1988 Buick Reatta IndyCar PPG Pace Car - SOLD

This a very interesting and rare piece for Buick and GM collectors. Only 12,002 original miles! This Reatta is THE ONLY ONE BUILT. An actual pace car, used at race events by series officials, during actual race event weekends. Not to be confused with replica pace cars. This car is not some “a-typical” replica Indy500 pace car that every public person could buy off the showroom floor, this is the real deal. This car also is street legal and since it was purchased from Champcar in Indianapolis, now has a clean NY State title.
Built for the CART PPG Indycar Series, principal duties for this car as part of the PPG Pace Car Team of vehicles, was used to pace the Indycar, Trans-AM, and Formula Atlantic races. Also, used for giving executive guests hot-laps on race weekends between sessions, and utilized for display purposes. You may have seen this car at the races if you are an Indycar fan.
The engine itself required no modifications, and because of this, idles and drives like a normal car. The only change attached to the motor is the Borla exhaust. You will also notice heat wraps around the exhaust as you can see in the pictures, to keep excess heat away from necessary mechanical components.
Because PPG was the primary sponsor of the IndyCar Series, all of the pace cars on the pace car team were painted in outrageous colors. Taking in this car from the outside is best on a sunny day when you can properly appreciate the PPG pearl paint on the car. This is not a standard GM color by any means. This specific PPG color is called “Root-Beer”. As an aside, even the PPG lettering on the door is clear coated in the paint so well, that running your hand over the letters makes them undetectable.
As you further inspect this car, you will also notice other necessary subtleties that this car has to let it function as a real pace car. Flashing strobe lights that would otherwise blind a person staring straight at them.. (the strobe light is removable from the roof with 2 zoos fasteners) Everything from the beltline down is subtle yet completely specific to this particular car. If you are familiar with standard Reattas, you will notice no black molding. All of the typical molding around the waistline are shaved, pointing to more of the streamlined looks that Buick was prototyping at the time.
Onboard safety items installed for Pace Car duty include; a removed road fuel tank in place of a racing fuel cell, onboard fire suppression system (add your own bottle), crowd-control siren, (for driving through the paddock full of fans), kill switch, 5-point racing harnesses.
Everything about this car is REAL, has a purpose and tells a story of its past. Every smudge from tire rubber underneath the car and in the wheel-wells is real racetrack rubber from pacing on the race track. Any other minor nick or mark on the car is a story mark from pace car duty. Even special tow-hooks for strapping the pace cars down for travel in the hauler are installed. If one can imagine rolling the winning IndyCar straight from the winners’ circle to a museum, that is exactly what this car is like to view and take in. Aside from the beautiful paint on this car, nothing is for “show” and everything about this car is IndyCar heritage.
One of a kind with racing history. This car has either been in storage, or on display at a race event all of its life! Please feel free to call with questions. Because the care was used for a lot of corporate activity the suspension was not aggressively modified and this Pace Car rides and drives like a plush brand-new car from 2020. Originally used by CART with 255-50-16 Goodyear Gatorback tires (we have kept the original tires in storage) now a more drivable set of Continental touring tires have been placed on the car for sale and for future use to keep the car nice and drivable. Pictures do this car no justice and there is too much history and information to list about this car.
WHAT THIS CAR IS NOT:
This car is NOT a replica pace car that are sold through dealerships around the country. Such as Indy 500 commemorative replica pace car editions
This is NOT a “souped-up” car purchased from a dealer back in 1988 that some random person put together for personal enjoyment.
This is NOT a car that has ever been used for personal use or daily driven
WHAT THIS CAR IS:
This car IS the ACTUAL PACE CAR that paced ACTUAL IndyCar races (see attached pics of the car in action)
This car IS 1 of 1. The only Buick Reatta used for pace car duty
This car IS a piece of genuine IndyCar Racing history.
This car IS a piece of genuine GM history,
Engine and Mechanicals:
3.8 liter 3800 Buick V6
Borla Exhaust
Racing Fuel Cell
Onboard plumbed-in complete fire extinguisher system
Kill Switch
Trans and Oil Coolers
Exterior:
Full custom Metallic PPG Paint
Strobe lights
Interior:
Seats complete with 4-point racing harness
Autotrend Specialty Cars
www.autotrendspecialtycars.com
7 Sidney Ct.
Lindenhurst NY 11757
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