Indianapolis 500 pace cars are pretty cool in my book and, apparently, many others considering pace cars have been on enthusiasts’ radar since the 1960s. Yet not every pace car is based on a vehicle that gets enthusiasts excited—witness these two unusual FWD pace cars that sold at the Barrett-Jackson 2025 Scottsdale Auction.
The Buick Riviera was chosen to pace the 1983 Indianapolis 500. While this generation had been in production since 1979, the possible reason the ’83 was chosen was because it was the first time since 1976 that General Motors offered a convertible. Additionally, this was the moment Buick was playing with turbocharging, adding to the novelty.
Fast-forward 14 years and Oldsmobile found itself pacing the 1997 Indy 500 with the Aurora. Another unconventional pace car, the Aurora too is one of the few FWD vehicles to handle track duties in this capacity. However, unlike the Buick, little was needed to modify the vehicle because, by 1997, Detroit had emerged from the Malaise. Both vehicles in the above video are authentic pace cars from the track and are not replicas that were available at dealerships.
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