chrysler Imperial 80. Louis was the founder of the Chevrolet car company, but was later forced out after William F. Durant brought it into General Motors.

In 1933 a Chrysler Imperial Phaeton paced the field, driven by De Soto president Byron Foy, son-in-law of Walter P. Chrysler. Foy married Walter P. Chrysler’s daughter, Thelma, in 1924.

In 1941, a special Chrysler Newport Phaeton headed the field on the pace laps. Only six of these unusual cars were produced, powered by Chrysler’s 143 hp 323 cid straight 8. The Newport Phaeton was the only non-production car ever to pace the 500. The driver was Chrysler engineer Allan B. “Tobe” Couture. He was the last surviving member of the old Zeder, Skelton, Breer Engineering Company which was instrumental in creating Chrysler Corporation. Addressed as “Tobe” by many, including Walter P. Chrysler himself, Couture was the chief experimental engineer for the firm. Before his retirement in 1956, Mr. Couture was in charge of developing the Chrysler Proving Grounds near Chelsea, Mich.

Other Chrysler executive pace car drivers included many of the division presidents and general managers. In 1951, Dave Wallace, General Manager of Chrysler Corporation, drove a Chrysler New Yorker V-8 pace car—its new HEMI® engine introduced that year. It was the most powerful engine available for a production car at that time. A little over a year later a Chrysler HEMI-powered Kurtis Indy car exceeded all the Indy 500 records in testing, but was excluded from the race by a late rule change. William C. Newburg, President of Dodge, wheeled a new Dodge Royal 500 at the head of the 1954 race. The Dodge HEMI pace car engine sported a three-carburetor intake manifold and other modifications that were soon available at Dodge dealers in a pace car package.

In 1956, a DeSoto Fireflyte paced the 500 with L.I. Woolson, President of De Soto, at the controls. In 1963, Indy 500-winner Sam Hanks chauffeured a Chrysler 300 around the track to keep order before the race began. Hanks was the designated pace car driver for several years. A 1965 Plymouth Sport Fury, driven by P.M. Buckminster, General Manager Chrysler-Plymouth, paced that year’s field. In 1971, Eldon Palmer, an Indianapolis Dodge dealer, did the honors in a Dodge Challenger. Passengers in the pace car were astronaut John Glenn, Speedway owner Tony Hulman and Chris Shenkel, an ABC TV sportscaster. Famously and unfortunately, Palmer lost control of the car in the pits, crashing into a photographer stand—the only Indy 500 pace car accident ever. After that, professional racing car drivers handled pace car duties for many years.

Famous racing driver and sports car manufacturer Carroll Shelby drove twice. He was at the wheel of a Chrysler LeBaron in 1987 when Shelby was developing special editions of the Chrysler K-car. He also wheeled a Dodge Viper RT/10 around the track in 1991—before the car was even available to the public. The Dodge Stealth was originally to be the pace car, but at the last minute Dodge decided to use the as-yet unreleased Viper.

While not as big a deal, Dodge and Plymouth cars paced the Daytona 500 three times during the 1960s. Dodge Coronet convertibles did so in 1964 and 1965 while a Plymouth Belvedere convertible followed up in 1966.

The actual pace car is not the only vehicle a manufacturer brings to Indy. There are numerous replica pace cars and a back-up car or two in case there is any issue with the primary pace vehicle. There are also many other cars for VIP and press to use during the month of May. Not only cars, but trucks are part of the program. In 1996, for example, when Bob Lutz drove the Viper pace car, Dodge supplied striking Brilliant Blue Ram 1500 pickups that got a lot of notice with their twin white racing stripes. Dodge dealers offered replica Dodge Ram Indy 500 Special Edition trucks—Ram 1500 short bed standard cabs equipped with the 5.9L Magnum® V-8, the SLT Sport Package, unique 17-inch wheels and performance tires. A couple thousand of these trucks were sold.

The limited production replica pace cars soon become a collector’s item and sales of these models in part offset the enormous cost of a pace car program. Nevertheless, the PR value of a pace car program can be all the payback needed to justify the expense.