Camaro SS to pace the 2011 Indianapolis 500...again

The 2011 Indianapolis 500 pace car is.... the 2011 Camaro SS convertible.  This is the 22nd Chevrolet to pace the legendary race and the seventh Camaro to have the honor.  The 1967 Camaro RS/SS Pace Car is my personal favorite car from the 1960s. Of course it should have the 396 big block Chevrolet under the hood to get me around town.

Indy 500 pace car Camaros:

• 1967 Camaro RS/SS
• 1969 Camaro RS/SS
• 1982 Camaro Z28
• 1993 Camaro Z28
• 2010 Camaro SS (2009 Indy 500)
• 2010 Camaro SS
• 2011 Camaro SS

As a Camaro enthusiast, I can admit I find it a bit odd that Camaro was chosen three years in a row, especially with the great looking 2011 Mustang GT in showrooms with the updated power train. Considering 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the great American race as well as the centennial for Chevrolet, we  should have seen this coming.

The official Chevrolet Indy Pace car book, from 1948-1990

These images are from GM Media. I love the color combo, obvious homage to the 1969 Camaro RS/SS Pace Car. I'm not a fan of the double stripes continuing down the front fascia, but they do look pretty nice inside the car on the dash.

The pace car, along with the matching festival cars, features a Summit White exterior accented with orange stripes and door graphics. The interior is trimmed in orange leather, including front seat headrests embossed with the Indy 500 logo, along with white door panels and instrument panel trim. The instrument panel trim features extensions of the orange exterior stripes. 
 

Equipped with a 400-horsepower V-8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, the actual pace car for the race requires no performance modifications to perform its duty in front of the racing field.

All 50 of the Festival Committees cars will be SS convertible models fitted with the 2SS equipment package, offering the following standard features:

• Four-wheel disc brakes with Brembo four-piston calipers and hydraulic assist
• StabiliTrak electronic stability control
• Competitive/sport mode that enhances on-track performance
• Performance Launch Control (with the manual transmission) that optimizes hard-acceleration launches for quicker, more consistent performance
• Twenty-inch polished aluminum wheels and performance tires
• Head-up instrument display
• Center console with auxiliary gauge package

Along with the 2SS equipment, the cars feature the RS package, which includes HID headlamps and unique tail lamps.

Read more about this great car, the convertible Camaro and Chevrolet's history with the Indy 500 in the GM Media Press Release

Let others know what you think about this car in the thread on Modern Camaro