For The
First Time In 11 Years, Indy 500 And NASCAR Pick The Same Official Pace
Car.
Smart
Move, Guys.
Pontiac often
boasted..
A car so well
engineered that almost nothing had to be done to prepare it to pace the start of
this year’s Indy 500.
Only the air
conditioning was removed, high-speed tires added and the axle ratio lowered to
increase top speed.
News from
Pontiac
For
Release: Immediately
Trans Am Paces Indianapolis
A distinctive 1980 Pontiac Turbo-Trans Am is the official pace car of the Indianapolis 500 mile race on May 25, 1980. The 1980 Turbo-Trans Am that leads the field at the 64th annual Indianapolis classic marks the first Pontiac divisional sponsorship of the Memorial Day Race. The only previous Pontiac pace car was dealer sponsored in 1958 with Indianapolis legend Sam Hanks serving as official driver in a Bonneville convertible.
About 5,700 of the Indianapolis editions of the actual pace car have been built for sale to the public. The white Trans Am features silver tinted removable hatch-roof panels and aluminum white “air-flow” wheels as standard equipment. A 4.9-liter 301 cubic inch turbocharged V-8 engine, a 3.08 rear axle, a limited slip differential and three speed automatic transmissions are standard.
Public Relations Department-Pontiac Motor Division-One Pontiac
Plaza-Pontiac, Michigan 48053
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