1966 pace car

[68HILLBILLY]

I am new here and was wondering how rare a 66 pace car with factory 390 4speed was. I have one and am guessing under 1000 were made this way. Thanks in advance

[Joe Travers]

Hemmings says there were 100 made.
Out of those 100, 33 were commissioned as official parade cars and those all had C6 transmissions.
Looks like you have a rare one but not one with that high dollar pedigree.
Still a really great car to own.

Joe

[68HILLBILLY]

Thanks for the info, this is a rough but restorable old car, i did read on here that the 6H28S vin means it is a pace car but i am somewhat sceptical about this. My car was red with white interior, so it is right colors , i just naturally am sceptical when it comes to rarity in an old car, everyone thinks what they have is rare. Any info on production figures maybe, maybe dso codes etc. Would be helpful if someone really knows these cars. I would think a 390 cyclone gt conv. With a 4speed is pretty rare just on its own, but i would like to find out if its a true pace car or not if thats possible. Thanks

[Joe Travers]

Check the build date as well as the factory code. I believe these cars were all built @ the Lorain, Ohio plant in the Spring of '66. Don't think this is a confirmation of authenticity, as I don't think records still exist before '67. The only piece of legitimate evidence may be the window sticker, if you still have it.

It's a growing concern in the classic car market. A lot of more desirable cars are being cloned and sold as 'original' for a premium. People have gotten as brazen as to misrepresent build tags to the uninitiated.

Joe

[68HILLBILLY]

Agreed joe my car was built in lorain,april 26th, dso is washington, no window sticker or original paper work, just a title. I also am always skeptical because in 36 plus years messing with various makes and models of old cars the one thing i always here is this is rare or rare to find, with a very few exceptions the cars are interesting but not rare.(how can a 2892v mustang coupe ever be considered rare) just one example of many. Thanks for the info. I still am thinking mine was probably not a pace car.

[SASSY]

Were the "paradecars" and the "Pacecars" the same car?
If so according to Joes research it can't be a pacecar.
Or is it an original 4 speed car?

[68HILLBILLY]

It is definetly a factory 4 speed car still has some of the linkage and door tag says it is as well. This car was a running lot driving car earlier this spring. I really doubt it is a pace car, it is not a parade car, i saw no evidence of any brackets underneath. Probably just a big block 4speed gt.

[Joe Travers]

Found this yesterday and got me wondering a bit-https://www.classic.com/veh/1966-mercur ... 2-WqlE8bn/

The selling price is very reasonable for a nice collector, too reasonable maybe. It's a 4 speed car. Wonder if this is a knockoff or the real deal? The price leads me to believe it's a knockoff, but you never know w/o a production report to run the VIN.

Have you run a VIN search to see what you could find? I found owner history for mine. Maybe you could chase down previous owners, if still living.

Joe

[68HILLBILLY]

Had not thought of a vin check. That does seem very reasonable for a big block convertible. Thanks for the input and info i am probably going to sell the car or try and trade it for 66 2dr htp in decent shape. I am not a really big convertible guy as far as owning one but i do appreciate the rarity and enjoy looking at other peoples cars.

[SASSY]

I near ya on the convertible thing.
I don't have enough melanin(none!) in my skin to sit in the sun.
My daughter in law who's Jamaican comes alive at 100° on a clear day,,, I die! lol
Fred

[Joe Travers]

I'm with you & Fred on the ragtop cars. Always considered ragtops nice California cars but not practical in many places, where weather doesn't allow a lot of very nice drive time. More prone to vandalization. I do love driving and riding in them, though.

VIN searches aren't expensive and could provide some valuable information, if you have time to research the car. Just a thought.

Joe