The Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible to Serve as Indy 500 Festival Cars

While we have known for some time that the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 would serve as the Official Pace Car for the 2014 Indianapolis 500, it was announced this weekend that the higher volume 2014 Camaro SS Convertible will serve as the promotional “Festival Cars” for the 2014 running of the famous American open wheel race.

Each year, it is big news when the Official Indianapolis 500 Pace Car is announced so for 2014, Chevrolet and Camaro fans were happy to hear that the new Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 would serve as the pace car for the 2014 Indy 500. However, following the announcement of the Official Indy 500 Pace Car comes the introduction of the Indy 500 Festival Cars. These cars never lead the field, but they are instead clad with the Indy 500 logo and used for daily driving around the Metro Indianapolis by various race officials and area shotcallers. Of course, while being driven around the area with the Indy 500 logo on the door, these cars provide moving advertising for the race and Festival Cars have been used in this manner since the 1960s.

In some cases, the Indy 500 Festival Cars are the same make/model as the Official Indy 500 Pace Car, but with the pace car for this year’s race being the limited production and high priced Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, the Indy 500 team had to go a different route. To fulfill the needs of the Festival Cars without costing GM $75,000 a piece, the team turned to the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible with a stunning black on black on black scheme (body, convertible top, interior AND wheels), the Indy 500 logo on the doors and the L99 V8 with an automatic transmission – sending 400 horsepower to the rear wheels for plenty of getup-and-go for those dignitaries touring the Indianapolis area in these sexy loaner cars.

It is fitting that the most track capable Camaro of all time would lead the field to one of the most well known American auto racing events of the year and it is just as fitting that the Camaro SS will serve alongside the new Camaro Z/28 to both lead –and promote- the 2014 running of the fabled Indy 500.

As is generally the case, there have been 33 examples of the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible Indy 500 Festival Cars made for 2014. Once they are finished getting local bigwigs around the area (and promoting the race – in case anyone in the area didn’t know about the race), they will be sent to Indianapolis area dealerships and sold as gently used models. This process will give 33 (or so) Camaro fans from the Metro Indianapolis area a chance to get into one of these rare SS Convertibles and with these all blacked out drop tops looking as great as they do – I imagine that there won’t be any shortage of interested in this year’s Festival Car.

Thanks to Derrick for the local insight on the program!