Centennial Indy 500 pace car expected to bring high price at auction

An orange-and-white Chevrolet Camaro convertible unveiled Thursday at the Barrett-Jackson collector car auctions in Scottsdale, Ariz., is creating quite a stir.

The car, which will go on sale Saturday, is no ordinary muscle car. The hot rod will be a carbon copy of this year’s Indianapolis 500 festival committee and pace cars.

Barrett-Jackson officials expect the bidding for the car to be extra competitive and the sale price to be high—likely into the six-figure range.

But there may be more to the expected high price tag than just the car itself. The winning bidder will get to lead a parade lap of IndyCars around the track just before this year’s Indianapolis 500. The fact that’s this year marks the race’s centennial has ratcheted up interest in the car, auction officials said.

The auctioning of the car will be televised on SpeedTV between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday.

The car itself is quite a catch. It will be one of the first modern Camaro convertibles built and will be equipped with a 400-horsepower V8 engine and 6-speed transmission.

Delivery of the car will take place at the Speedway before the race.

Proceeds from the sale of the Camaro pace car will go to the David Foster Foundation, a charity that supports families with children who need organ transplants.