Trans Am racing pace car pics...are there any?

[SMKZ28]

Interesting pictures from 1968. I never knew a Shelby was used for a 'pace car' before. Thanks for posting!

No problem!  If you want to see other Shelby pace cars check out the following on this thread:

1) Reply #20 on page 2 (1969 GT500, Sears Point)
2) Reply #148 on page 10 (1967 GT350 or GT500, Kent)
3) Reply #194 on page 13 (1969 GT500, Bryar)

[SMKZ28]

Here is great color picture of the 1972 Ford Mustang convertible that was used to pace the Trans Am race held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on June 4, 1972.  It shows that the Mustang pace car was yellow.   I found it at tumblr.com.   Additional photos of the car can be seen in Reply #215 on page 15 and Reply #238 on page 16 of this thread.

[SMKZ28]

Here is another picture of the 1972 Datsun 240Z that was used to pace the Schaefer Trans Am events held at Lime Rock Park, Lime Rock, Connecticut on May 6, 1972.  This picture shows in pacing the 2.5 challenge cars.  See additional color pictures of the car in Reply #179 on page 12 of this thread.

I found it at the Revs Institute Digital Library.  Click on the following to use the magnification tools: https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=592543&collection=p17257coll1

[SMKZ28]

Recently posted photos at the Revs Digital Library have led me to finally figure out that a 1972 Buick Skylark convertible was used as the pace car for the 1972 Bryar 200 Trans Am event held at Bryar Motorsport Park in Loudon, New Hampshire on May 29, 1972.  You can see it pit lane as the race cars are about to get the green flag.

Click on the following to use the magnification tools:

Photo 1: https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=593417&collection=p17257coll1
Photo 2 is a cropped version of #1
Photo 3: https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=593126&collection=p17257coll1
Photo 4 is a cropped version of #3

[SMKZ28]

The Revs Digital Library recently added a great photo of the 1969 Camaro RS/SS Z11 Indy Pace Car used as the pace car for the Trans Am race at Bridgehampton Race Circuit, Bridgehampton, New York on June 22, 1969.

Other pictures of the car can be seen in Reply #151 on page 11 and Reply #221 on page 15 of this thread. 

Click on the following for use of the magnification tools: https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=588413&collection=p17257coll1

[SMKZ28]

I found an interesting Chevrolet training film (1971 models) that shows a tiny bit of color footage of the Trans Am race at Laguna Seca Raceway, in Monterey, California on April 19, 1970.  This footage confirms that the 1970 Corvette convertible used to pace the race was painted Daytona Yellow. 

The small snippet of the 1970 Laguna Seca Trans Am appears at 1:06:57 in the film.  You can see the #2 Leslie Chaparral Camaro and the Corvette pace car.  See it here: http://www.historicfilms.com/search/?q=laguna+seca&q=laguna+seca#p1t957i0o3988

Additional black and white pictures of this car can be seen in Reply #48 on page four of this thread as well as Reply #104 on page seven, Reply #219 on page fifteen and Reply #256 on page eighteen.

[Jon Mello]

Scott, many thanks for your continuing efforts to document the various Trans-Am pace cars.

[BSMIT59]

Does anyone know how many of the 602 1967 Z28’s went to the Trans Am teams and were never used on the street? How many documented 1967 Z28’s are still out there?

[KurtS]

Here's an enlargement of that pacer. Endura bumper car.

[SMKZ28]

Here is another picture showing the 1969 Shelby GT500 convertible used as the pace car for the Herald-Traveler Challenge Trophy or Bryar 200 Trans Am race at Bryar Motorsport Park in Loudon, New Hampshire on July 20, 1969.

Use the magnification tools to zoom in on the picture here: https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=585191&collection=p17257coll1

See an additional picture of the car in Reply #194 on page 13 of this thread.

[SMKZ28]

Recently Mike K./Swede70 posted a link to some great color footage of the 1968 Trans Am races held at Limerock and Bryar.  At the beginning of the footage you can see the drivers as they leave pit lane for their parade around the track prior to the race.  They are riding in AMX's, Javelins, Mustangs, and Corvettes.  See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZz2AJ_mpRA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2KTdgUICqIqWUTIMSbkGCYeufS7-Z-gPXc1QedGGrv4MH3iHO3SNmP2zE

In the footage you also get a glimpse of the light blue 1968 Mercury Cougar that paced the race.  Additional photos of this car can be seen in Reply #124 on page nine of this thread as well as Reply #198 on page 14.

The footage also shows an orange Iso Grifo that was used in some official capacity by the track prior to the race.  According to Wikipedia, "The Iso Grifo is a limited production grand tourer automobile manufactured by Italian Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A. between 1965 and 1974.  Intended to compete with Ferrari and Maserati GTs, it utilized a series of American powertrains and components supplied by Chevrolet and Ford to ensure performance and maximize reliability. Styling was done by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, while the mechanicals were the work of Giotto Bizzarrini.  The first production GL models appeared in 1965 and were powered by American Chevrolet Corvette small-block 327 (5.4-litre) V8s fitted to American supplied Borg-Warner 4-speed manual transmissions.  The 5.4-litre engine developed 300 hp (220 kW) in its standard form and could reach 110 km/h (68 mph) in first gear.  In 1968 the Grifo 7 Litri was introduced with a Chevrolet L71 big-block engine, a Tri-Power version of the 427 engine. The massive power plant required several mechanical changes to the car in order to fit, i.e. strengthened chassis components as well as an enlarged engine compartment with reinforced mounts. A large hood scoop (dubbed "Penthouse" due to its size) was added to clear for the engine's deck height. It produced an officially advertised minimum of 435 hp (324 kW) at 5800 rpm, which was a somewhat conservative rating given the engine's well known and proven performance potential. The factory claimed it could reach a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).  In total, 322 Series I and 78 Series II cars were built for a total of 413 Grifos, 90 of which were 7-litre."

In the comment section, "jcalla76" wrote: "That is my father and mother, Skip and Carmen Callanan, in the Iso Grifo pace car, supplied by the GT Motorcar company of Norwalk, CT.  A gold Grifo would also pace the event in ‘69 and can be seen in Jim Garner’s documentary The Racing Scene." 

The comment about the "gold Grifo" pacing the 1969 Trans Am race can not be confirmed because the footage in the documentary shows the "gold Grifo" pacing the Formula Continental/F 5000 event not the Trans Am race.  He might be correct but I don't have any other evidence to prove it.

[SMKZ28]

Color footage from the 1968 Bryar Trans Am event can also be seen in the video posted on Youtube.  In it you can see glimpses of the yellow 1968 Shelby GT 500KR convertible that was used as the pace car.  Footage taken from the back seat of the Shelby on the pace lap can also be seen at 8:45 in the film.

Additional photos of the Shelby pace car can be seen in reply #30 on page 3 of this thread, replies #88 & #89 on page 6 and reply reply #264 on page 18.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZz2AJ_mpRA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2KTdgUICqIqWUTIMSbkGCYeufS7-Z-gPXc1QedGGrv4MH3iHO3SNmP2zE

[SMKZ28]

Interestingly, a white 1968 AMX that was used by Bryar Motorsport Park in some official capacity during the Trans Am weekend can be seen "racing" a young man in a brass era type kiddie car at 6:35 in the film. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZz2AJ_mpRA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2KTdgUICqIqWUTIMSbkGCYeufS7-Z-gPXc1QedGGrv4MH3iHO3SNmP2zE

[group/7]

In post 281, from Bryar '68, that yellow Shelby 'vert is parked at pit in, that Javelin and the blue Mustang are coming in pretty hot

not the best place to park 

Here's another angle of the Oldsmobile in the driver's parade with Revson & Follmer at Bryar '68

Mike

[group/7]

Here's one I have in my files, not sure if this is a pace car...parade car or ? my note says Brainerd 1969.

SMKZ28,  If it's not a Trans-Am race I will delete it.

Mike