Cadillac Offical Pace Cars
| 1931 370 Twelve | |
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This was the first Cadillac to pace the Indianapolis 500. The twelve cylinder
engine, which was basically a cut down V-16, had a bore of 3.13 inches, a
stroke of 4.00 inches, and it featured overhead valves with mechanical lifters
and hydraulic silencers. The crankshaft was 36 inches long and a Cadillac/CF
Johnson carburetor fed fuel to the cylinders. Output was 135 horsepower and
284 pounds-feet of torque.
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Pace Car Driver: Willard "Big Boy" Rader Race Winner: Lou Schneider |
| 1973 Eldorado | |
Pace Car Driver: Jim Rathmann Race Winner: Gordon Johncock |
The Eldorado was the first front wheel drive vehicle to pace the 500 since the 1930 Cord. The stock 500-CID engine was deemed not strong enough by Cadillac to keep the nearly 5000 pound convertible, which had its power cut to 235 horsepower by emmission controls and air conditioning, ahead of the pack. Cadillac engineers went to work removing all of the emmissions control equipment, the air conditioning and the single pipe exhaust system. They installed high compression pistons, a dual exhaust system and a forged steel crank. Topping things off was a Rochester four-barrel carburetor. All these modifications produced one of the most powerful engines in pace car history; 500 horsepower at 3800 rpm. Cadillac produced two of these powerful vehicles and they provided 50 more stock Eldorados finished in pace car colours. |
| 1992 Allante | |
| The 1992 Indianapolis 500 was Cadillac's opportunity to showcase its new world-class powertrain, the Northstar. The Northstar used in the Allante was the stock 4.6 litre, 32-valve four cam, all aluminum V-8, which produced 290 horsepower and 290 pounds-feet torque. It propelled the Allante to 60 miles per hour in less than seven seconds and it offered a top speed of over 150 mph. Many Allantes were available for Indy, but only three were outfitted with the the pace car safety equipment that was mandated by USAC. |
Pace Car Driver: Bobby Unser Race Winner: Al Unser , Jr. |
| 1997 Catera | |
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Piloted by one of the members of PPG's team of professional female race
drivers, Cadillac's tri-coat Magenta Candy Catera/PPG Pace Car was one of the
many pace cars for the '97 and '98 PPG racing seasons. The engine is a standard
3.3-liter DOHC, 24-valve V6. It is able to produce 240 horsepower at 6,000 RPM
with a top speed of 150 MPH. The engine has been fitted with an iron block and
aluminum heads plus the engine block is thinner to reduce weight and handle
extra heat. The displacement and compression ratios have been increased to
provide an extra measure of power along with the 4.22 rear axle ratio.
Changes to the suspension include high-performance springs and shocks for
constant high-speed corners. High-performance racing brakes have also been
added, along with larger 17-inch wheels and 255x45 shaved tread tires. Inside,
there's a full roll cage, 4-point safety harnesses, dual Halon fire control
systems, 8-channel radio scanner tuned to race control and a special fuel cell.
The Catera PPG also features a strobe light system that makes this pace car
visible from every conceivable angle.
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| 2000 Seville STSi | |
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Visit the STSi Page in the Seville Section! |
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