IMS celebrates history with 2023 Indy 500 pace car, a hardtop convertible Corvette Z06

A historic partnership that began in 1978 lives on in 2023, as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway unveiled this year's Indianapolis 500 pace car Tuesday: a hardtop convertible Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the 20th iteration of the famous Chevy sportscar to lead the field of 33 to green and Chevy's 34th 500 pace car overall (dating back to 1948).

It's the first time Chevy has used a hardtop convertible version of the Corvette as the pace car in the pairing's history and the first generation of the Corvette Z06 to offer a hardtop convertible.

“As we celebrate the rich history of the Corvette pace car at IMS, it’s amazing to see the evolution of these cars on and off the track,” IMS president Doug Boles said in a release. “The hardtop convertible onthe 2023 Corvette Z06 is just another example of the Chevrolet innovation that translates from track to street."

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This year's pace car features a Red Mist Metallic exterior paint, a two-tone Jet Black and Sky Cool Gray interior with Torch Ted accents and Spider-designed forged aluminum wheels finished in Tech Bronze. It's powered by a 5.5-liter LT6 engine that creates 670 horsepower, making it the highest-horsepower naturally aspirated V-8 engine ever to hit the market in a production car.

“We are honored to be pacing the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 with the Corvette Z06 convertible,” Scott Bell, Global Chevrolet vice president said in a release. “Chevrolet and IndyCar share the same spirit of competition, and we are proud the Z06 will lead the pack across the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway."