1963 Chrysler "300"
It is about this time that car companies started to mess around with the engines of the pace cars. Though this practice didn’t really come into play until emissions regulations sapped the energy from even the most powerful engines in the seventies— race speeds were up and the demands on the pace car were greater than ever.
Because of this, we may never know the exact details of the engine that powered the Chrysler 300 pace car. The 300 (non-Letter Series) came standard with a 305-horsepow-er 383-cid V-8. Optional was a 413-cid V-8. Most people suspect that the 1963 pace car had the bigger V-8 with a two Carter four-barrel carburetors and solid valve lifters. Running a 10:1 compression ratio, it was rated at 360 horsepower.
Parnelli Jones, who was given the car after he won the race, remembers that it had the 413. However, it was stolen from his car dealership in Torrance, California. "They found it completely stripped," Parnelli said. "I think it was stolen for that big engine."
A three-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission was operated by dashboard mounted pushbuttons, and 11-inch self-adjusting drum brakes were located at each comer. The front suspension featured a torsion bar arrangement with A-arms, and conventional leaf springs were at the rear.
From certain angles, the car actually looked green, however the exterior was a unique metallic-turquoise color with white pace car lettering. The interior featured white leather with turquoise fabric inserts and matching carpet. The car Had four bucket seats with the fronts having power adjustment.
Specifications
Body style: 2-door convertible
Engine: 413-cid ohv V-8
Bore X stroke (in.): 4.19 x 3.75
Horsepower: 360 (gross)
Transmisslon: 3-speed automatic
Driver: Sam Hanks
Though 300 sales (including Letter Series) were down for 1963, there was sufficient interest in the pace car that Chrysler actually offered two Pace Setter Series cars. These were based on the 300 Sport Series. In all, they built 1861 convertibles and 306 hardtops.
The Driver: Sam Hanks returned behind the wheel for his sixth and final time as pace car driver. He and Jim Rathmann would be the only drivers to pace the field six times.
The Race: The tide was gradually beginning to turn at lndy as four rear-engine cars made the field. Colin Chapman brought over two Lotuses, with Scotsman Jim Clark driving one and American Dan Gurney driving the other.
However, it was Parnelli Jones who managed to finish just head of Clark for the victory It was Jones’ only Indy 500 win, but it was not without controversy Chapman thought that Jones should be black flagged because of an oil leak, but Indy officials said no, and Jones was allowed to take the checkered flag.
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