Jim Harbaugh to pace Indy 500 in 2014 Corvette Stingray

Harbaugh, who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season, said it’s an honor and tremendous thrill to be selected to pace the race in the Laguna Blue Corvette Stingray Pace Car.

DETROIT- San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh will drive the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Pace Car to start of the 97th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

Harbaugh, who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season, said it’s an honor and “tremendous thrill” to be selected to pace the race in the Laguna Blue Corvette Stingray Pace Car.

“As a longtime racing fan and someone who has always followed the Indianapolis 500, the honor to drive the pace car comes as a tremendous thrill,” Harbaugh said in a release. “It’s an iconic car leading an iconic race.”

Before coaching, Harbaugh was a quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts football team from 1994 through 1997. During his time with the Colts, he was named AFC Player of the Year and named to the Pro Bowl in 1995.

When the vehicle takes to the track of the 97th annual race May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it will mark a record 12th time the Corvette has served as the Pace Car, starting in 1978. A 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 led the starting field of the 96th Indianapolis 500.

“It’s great to have a true racing fan like Jim Harbaugh drive the Corvette pace car,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, in a statement. “He personifies the Indianapolis 500’s spirit of competition – and he’s a true athlete, just like the all-new Corvette Stingray.”

That "spirit of competition" did get Harbaugh in trouble with Detroit Lions fans and head coach Jim Schwartz following a post-game handshake between the two coaches in 2011. 

2013 also marks the 24th time a Chevrolet has served as the official Pace Car of the Indianapolis 500, more than any other brand, dating to 1948 with a Chevrolet Fleetmaster. Camaro has served in the role seven times and, with this year’s running, Corvette has led the way a record 12 times.

Besides its aesthetics, the only differences between production models and the Corvette Stingray Pace Car are track-mandated safety features and strobe lights, according to GM.

Powering the pace car and production Corvette Stingrays is GM’s all-new small-block, LT1 6.2-liter V8 engine that delivers an estimated 450-horsepower and achieve 0-60 in less than four seconds.

GM said the pace car does feature the optional track-capable Z51 package, which includes high-performance gear ratios; transmission-cooling system; larger 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels and tires; larger, slotted rotors and brake-cooling ducts; and other performance features.

The 2014 Corvette Stingray coupe goes on sale this fall, with a convertible model – featuring a fully electronic top that can be operated remotely with the key fob – coming a few months later.

The Stingray coupe, which debuted January in Detroit, will start at $51,995 and the Corvette Stingray Convertible will start at $56,995. Both prices are about $1,400 more than the 2013 models and include a $995 destination.

The vehicle's price tag can get a bit steeper if you want all the bells and whistles though. The Stingray coupe fitted with the major available options, as shown at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, would be $73,360.