In 1979 the Mustang was chosen once again to pace the annual Indianapolis 500 race. 3 all-new Fox chassis Mustangs were specially prepared for the task.
Roush Industries built special 5.0L V8 engines which included 351W heads, Boss 302 camshaft, 289 Hi-Po springs, TRW pistons and a Holly carb. These were backed by modified C-4 transmissions.
Ford build over 10,000 replica versions of the pace car. The replicas had the same unique bumper and hood. Plus the unique red and orange stripe kit as well as other styling cues. What makes the pace-duty cars visually unique are the T-Tops. T-Tops were not offered on the production Mustang for a couple more years.
One of the pace cars is rumored to be in the Hall of Fame Museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If anyone in the area can confirm this, we would like to know. A current picture of the car and a confirmation of the VIN, would be nice too!
The other 2 Pace cars are in Livonia Michgan at Jack Roush's Museum. A photo of them appeared in an
article in the October, 2010 issue of Mustang Monthly. They were both painted white when they were used to pace the Detroit Grand Prix in 1982.
When I was at Roush's in September, 2011, only one of the cars was on display. A local man, familiar with the cars, said the other car was undergoing a restoration. Possibly back to its original 1979 Indy Pace Car configuration.
Profile: 9F03F100024 - In Roush Museum
Profile: 9F03F102848 - In Roush Museum - Rumored to be undergoing a restoration
Profile: 9F03F10???? - In Indianapolis Museum?