1971 Dodge Challenger

Only 2165 Challenger convertibles were built in 1971, and only 167 had the 383-cid V-8 engine. About 50 of the 2165 convertibles were pace car replicas, painted bright "hemi orange" with a white convertible top and matching white interior same as the two convertibles designated for official pace car duty. Dodge dealers could order Indy 500 decal sets to provide with the cars.

While other muscle cars of this era were being detuned with lower compression ratios, the Challenger’s 300-horsepower V-8 retained 10:1 compression in 1971 and required premium gas. The pace car’s 383 was hitched to Chrysler’s sturdy three speed Torqueflite automatic transmission.

The pace car rode on special Firestone F70X14 glass—belted tires, but few other modifications were made for track use.

The Driver: Indianapolis Dodge dealer Eldon Palmer drove the pace car in 1971, and he apparently was chosen because he was one of four local Dodge dealerships that promoted the Challenger as the pace car.

After leading the field to the green flag, Palmer lost control of the car at the end of pit lane and crashed into a temporary photographers’ stand, injuring about 20 people. It was the only accident involving a pace car in Indy 500 history The accident really wasn’t Palmer’s fault—someone had moved the cone he was using as a breaking reference point. By the time he realized this, it was too late.

The Race: Mark Donohue posted the fastest race lap (174.961) while leading on lap 66, but his transmission quit before he could complete another. Donohue’s disabled car remained parked along the inside wall near turn four, and on lap 167 Mike Mosley lost a wheel and crashed into Donohue’s McLaren.

Al Unser, who qualified fifth, dominated the last third of the race en route to winning at a record speed of 157.735 mph. Unser, driving a Parnelli Jones Colt with a Ford V-8, became the fourth driver in Indy history to win back-to-back 500s.

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