One of the pluses of being a Barn Finds staff writer is the opportunity to learn more about cars and trucks and their interesting histories. Take this ’63 Chrysler for example. I didn’t know Chrysler was the Official Pace Car of the 1963 Indianapolis 500, or that it promoted this honor by producing 1,806 special pace car convertibles and 306 hardtops in 1963. Here’s your chance to get a good, driver-quality example of one of those convertibles (the seller claims less than 300 convertibles are known to exist). This rare drop top is currently located outside of Seattle in North Bend, Washington, and is for sale here on craigslist for an asking price of $17,000. Another thank you to super sleuth Pat L. for sending this tip our way.

The seller gives no history or background on this Chrysler and the sparse ad description reads: “Very clean – mostly original and fun ride. Rare 300 Indi pace car only 1800 made and less than 300 still known to be in existence. Low original miles.” Based on the photos, it indeed looks clean and would be a fun ride. I wish more had been shared about it being “mostly original” though. In 1962, Chrysler  expanded its 300 lineup by adding the Sport Series which was available in two and four-door hardtops and a convertible. With a base price of $4,129 (roughly 10% more than a standard 300 Sport Series convertible), the limited edition pace cars came in a special turquoise paint called “Pace Car Blue.” Based on the photos, the paint isn’t perfect but looks presentable and it appears to be a straight, solid car with no signs of rust. The 300 badging, including the full wheel covers, is all there and the bright work looks good as well. It’s not mentioned how old the white convertible top is, but it also looks good and compliments the turquoise paint and white interior very nicely.

The exterior of this ’63 Chrysler may look conservative but the white and black interior still has some of that classic Chrysler space-age styling sparkle to it, albeit somewhat restrained. I really like those luxurious bucket seats and console, all the ribbed vinyl door panels, and that cool black dash with the push-button transmission. Looking at the photos, the interior appears to be in good condition for a “driver” but it’s not perfect. The driver’s seat bottom has several rips and there are cracks in the special square-shaped steering wheel.

There are no photos shared of the engine bay, but based on information found online, this Chrysler should have a 383-cubic inch, 305 horsepower V8 mated to a push-button Torqueflite automatic transmission. The seller states that this Chrysler has 86,000 original miles on the clock. The newly-styled ’63 Chrysler with its long, flat, wide look and styling looked much different than its ’62 counterpart with canted headlights. Minor trim changes would appear on the ’64’s before an all-new – and much different looking – Chrysler would debut in 1965. You can’t always believe advertising, but I agree with how Chrysler described their all-new line of 1963 cars: Distinctive – Different – and Decidedly Chrysler.