Cadillac & LaSalle Club Discussion Forum

Cadillac & LaSalle Club Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rikard Stenberg on January 25, 2008, 04:44:19 PM

Title: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Rikard Stenberg on January 25, 2008, 04:44:19 PM
Hi fellow Cadillac enthusiasts!
I am trying to track down the official pace car replicas of the 1973 Indy 500, I own one of the dealer replicas myself.

If you know of any of these cars please let me know, or if you know of such a car that has been scrapped. I have started a small web site containing data on the cars I have found so far:

   www indy500pacecars com

I can be reached via rikard454@spray.se

Thanks in advance!
/Rikard Stenberg, Luleå Sweden
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397 on January 25, 2008, 05:05:12 PM
Rikard,
I know that there is at least one of those Eldorados in the club, but I don't remember who it belongs to.
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldora
Post by: Jeff Hansen on January 25, 2008, 09:40:05 PM
Rikard,

Contact CLC member Tim Pawl of West Bloomfield, MI.  Tim knows a great deal about these cars.

HTH,
Jeff
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldora
Post by: TJ Hopland on January 25, 2008, 10:42:19 PM
Keep an eye on ebay.  I often look at 73's because I own one.  Seems like I have seen at least 3 or 4 for sale in the last couple of years.  Mine is the pace car colors but I have never seen any reason to think its one of the replicas.
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Tim Pawl CLC#4383 on January 28, 2008, 11:01:15 AM
Rikard,
I have been tracking these cars since 1988. I currently know the whereabouts of 14 of the 53 numbered track cars and 52 of the 513 dealer replicas ( Hence 66 of the 566 cars).   If you have your CLC Class 24A Authenticity manual ,where all of the VIN numbers of all the cars are listed, each of the known cars is identified with a $ (dollar sign) next to the VIN number.  I have phone numbers and names for the cars I have tracked but I have not received permission from all owners to publish their names particularly on a website.  Not everyone wants their addresses published or known.  Suffice it to say I can provide all VIN numbers of known survivors, and several that ended up in junkyards.

Tim Pawl
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Jim Skelly, CLC #15958 on January 28, 2008, 01:04:17 PM
Rikard,
You might also be interested in looking for the following items: magazine ads for the car, postcard, and numbered leather keychain.
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldora
Post by: TJ Hopland on January 28, 2008, 08:31:14 PM
There were 'regular' cars that were white with the white tops and the red interiors right?
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldora
Post by: Rikard Stenberg on January 29, 2008, 04:15:03 AM
Yes, I have seen quite a lot of white Eldo's with red interior that are not listed as pace car replicas.
Cheers!
/Rikard
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldora
Post by: Rikard Stenberg on February 01, 2008, 02:47:03 AM
It seems that I need to continue to look out for these pace car replicas on eBay, traderonline.com, craigslist, etc. But if anyone reads this and knows of such a car, alive and well or that has been scrapped do let me know.

Me and Tim maybe can "swap cars" with each others from now on :-)

Cheers!
/Rikard  ( www  indy500pacecars  com )


Quote from: TJ H on January 25, 2008, 10:42:19 PM
Keep an eye on ebay.  I often look at 73's because I own one.  Seems like I have seen at least 3 or 4 for sale in the last couple of years.  Mine is the pace car colors but I have never seen any reason to think its one of the replicas.
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Davidinhartford on February 01, 2008, 12:44:31 PM
There was a 73 Eldorado in Enfield, Connecticut USA that had the Indy decal on the front fenders, but nowhere else on the car.     Did the dealers sell the decals? 

What constitutes it as a replica?   The full package and dashboard plaque?
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Tim Pawl CLC#4383 on February 01, 2008, 02:00:19 PM
Quote from: DavidinHartford on February 01, 2008, 12:44:31 PM
There was a 73 Eldorado in Enfield, Connecticut USA that had the Indy decal on the front fenders, but nowhere else on the car.     Did the dealers sell the decals? 

What constitutes it as a replica?   The full package and dashboard plaque?
[/quote  To David. There were 53 Cars used at the track, each of these were individually numbered, there were 513 "replicas" sold through the dealerships, that were not numbered.  The VIN for all 566 is known and published in the CLC CLass 24A Authenticity Manual.  There were quite a number of white with red interior non-pace car Eldorados manufactured in 1973 ( It was the number one color combination), and at least four imposters of pace cars have surfaced. If you are looking at one of these cars you may want to get the list of VIN numbers to verify an original car.   Note that the build dates for the Pace Cars and replicas was 02B to 05D (as shown on the body data plate) any car built outside these build dates (with the exception of two development cars built in January) is an imposter.   Regarding the car with only the wings decal on front fenders....the cars were shipped with the door decals in the trunk, it was the purchasers option to have them installed by the dealer.   Tim Pawl]
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldora
Post by: TJ Hopland on February 01, 2008, 02:54:07 PM
Was the dashboard plaque optional? or was that done at the factory?
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Davidinhartford on February 01, 2008, 04:04:17 PM
Quote from: Tim Pawl CLC#4383 on February 01, 2008, 02:00:19 PM
To David. There were 53 Cars used at the track, each of these were individually numbered, there were 513 "replicas" sold through the dealerships, that were not numbered.  The VIN for all 566 is known and published in the CLC CLass 24A Authenticity Manual.  There were quite a number of white with red interior non-pace car Eldorados manufactured in 1973 ( It was the number one color combination), and at least four imposters of pace cars have surfaced. If you are looking at one of these cars you may want to get the list of VIN numbers to verify an original car.   Note that the build dates for the Pace Cars and replicas was 02B to 05D (as shown on the body data plate) any car built outside these build dates (with the exception of two development cars built in January) is an imposter.   Regarding the car with only the wings decal on front fenders....the cars were shipped with the door decals in the trunk, it was the purchasers option to have them installed by the dealer.   Tim Pawl]

Thanks Tim,

    So it very well could have been a replica then.   I did a drive-by to see the car back in the late 1980s and the decals looked real to me.   Unfortunately the car looked rough.     I wish I had gone up and seen the dash plaque.   The girl offering it said it was her Grandmothers from new.    I haven't seen the car in years.   It may have rotted in the driveway.     
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldora
Post by: Rikard Stenberg on February 01, 2008, 04:20:47 PM
All dealer replicas had the dash plaque, but that was sold as a spare part as well for a while...
Cheers!
/Rikard


Quote from: TJ H on February 01, 2008, 02:54:07 PM
Was the dashboard plaque optional? or was that done at the factory?
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: rsprokes on February 09, 2008, 10:20:08 PM
I own car #18 of the 53 track cars.  It is located in Indianapolis.

Scott Prokes
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Eric S. Maypother #15104 on February 12, 2008, 02:25:02 AM
Hi All,
Just wondering, if some people bought a replica pace car brand new and choose NOT to put the decals on why not just buy a white eldo with red int? I imaging the pace cars cost more than the regular Eldo and from what I understand, correct me if I'm wrong but just the 2 actual pace cars were modified ie: motor, bumpers. Other than the decals and dash plaques what was different? If I was going to pay the price new of a pace car that was limited to 1 per dealer I'd want it on the side of the car.
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Tim Pawl CLC#4383 on February 12, 2008, 11:23:58 AM
Eric,
   According to the window sticker the Pace Car Decor Option code SRX-20 was a $220 option. It also included the special "segmented arc" partial whitewall with raised white letter tires , either "Goodyear Steelgard" or "Firestone Steel 500 Radial". I obtained a partial set of the side decals from a dealer who actually had a car on display with the decals on one side and not on the other so a potential customer could decide which way he wanted to the car decked out.  You are correct about the two high speed cars they were illegal for sale due to removal of the emission equipment and weight reduction of the "enersorber" bumpers being ligtened.  There were twelve cars that were celebrity escort cars that had different safety and related equipment for the Festival Directors etc. that were saleable.  White with red interior and white convertible top was the number one color combination produced in 1973 ( I will get you the exact number if you want) whether it was a pace car trim or not is determined by the option code SRX-20.

Tim Pawl
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Terry Anderson on April 22, 2008, 11:10:50 PM
Hi everyone

Just checking the boards and saw the pace car discussion.  I do happen to own car #21.  We have had it for about 12 years now and keep it ready to go. The last time we had it out was for one of our boys wedding and I was able to accept a speeding ticket from one of our county law enforcement personel--sure is hard to slow that thing down when its all down hill to the speed trap--but I must have needed a reminder to follow the speed limits--oh well--I have emailed Tim Pawl a couple of years ago about this car--I believe Tim has car #22--I need to purchase an authenticity manal--been meaning too just have not taken the time to do so.  I did contact someone at Cadillac and they did verify the car as an official pace car and I believe it was used at the track--I would like to hear from others concerning the pace cars--thanks for your time

Terry Anderson
Sedalia Colorado



Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: jim jordan on April 23, 2008, 09:35:36 PM
There is a pace car here in Oklahoma City.  As far back as I can remember it sat on a vacant lot near the airport.  It wound up in a a salvage yard about 5 years ago.  The salvage yard was liquidated to make room for Interstate construction.  The car is now sitting behind a trim shop.  It was last on the road in 1978!  I will try to get the numbers off of it for the registry.

Jim Jordan
Title: Re: Looking for official replicas of the 1973 Indy 500 pace car (Cadillac Eldorado)
Post by: Barry M Wheeler #2189 on April 23, 2008, 09:56:02 PM
When I was trying to decide about buying my 1973 Eldo in pace car colors, I looked at an actual pace car in Plainfield, IN that had the flags in the trunk, holes in the bumpers, etc. But, it wasn't as nice as the one I purchased, so I let it go. Sorry, I don't know the # of the car. This was about fifteen years ago.