Camaro Chaser
’67 Indy Pacesetter Special went after rival pace car
Almost from the moment that Ford Motor Co. unleashed the Mustang from its corral, there have been special editions based upon it. The Twister, the High Country Special, the Sidewinder Special and the California Special are just a few of the many special edition Mustangs that have fllled books on the topic. One of the least-known among them is the 1967 Mustang Indy Pacesetter Special. Most people, including Mustang aflcionados themselves, are left scratching their heads when they see Marlene White’s 1967 Ford Mustang Indy Pacesetter Special. It’s so rare, they’ve never seen one, let alone heard of one. As the owner of multiple Mustangs myself, and one who has traveled the country attending numerous car shows — including Mustang Club of America events — I’d never seen one until I came upon White’s example at the Antique Automobile Club of America Central Spring Nationals in Auburn, Ind.
Upon talking to White, I learned that it’s likely there are only a few surviving examples of the 1967 Ford Mustang
Indy Pacesetter Special. Of them, hers is perhaps the only one restored to factory speciflcations, most notably Wimbledon White paint with blue refiective blue stripes running down the sides and blue stripes on the tail panel.
“Most people do not know how special it is,” White says, “but occasionally, someone will spot it, and they’ll get really excited about seeing it at a car show.”
A Mustang to get Chevy’s goat
Unlike 1964, when the newly launched Mustang served as the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car, of which Ford produced a limited number of replicas, the Indy Pacesetter Special did not have a direct connection to the 1967 running of the Indianapolis 500 race. Instead, the Indy Pacesetter Special was a marketing ploy by Ford to upstage Chevrolet’s new 1967 Camaro.
For its flrst two years, Mustang essentially had the new pony car market to itself, selling nearly 1.3 million cars during the 1965 and 1966 model years. This had the brass at General Motors hustling to produce a worthy opponent to compete against the Mustang. In 1967, GM’s Chevrolet and Pontiac divisions launched the respective Camaro and Firebird pony cars. Of these two new models, Chevrolet
landed the coveted market exposure of having the convertible version of its new Camaro serve as the offlcial pace car for the 1967 Indianapolis 500. To counter Camaro’s publicity in the Indianapolis area, Ford masterminded the Indy Pacesetter Special hardtop, promoting it as part of a springtime “Pacesetter Sale” (speciflcally in May, when the Indy 500 was held) to emphasize how Mustang continued to “set the pace” for the pony car segment.
The Indy Pacesetter Specials were all newly restyled 1967 Mustang hardtops painted Wimbledon White and fltted with blue standard interiors. In addition to including the Mustang options of rocker moldings and a louvered hood, the Indy Pacesetter Specials also came with unique Scotchlite refiective blue side stripes and bluestriped rear taillamp close-out panel inserts. A chrome “Sports Sprint” air cleaner lid, pop-open gas cap and full wheel covers were also part of the Indy Pacesetter Special package, which had a retail price of $2,360.
With the help of Kevin Marti’s Ford production database (aka Marti Report, www.martiauto.com/index.cfm), we know Ford only produced 324 Indy Pacesetter Special Mustangs in the spring of 1967. A few were built for promotional or marketing purposes; the rest were ordered by select Ford dealerships in the Indianapolis area. They were mostly identical with no equipment choices other than engine, transmission and power steering. The majority (231) were equipped with the 289-cid, two-barrel V-8; the other 93 were six-cylinder cars. Transmission choice was limited to a three-speed manual or automatic. Half were optioned with power steering. None were produced with air conditioning.
White’s Indy Pacesetter Special was previously owned by Fran Cosentino, who rescued the hardtop in 2010 after spotting it for sale on eBay. He added it to his collection of Mustang special editions, which includes a similarly rare Branded edition 1967 Mustang coupe.
“I knew the Pacesetters existed thanks to Don Hughmanick’s special-edition website,” Cosentino said. “The car on eBay (Indy Pacesetter Special) was a nice Oklahoma driver with original paperwork and pictures when it was new.”
The sales invoice included with the Pacesetter paperwork revealed that it was purchased new on June 9, 1967, by John Morgan from Ossian, Ind. Like the four other identically equipped Indy Pacesetter Specials sold at Allen County Motors in Fort Wayne, it came with the C-code 289-cid V-8 engine, automatic transmission, power steering and no radio. Before taking delivery, Morgan asked the dealership to install an AM radio and undercoating. By the time Cosentino acquired the Indy Pacesetter Special, the well-used hardtop had incorrect replacement stripes, and the ribbed rear taillamp close-out panel and inserts had been repainted entirely white, with the blue stripes omitted from them.
Making the best Pacesetter survivor
After establishing the Indy Pacesetter Special’s uniqueness and rarity, Cosentino sent the Mustang hardtop to RST Restorations for a concours restoration. Meanwhile, he tracked down Scotchlite to replace the stripes on the sides and on the taillamp closeout panel inserts, then installed the correct graphics on the car.
“I was fortunate to flnd the owner of an unrestored Indy Pacesetter,” Cosentino says. “He provided the stripe measurements, panel location and color-matching paint sample. InSignOut was able to reproduce the stripes and inserts.”
White and her husband, Keith, knew Cosentino and admired his collection of rare, special edition 1967 Mustangs. They even talked Cosentino out of his Branded edition 1967 Mustang coupe.
“We had purchased one, but I always had that picture of both together in my mind,” White said. “We were visiting Fran one day, and he mentioned selling his 1967 Pacesetter, and right away I said to my husband, ‘We must buy it!’ We made it happen and are really enjoying driving the Pacesetter and taking it to shows. We love things that are unique, different and rare. Because of the rarity of the Pacesetter, no matter where we take it, it is the only one. My husband, Keith, spent much of the winter tweaking the Indy Pacesetter and preparing it for the upcoming car show season. We’ve never encountered another one at a car show. We can’t wait to start entering it at car shows in 2022.”
Special thanks to the Pittsburgh International Race Complex (www.pittrace.com) in Wampum, Pa., for providing a location for the photo shoot.