The 1954 Dodge Royal Indianapolis 500 pace car was a good example of race marketing
There were 701 Indianapolis 500 pace-car replicas built and all were painted two-tone Pace Car Yellow and Jewel Black. (Stellantis media archives)
Chevrolet has a long history of offering replica Indianapolis 500 pace cars, but other makers, such as Dodge, took advantage of the marketing opportunity, too.
The Dodge Royal was introduced in 1954 as the top trim level. Many enthusiasts consider the Royal as the Dodge division’s first muscle car.
To direct attention to the new model, Dodge created the 1954 Dodge 500 Indy Pace Car. It was offered only with a 150-horsepower, 241-cubic-inc, Red Ram Hemi V-8 engine.
There were 701 pace-car replicas built and all were painted in the two-tone Pace Car Yellow and Jewel Black, according to a report at BringATrailer.com.
1954 Dodge Indianapolis Pace Car
The Royal slotted above the mid-level Dodge Coronet and the base level Meadowbrook, according to the car’s page in Wikipedia. The Royal lineup consisted of a four-door sedan, a convertible, club coupe and a two-door sport coupe hardtop.
The pace car was designated the Royal 500 and cost $2,808. Its MSRP was $201 more than the regular model, according to SignificantCars.com. “The buyer got the same equipment as the actual pace car, including a Continental-style rear spare-tire mount, Kelsey Hayes wire wheels and special trim and lettering.”
The Red Ram V-8 engine used a Stromberg two-barrel carburetor with 7.5:1 compression and solid valve lifters. It was rated at 150-hp at 4,400 rpm. But the actual pace car was fitted with a custom Offenhauser intake manifold and Rochester four-barrel for a reported 170 bhp at 4,400 rpm,” according to SignificantCars.com.
“The Offy manifold that went on the actual pace car might have had a Rochester because Offenhauser preferred Rochester carbs in those days, the author wrote. “I believe Dodge made their own cast iron manifold for the replicas and put a 450 cfm Carter WCFB on those. This manifold and carb setup was available on pace car replicas via special order.”
