HERSHEY, Pa. -- This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Race. The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum will commemorate the event with a special exhibition of Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replicas supplemented by some actual race pace cars and an assortment of vintage competition vehicles representing several eras of Indy with more than a dozen vehicles.

Pacing the Indianapolis 500 is a prestigious task. It has become a real honor for the chosen manufacturer and usually coincides with the release of a major new model or a striking redesign resemblance to the actual competition vehicles. It was also rumored that some pace cars in the first quarter of the 20th century could actually outperform the race vehicles! Gradually, the race cars became more specialized and soon looked nothing like the production automobiles that paced them. While the modern pace car is a rolling advertisement, it also represents new technology, safety and performance.

"Leading the Pack" will showcase the wide variety of manufacturers and body styles used as pace cars over the course of the 500's century of competition. Included in the exhibit, sponsored by Performance Parts (www.performancepartsinc.com), will be: 1930 Cord Model L-29, 1939 Buick Series 80 Roadmaster, 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Pace Car, 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, 1959 Buick Electra 225, 1967 Camaro Convertible Pace Car 396, 1968 Ford Torino Convertible Pace Car, 1969 Camaro RS/SS 396 Pace Car, 1970 Plymouth Challenger Pace Car, 1975 Buick Century Pace Car Replica, 1978 Chevrolet Corvette 25th Anniversary/Indy Pace Car Replica, 1979 Mustang Pace Car Replica, 1981 Buick Regal Pace Car Replica, 1983 Buick Riviera, 1984 Pontiac Fiero Pace Car Prototype, 1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Trans Am, 1994 Mustang Cobra Convertible Pace Car Replica, and 1995 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car Replica.

The exhibit will begin with a soft opening on Friday, May 6, and have a full grand opening reception on Friday, May 13, from 6-8 PM. Guests are permitted to participate in the opening reception at a cost of $20 per person, which will include light fare and beverages. Reservations are required and you can reserve your space with Amanda at aeshenour@aacamuseum.org or via phone at 717-566-7100, ext. 101.

For further information about the AACA Museum, call 717-566-7100 or visit www.aacamuseum.org.

To learn more about the Indianapolis 500, check out these great reads in our online store:

• Indianapolis 500: A Century of Excitement
  
• Indianapolis Racing Cars of Frank Kurtis: 1941-1963 Photo Archive
• Indy: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500, Second Edition
• Against Death and Time: One Fatal Season in Racing's Glory Years
• Indy Cars 1911-1939: Great Racers from the Crucible of Speed
• Indy Cars of the 1940s
• Indy Cars of the 1970s

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