I’ll admit it, I’m not really drawn to Corvettes. I like them all, well most of them anyway, and some are very notable for various and sundry reasons. Perhaps it’s just the enormous number that has been produced over the years and that ubiquitousness gets one lost in a sea Corvettes that, in turn, lose their distinctiveness. Whatever the case, I have noted that the early C4s, and a batch of C3s, don’t get as much respect as later C4s. And for that reason, I wanted to tackle a post on this sharp-looking 1986 Indy 500 Pace Car version. It’s located in Mendota, Illinois and is available here on Barn Finds Classifieds for $18,995.

By 1986, the domestic auto industry was finally shrugging off the ’70s federally induced malaise that so “altered” the auto industry. By 1975, Chevrolet’s halo car had turned into a bit of an embarrassment, only slightly improving as the ’70s ground on. The Bowtie promised big things with the February ’83 introduction of the 1984 C4. Oh yeah, it was all new, and necessary, as the C3 had been around since ’68 and was getting really long in the tooth. Power wasn’t initially improved significantly, that would take a few years, but road manners had definitely been kicked up several notches and after all, that’s a major component of Corvette’s cache.

The big news here is that this ‘Vette is an Indy 500 pace car edition, one thankfully not adorned with a door decal so proclaiming in outsized lettering. It also marks the return of the convertible body style, not seen since that awkward 1975 model year. According to Vette Facts, there were 7,315 Corvette convertibles built in ’86 and all were designated Indy Pace Car replicas. While hardly a flashy Corvette hue, the Gold Metallic finish is great in an understated way. The seller claims that this Chevy is “super clean“, it sure looks it!

Under the hood is a 230 net HP, 350 CI small-block V8 engine. It is stated that it, “runs great & shifts perfectly!!“. Two thoughts on the engine front, ’86 was the first year for center bolt valve cover hold downs on small-block engines, having moved the four attaching bolts from the upper and lower edge of the valve cover. It was a design change to ensure better sealing. I know from my dealership years, I replaced a lot of old-style valve cover gaskets, under warranty, because the blasted things would leak due to poor attachment characteristics. It wasn’t a big problem, just a sloppy one. And, as the engines became more entangled with add-on components and emission control hardware, the gasket replacement job became a longer, and thereby more expensive, warranty tab for Chevrolet to cover. Secondly, the late ’86 Vette 350s made a move to aluminum cylinder heads but from what I have read, I gather they were problem-prone and subject to cracking. Gearbox duty has been relegated to a 4+3 speed manual transmission. It’s an interesting piece that provides an electronic O/D in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear.

Inside is a buckskin beauty in what looks like leather upholstery. Convertible interiors can take a real beating (especially when you leave the top down in the rain – been there, done that) but that’s not the case here – it still shows very well. And if it’s not weather abuse, it’s just the fact that such a light shade is much more agreeable with revealing dirt. The dash is an interesting throwback to those blocky, squared-off affairs favored by many manufacturers in the ’80s.

With a claimed mileage of only 70K miles, this early C4 convertible looks like quite a find – it’s one that I would certainly enjoy, how about you?