85 T/A WS6

Correction 4 pacers and 1 original

You might have to scroll to the right a bit

83firebirdS/E

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

Why no 84 15th

TAdan

Why no 94 25th?

TAdan

Its a cool pic...but like Alex said...wheres the 15th and 25th, hehe.

Actually I guess they were just going by 10's (10th,20th,30th) And left the "obscure" anniv cars out.

I think it would have been cool to get a shot w/ all the T/A pace cars, the 79 10th,80,81,83, 84 15th,85 (?),89 20th,93,94 25th,99 30th,02 CE...Im sure I forgot some...but you get the idea!

Ward

iTrader: (1)

Maybe they just skipped the crappy ones... :lala:

TAdan

:sillylol: :sillylol:

kizz

iTrader: (1)

great (sarcasm) .. so two thirds of the pic is filled with two jellybean fourth gens that look exactly alike, and the *incomplete* lineup of the previous anniversary cars is off to the distance like they're less important? except the perfectly centered 89 TTA of course.. can't diss that (sarcasm again). I mean look at that 69 T/A.. can't even see it.. so why even bother to bring it to the track? and 84?? 94?? blasphemy! Obviously just one person's fantasy shot, but by no means historically significant or accurate. That pic should've been done backwards.. from left to right it should've been:

69, 79, 84, 89, 94, 99. no 35CE needed.

just being picky

GT

TTA 1387

They are all pace cars, not anniversary cars. Two Indy pace cars(80 and 89) and two Daytona pace cars(99 and 02). And a 69.

Only anniversary cars were the 89 and 99.

TAdan

The silver second gen is a 1979 10th anniv. T/A. Daytona pace car. The 1980 and 81 TTA Pace cars were white.

1979 10th T/A was a DT500 Pace Car
1980 was a DT500/Nascar and Indy pace car
1981 was a DT500 Pace Car

1982 was a 60th anniv Pikes Peak Hill Climb Pace Car
1982 was a DT500/Nascar Pace Car
1983 was a 25th anniv. DT500 Pace Car
1984 15th T/A was a Detroit GP Pace Car
1984 15th T/A was a DT500 Pace Car
1985 was a DT500 Pace Car
1989 20th TTA was an Indy Pace Car

1993 was a Daytona/Nascar Pace Car
1994 25th T/A was a DT500 Pace Car
1995 was a DT500 Pace Car
1996 was a DT500/Nascar Pace Car
1997 Fontana Opening Festival Car (40 built).
1998 was an IROC Pace Car
1998/99 was a CART Pace Car (PPG Formula)
1999 30th T/A was a daytona Pace Car
2000 Richmond International Speeday (V6 W68 Coupe)
2001 was an IROC Pace Car
2002 New York City Marathon Pace Car (V6 Vert.)
2002 CE was a DT500 Pace Car


After looking at that pic some more, it looks like the 10th and the 30th do not have the pace car decals on them.

So the pic is a 69, a 10th T/A (presumably a pace car replica) a 20th TTA (indy pace car replica) 30th T/A, and an 02 CE pace car.

TTA 1387

You're right, the '80 Indy pace car was white. Its either a 80 or 81 though, hood and wheels are turbo car. I guess its a Daytona Pace car.

ROBERTDMERRILL

iTrader: (1)

Great pic. Nice to see all the great TA's together.

ROBERTDMERRILL

iTrader: (1)

.

85 T/A WS6

I pasted this together just for you Dan

kizz

iTrader: (1)

Almost as scarce as the 85 is the 82:

TAdan

Thanks for posting that pic Don.

Kizz thanks for posting the pics of the 82. I never saw an 82 Daytona pace car before.

Thanks guys

Mr. TurboTA

Hi Dan!
Only a couple of things I see that could be added, was that in 1980, the Turbo Trans Am was both the Indy 500 Pace Car, and the Daytona 500 Pace Car! The owner's of the cars, could have put on either the Indy decals, or the NASCAR decals (As long as they got the decals package)!!
Also, in 1996, a black Ram Air Trans Am also paced most/if not all the NASCAR races, including Daytona 500 for that year!!
Again, to add, I know that the '82 Pace Car had a 350 engine put in, instead of the 305.
I know that in 1980 and 1981, Pontiac pulled out the air conditioning.
The 1989 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am was the first car in history that didn't need any modifications (except for the strobe lights and decals, to pace the race. Indy officals used a radar gun on one in the straightaways, and got the car clocked at 172 mph!!!!! (Anyone want to argue, just check with Indy first)
I seem to remember that the 1995 Daytona Pace Car was a white Trans Am also.

Enjoy,

George

kizz

iTrader: (1)

they only made 2 - 4 of them and I have never seen one either, except promo pics and advertisement pics from 1982. top pic is a cropped advertisement for Eagle GT's. bottom pic is a promo. here's some info:

--
Debuting at the January 30th Daytona 24-hour IMSA endurance race was the all new NASCAR Pace car---A sparkling red '82 Trans am. It would pace all Daytona NASCAR events for the year, as well as those at Talladega, Charlotte, Rockingham, Darlington, North Wilkesboro, Martinsville, and Bristol.

"Push the pedal to the floor and never lift, the car was set up so well that it never tried to slide or drift. It required no fighting or sawing on the steering wheel. If you took the right 'line' into a corner, no adjustment of the wheel was needed until you were back onto the straightaway" (Hot rod editor Len emanuelson) Thanks mostly to the substitution of a 5.7 liter (350) V-8 engine and a four-speed automatic overdrive transmission with a lock-up torque converter for the cars production powertrain, Emanuelson found it capable of 7.5 second 0-60 acceleration and a top speed of 145.6 mph.
--

Ironic how there was no production 350 availability, yet the pace car got one. Same deal w/ OD trans.

85 T/A WS6

I assume the requirements to pace Indy were more demanding than Daytona, but the 85 Daytona pace car ran a stock 305 TPI

TAdan

Back from the dead. lol.

Its been 3 years, I should update that list, hehe...Updated.

85 T/A WS6

I corrected my link for the 85 pacer.

The more I look at that car the more I want to make a replica.

TAdan

It looks like a simple project.

Dont you have a white 85? make up some red striping and decals. Get the Recaro's redone in white and red (like the 84 Fiero), and you would have a very cool car.

okfoz

Quite possible, Keep in mind at a NASCAR race the pace speed is around 55 MPH, off the last turn to go into the pits they acceleate slightly to get out of the way. Whereas at the INDY 500 the pace car accelerates much faster off turn 4 to get in the pits so not to get run over. I was told this may exceed 120 Mph ... and then back down to stop and wait for the next caution. Therefore the INDY pace cars must be more than a normal factory stock car (not to be confused with a "Stock Car" Race Car).

Impressive to say the least.... and all from a little BUICK engine.

John

Mr. TurboTA

Yep,
Pace cars for Daytona were pretty much just decal packages.
Boy, someone must have really been bored to look this old post back up!
Oh wait, so was the 20th TTA for Indy!

George

85 T/A WS6

Not really bored but wanting to rekindle the long lost 85 DT pace car.

It was mentioned that the original (perhaps guised as a replica) still existed. I was unable to follow up on the lead.

I had to buy many older mags on Ebay even to scan and host the pic and its only in B&W. I would love to see a color shot someday.

At least there is a record of it here.

Because it was not made into production as a replica does that make the advances of the 85 less noteworthy? No.

All the earlier 3rd gens and the special limited models made during that time.... they all got decent press.

The breakthrough year of 85 seems to want to fade into obscurity.

Only a decal package? And I guess your TTA is just a white GTA with extra badges.

HA!

Mr. TurboTA

Uh,
No, not a GTA with extra badges, just a GTA with different badges!
And differnt brakes,
engine,
tranny,
rear seats,
tach,
gas tank,
computer,
vin,
well, you get the idea!

George

CHEVY_EATER

My father found one in the mid 80's that has 20,000 miles on it and a recovered theft..fixed it for his aunt..sadly she sold it. It was the Indy Pace Car version..

scottmoyer

I'll argue the 1st part of the above!!!

The 1978 Corvette Pace Car was the 1st car to use a completely stock drivetrain. It had a 220hp 5.7 litre engine. The 1986 Corvette was the 1st street legal car to pace Indy sinc the 1978. I will say that the Corvette beat the TTA to the stock runnings at Indy.

Mr. TurboTA

Well,
You may be right up to a point, but the 20th TTA was the first car to have no mods, and pace the race with no safety problems.
By this, I mean able to accelerate around the track with the race cars, and keep the speed around the corners, as well as pacing the race around 95-130 miles per hour.
The 20th TTA did all this with no problem. Indy race officials even state this. I have video stating this as well.
Granted the '78 Vette had no drivetrain mods done, it didn't accelerate fast enough for the drivers of the race cars. The race cars had to throttle back abit.
One of the biggest problems with Indy, is the pace cars could not be as fast as the race cars. The '78 Vette was no stormer. The '78 Trans Ams with the W-72 400 Pontiac engine were much faster than the Vette that year. Car magazine tests prove that.
As for the '86 Vette, there were mods done since it was a ragtop. Check out the pace car. Looks like a custom rear spoiler just above the seats.
Since Chevy didn't really make a pace car that year, all the ragtop Vettes are called Pace Cars.
I go by what Indy says.

George

CHEVY_EATER

My father had a 78 T/A with the W72 and 4spd, it was quick for what it was and by far faster than anything else in 78. The 78 Vettes were a joke. I know the 78 T/A was a low 15 second car..and I doubt those Vette's were out of the 16's..

scottmoyer

The 86 Vette "rear spoiler" that you mention is the rear strobe light setup. All Pace Cars will have a strobe light setup on the rear of the car.



What safety problems did the 86 have? Even the 89 TTA had to undergo modifications for mandatory safety requirements for the track. Safety requirements are not considered safety problems. Indy officials are not always experts on the subject. The manufacturer of the cars and the people that prepare the cars will always know more than Indy officials.

DanTheMan_smlk

the white 3rd gen is awesome....i so want a white firebird now!

avro206

TTAs are awesome but they should have spiced up the exterior a bit--plain white is not quite deserving of such a car.

I love the the 15ths looks a bit better, more distinctive.

Mr. TurboTA

Gee Scott,
I understand you Chevy guys think that Chevies are the only good car. So with that, you must be right. You are also a mod, so another reason you are right.
In case you don't know or can't believe, the Pace car has one majoy safety requirement, it has to accellerate pretty quickly, as it will have quite a few cars following behind it. These cars following the Pace Car don't shift the same as a production street car. Nor do them use brake lights to show everyone behind them that they are slowing either!. This tends to be a major reason that cars crash. Watch any NASCAR race too. The more bunched up, the more wreaks. This is, believe it or not, a major safety issue.
The 1986 Vette does not accellerate very fast compared to either a 20th TTA or any Indy Race Car. Period.
Or, have the top speed as a 20th TTA. Sorry.
I don't expect to convert you, as the 20th TTA is a Pontiac, powered by a modified Buick engine.
Oh ya, I have video of Indy Race Car owners stating the same thing too. But then again, they don't know anything either. Just the car manufacturer. Oh, but not Pontiac. I forgot.
All I have to say.

DanTheMan_smlk

now thats just sad

scottmoyer

And so is the attitude being given by TurboTA! The fact that I'm a moderator has absolutely nothing to do with the facts presented. Also, the general statement that Chevy guys think Chevys are the only good car is a crock. I'd rather spend my $$ on a TA or Grand National than on a Vette. You made a direct statement that quote, "The 1989 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am was the first car in history that didn't need any modifications (except for the strobe lights and decals, to pace the race." That statement is incorrect and I stated actual facts. They can be found at http://pacecarregistry.com/1986.cfm. If you need help, here's the paragraph:

As with the first Corvette pace car in 1978, the 1986 Corvette needed no mechanical modifications to pace the race. In fact it was the first street-legal car to pace Indy since the previous Corvette.

And yes, I do know that a Pace Car will have a lot of cars behind it. That's the whole point behind it.

In response to the statement, "The 1986 Vette does not accellerate very fast compared to either a 20th TTA or any Indy Race Car." All I need to say is, so! I never said it did. I just said that it was the first car to pace the race without modifications. The 89 was ~1.5 - 2 seconds faster in the 1/4 than the 78 and about .5 second faster than the 86. The cars didn't need to run from a stand still to 100. If the speedway required super cars to pace the race, the Beretta, Fiero and '88 Olds would never have been chosen. I also never stated that the Indy race car owners and drivers don't know anything. I stated a response to you that Indy officials don't know all the details of every car. They see $$. You took what I said and twisted it. Reread my comments in response to the actual words in your post.

Relax. You obviously have some hostility towards Chevy owners based on your comments. That's pretty dumb since they came from the same assembly lines!!!

DanTheMan_smlk

yeah, i like toyota:

avro206

as opposed to a regular Firebird witha Chevy engine???

Pontiac engines went the way of the dinosaur---therefore everything GM has is up for grabs.

DanTheMan_smlk

yes thats sad as opposed to a regular Firebird with a Chevy engine

okfoz

Why is that sad, because some "luxury" car company can do a little whoop but on ole Chevrolet? The truth of the matter is Buick was in racing before Chevrolet existed. Matter of fact Chevrolet was a race car driver ... drum roll please... for BUICK!

well with that said. The TTA, is still the FASTEST production Trans AM EVER! and I can say, "EVER!" because the Firebird/T/A name will not be revived any time soon. And Guess what it was a Third Gen. .

And since were on the topic, Chevy got its bowtie logo from wallpaper

Sorry I had to do that.

John

DanTheMan_smlk

nevermind*

okfoz

Well as long as were talking about crap... Since When was Buick not GM?

John

scottmoyer

LOL

DanTheMan_smlk

oh....i mixed up mercury and buick....dont ask me why. yeah..laff at me

okfoz

Yes Ford/Mercury had a 3.8 too... not quite the same


You are forgiven...

Excuse me while I conslole my Buicks...

John

85-T/A-Pace Car

I know this is an old thread but I might be able to answer a few of your questions on the 1985 Daytona 500 Pace cars. Unlike other years they were not built by GM, they came from Pontiac Motorsports, specifically for the race. No replicas were built for the public and a little more than a handful were built and used. Two for the race and others that were non marked were used for festival/promotion cars and still had the white/scarlet and gray interior with special striping. One went to the Winston 500 and another for Crime Mcgruff promotion around the track at the Daytona 500. There was also the pre race day car pictured in the '85 Pontiac Stars article that promoted the upcoming pace car. It has never been confirmed that that was indeed the race day car or a promotion car.

Infact I do have an 1985 Trans Am Pace Car in my collection. It is a Brass Hat car delivered to GM for use at Nascar, fully document by PHS and mostly unrestored. The car is equipped as the specs show: Automatic, rear spoiler, 16 inch aluminum wheels, special striping and hood bird, and special two-tone interior. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks.....

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

I am curious as to what your documentation from PHS says about the 85 Pace Car. I am curious for personal reasons as I might have one of the 82 Pace Cars in my garage but I have been unable to confirm it 100%...

85-T/A-Pace Car

You can check it out on ebay. I posted my car in the classified area under Firebirds. Thanks!

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

Who did you contact at Daytona, I'd really like to be able to find out if the 82 in my garage is a basically worthless shell or something of historical significance. I have the PHS packet, but it wasn't really helpful.