Someone is going to get a bargain for a piece of Corvette racing history this weekend at the Auctions America sale in Auburn Spring, Indiana.
Officials there are forecasting that an actual 2003 safety pace car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans will fetch between $25,000 to $30,000 at the auction.
Back in 2003, Corvette was celebrating its 50th anniversary, and to help mark the occasion, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest chose the birthday boy to serve as the official on-duty car for the endurance race.
Chevrolet sent six special Corvettes in all to France for the race, two that served as pace cars and four others, including this one up for sale, that were safety cars positioned around the perimeter of the track.
At first, after the race, this particular safety car was shipped off to be part of the GM Heritage Collection, but when the company went bankrupt a few years ago, it was sold off – not that it made much of an impact on GM finances but public image, you know, forced the sale.
The current owner snatched it up back then and has carefully tended to his baby ever since.
The safety car, by the way, is painted in the dark red 50th anniversary color and features gold wheels, a 350-horsepower 5.7-liter V8, magnetic suspension, unique graphics, and coolest of all – an emergency lighting bar, on-board fire extinguisher, roll cage, and racing harnesses.
Unfortunately, all the 50th anniversary hype didn’t pay off for Corvette in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year as it finished 11th and 12 overall.
Corvette had won the GTS class the two years before and rebounded to win the three years after.
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Source:
AuctionsAmerica.com via CarScoops.com
Related:
2003 Corvette Le Mans Safety Car to Cross Russo and Steele’s Monterey Auction Block
Auctions America to Offer Two Le Mans Corvettes at Hilton Head
Collectible Corvettes: 2004 Corvette Z06 Commemorative Edition
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