1985 Oldsmobile Calais 500 Indy Pace Car Replica: Not The Most Exciting Indy Pace Car Replica, But At Least It Has Only 13,000 Miles

The 1985 Indianapolis 500 was a thrilling event, with Danny Sullivan’s “Spin and Win” maneuver carrying him to victory circle for the first and only time in his career. Hollywood’s great motor-racing star James Garner drove the pace car in the event for the third and final time, but the pace car itself was not exactly as electrifying as the event or the highly esteemed Mr. Garner; however, a 13,000-mile pace car replica is always worth a closer look. This one recently sold on Bring a Trailer for $8,077.

As pedestrian as an Oldsmobile Calais is and was, the pace car replicas at least had a knockout interior, with silver and deep red bucket seats and door panels to complement the Flame Red and Platinum paint. Special “Calais 500” emblems adorned the special door panels, and the insignia was even sewn into the front floor mats. Say what you want about the Oldsmobile version of the General Motors “N-body,” I love the 1980s kitsch of this specific interior.

And here’s that unlikely odometer. The seller of this car apparently got it as a gift to replace a similar car that was wrecked by his teenage son back in the 1990s.

At least it has the 125-horsepower Buick 3.0-liter V6 bolted to a three-speed automatic transaxle; after all, the standard engine was the 92-horsepower “Tech 4.” Interestingly, that four-cylinder was modified to the tune of 215 horsepower for actual pace car duty, which I’d like to see (and hear). There is some debate on Oldsmobile forums whether or not the Calais’ screaming four was related to the 1984 Pontiac Fiero pace car’s “SD4” engine, which produced 232 horsepower. Either way, the Oldsmobile was punched out from 2.5 to 2.7 liters for its use on America’s most famous oval.

Aside from the special interior, paint, spoilers, wheels, and Goodyear Eagle GT tires, the Calais was apparently unmodified; there is no evidence that Oldsmobile ministered any suspension magic on the 500. Still, we can see that this low-mileage example looks as if it’s been little used underneath.

As you can see in the picture above, the real Indy Calais pace car was a convertible, and all of the replicas were standard hardtops; however, any car that has anything to do with the classic 69th running of the Indy 500 is bound to be a little more valuable than a car that didn’t, and I’d say the buyer of the featured Calais 500 did pretty well in scoring a low-mileage replica for eight grand.

Still, I always feel a little bad thinking about Indy 500 winners whose pace car prize wasn’t as much of a prize as it sometimes is, but don’t feel too bad for Danny Sullivan. He earned over $500,000 for the win and seems to have done pretty well for himself over the years. Facts I’ve found are vague, but it sounds like his team owner Roger Penske kept the pace car for his museum, so perhaps Sullivan used his earnings to buy something a little less prosaic to commemorate his big victory.

Related Reading

1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais: A Low-Mileage Example Of A Forgotten Commuter Coupe (by me)

Car Show Classic: 1985 Oldsmobile Calais Supreme – A Happy Baby (by Jon Stephenson)

1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais With Quad 4 And Rare 5-Speed: “A Heady Blend of High Revs and Haut Velour” (by Aaron Severson)