1978 Corvette Real Indy pace Car. Serial#143, One of the 12 original Indy Pace

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Considered by many to be the most loyal Chevrolet dealer of all time, the late Bob McDorman made a host of personal sacrifices in order to achieve a 50-year tenure with Chevrolet and become one of the few people to ever reach that half-century mark. He was not only loyal in his career path, but also in his collecting. Bob McDorman was, and still very much is, recognized as the world’s greatest Chevrolet collector.

After becoming a Chevrolet franchise owner in Canal Winchester, Ohio, in 1965, Bob McDorman remained dedicated to the dealership for the rest of his life, in the most literal sense. He was also a staple in his community, not only known for his dealership, but for his incredible generosity and the dedication he showed toward his fellow community members. A great friend of Mecum Auctions and a cornerstone in the company’s success over the years, Bob McDorman received many awards for his business and community involvement, including the “TIME Magazine” Quality Dealer Award in 1978 and 2007, and the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Columbus Auto Dealers Association. In 2010, he was inducted into the Bloomington Gold Great Hall, and in 2012, the National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame, both incredible and deserved honors for a man that played such an important role in the Chevrolet world.

Throughout the years, Bob McDorman forever changed the Corvette show scene, serving as a pioneer among Corvette show promoters. In 1974, Bob McDorman held his first annual “Corvettes on the Canal” show, which would quickly become one of the largest auto shows in the U.S. dedicated to Corvettes. Two years later, he went above and beyond, offering up a brand-new Corvette as the Best-in-Show prize for the first time. While the dealership never profited from the shows, profit was not Bob McDorman’s intent. A labor of love, Bob McDorman donated a generous portion of proceeds from the auto shows to Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, each and every year, donating more than $250,000 by 2012.

In the 1990s, Bob McDorman began "tucking away" brand-new Corvettes with delivery miles, typically Serial No. 1 pilot cars or special editions, and in 2005, he was the first Chevrolet franchisee to build a Corvette-only showroom—an idea unheard of at the time, even among the highest-volume Corvette sales departments. Bob McDorman had amassed one of the most significant and well-known collections of Chevrolets and Corvettes ever assembled.

In 1977, the format was changed to three warm up laps - two "paradelaps" and one "pace lap". During the parade lap(s), often several replica festival pace cars join the field, usually carrying celebrities and/or special guest drivers. The 1978 race was the first to feature multiple pace cars (12) on the track during the parade lap. All VIN of 200 or less.Since 2010, the IndyCar "two-seater" (a retired Indy race car modified with a special passenger seat) has also been at the front of the field, carrying a celebrity or special guest. The 12 non-participating vehicles pull off the track after one or two circuits, and the lone official pace car leads the field on the pace lap. In 2012, it was further expanded to four warm up laps (three "parade" laps and one "pace" lap), coinciding with the introduction of a new engine and chassis formula. The original festival Pace / Parade cars can be identified by their Indy 78 Festival and Indy 78 Garage passes.Most are photocopies,of the front so always examine the back for origonal Indy disclosures are netter yet the check list performed before the car went on the track.

Starting in about 1994, the field was observed to be quite straggled about during the parade lap(s), and often circulated the track single-file. Drivers were known to weave back and forth, sometimes vigorously, in an effort to build up tire temperature. On the final pace lap, the field would finally form up into the eleven rows of three on the backstretch, but oftentimes it was still loose and not in pristine order. This practice was often the subject of harsh criticism from fans and media, especially when the start was strung out single file, breaking tradition. In 2010, officials announced they were going to police the parade and pace laps closer, requiring the drivers to stay in the rows of three during the extent of the warm up period.

In later years, the Speedway began experimenting with usingpop culturecelebrities driving the pace cars, a change that has met with mixed responses from fans. Racers have taken the position in more recent years.A. J. Foytdrove in 2011,Dario Franchittidrove in 2014, andJeff Gordon, a five-timeBrickyard 400winner, drove in 2015.

FE7 Gymkhana Suspension package, which included the a heavy duty front anti-sway bar, springs, shocks, and a rear anti-sway bar. FE7 was available on 1974 to 1982 Corvettes.

These ’78 Corvette Pace Cars had two-tone silver and black paint, their own number sequence and white-letter tires. The original plan was to build 300 units, but an “instant collectible” buzz led to dealers clamoring for more. The target figure of 6,000 cars (one per dealer) was over-produced to total 6,502 units, though some reports place the number even higher. The stickers that made the model collectible were packaged inside the car, in case the buyer didn’t like them. The two-tone black and silver paint scheme also evolved into the two-tone Silver Anniversary model, of which 15,283 were built.

The 1978 model was modified significantly, with a fastback rear window like the C2 Corvette of the mid ‘60s. It did not open, but there was more room behind the seats and a retracting cover for shade. The instruments were redone in a square style and a glove box added. New door panels introduced bolt-on armrests instead of the molded ones. Wiper and washer controls moved back to the dash and removable glass panels were offered for the roof, though only 972 buyers spent the $349 for them.

The base engine remained a 185 bhp 350-cubic inch Chevy small-block V-8, paired with either a wide-ratio M20 4-speed or the no-charge Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic. The L82 package offered a 220 bhp engine for $525 and 12,739 buyers opted for that, while 3,385 customers chose the close-ratio M21 4-speed gearbox. Wider 60 series tires were available as an option, but fenders had to be trimmed at the plant so they would fit.

Again, buyer choices indicated that Corvette had moved into a more leisure-suited market. Principal options included power windows (36,931), air-conditioning (37,638), tilt-telescopic steering column (37,858), cruise control (31,590), rear window de-fogger (30,912), aluminum wheels (28,008) and sport mirrors (38,405). Meanwhile, 37,222 buyers spent $84 for the ZX2 convenience group, which included a dome light delay, headlight warning buzzer, low-fuel warning light, courtesy lights, floor mats and intermittent wipers.

The 1978 Corvette Silver Anniversary model was by far the most popular color (15,283) followed by the Pace Car Replica (6,502), Black (4,573) Classic White (4,150), Silver (3,232), Corvette Mahogany (2,121), Corvette Dark Blue (2,084), Corvette Red (2,074), Corvette Dark Brown (1,991), Corvette Light Blue (1,960), Corvette Light Beige (1,686) and Corvette Yellow (1,243).

The Chevrolet Corvette celebrated its 25th year anniversary in 1978 and was chosen to pace the Indy 500. Chevrolet’s car sales rose to 2,341,035, and 46,776 of these were Corvettes. The base price had risen to $9,351.89, but Chevrolet also offered an Indy 500 Pace Car replica for a whopping $13,653.21.

These ’78 Corvette Pace Cars had two-tone silver and black paint, their own number sequence and white-letter tires. The original plan was to build 300 units, but an “instant collectible” buzz led to dealers clamoring for more. The target figure of 6,000 cars (one per dealer) was over-produced to total 6,502 units, though some reports place the number even higher. The stickers that made the model collectible were packaged inside the car, in case the buyer didn’t like them. The two-tone black and silver paint scheme also evolved into the two-tone Silver Anniversary model, of which 15,283 were built.

• #1 Concours$86,400Condition #1 vehicles are the best in the world. The visual image is of the best vehicle, in the right colors, driving onto the lawn at the finest concours. Perfectly clean, the vehicle has been groomed down to the tire treads. Painted and chromed surfaces are mirror-like. Dust and dirt are banned, and materials used are correct and superbly fitted. The one word description for #1 vehicles is "concours."
• #2 Excellent$42,900
• #3 Good$29,600
• #4 Fair$17,200

+$500 for close ratio 4-spd ($3,500 on Pace Car). +$200 for pwr wndws. +$1,000 for a/c. +$400 for polished alum whls. +$500 for glass T-tops . +$500 for gymkhana suspension. +$750 for tilt/tele strng whl.+$5,000 sub 200 serial number,No value available for one of the 9 Parade cars at the race.

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