Ferrari has built countless racing cars, but one of its most unusual creations was never intended to compete for victory. Instead, it was designed to lead other racing cars around the circuit.
The 1988 Ferrari PPG Pace Car was an extraordinary one-off based on the Mondial, developed for the American PPG Indy Car World Series. With its futuristic bodywork, experimental engineering and reported development cost approaching $1 million, it was far removed from the production Ferrari that provided its foundations.
The project also brought together an unexpected collection of companies and designers. Ferrari supplied the mechanical expertise, American industrial company PPG commissioned the vehicle and Italian design house I.DE.A created its distinctive appearance. The resulting car looked almost nothing like a conventional Mondial and incorporated technology that would later appear in Ferrari's production models.
Photography: The Caretakers Collection, Avants
An American commission
During the 1980s, the PPG Indy Car World Series was one of America's leading motorsport championships. Organised by Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), the series featured single-seat racing cars competing on oval circuits, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits. PPG Industries, the championship's title sponsor, developed an ambitious programme of specially commissioned pace cars. Rather than simply modifying ordinary production vehicles, the company encouraged manufacturers to create unique machines that demonstrated their design and engineering capabilities.
Ferrari was an unusual participant. Although the Italian manufacturer had an extensive history in Formula 1, it was not competing in the CART championship. Nevertheless, the project offered an opportunity to demonstrate Ferrari engineering to an American audience. According to historical research published by Forza, the initiative received support through PPG's Italian management and Ferrari's corporate leadership. By 1986, the project had progressed far enough for a specialist design company to begin developing the car.
An unexpected designer
The Ferrari PPG Pace Car was not designed by Pininfarina, the company responsible for many of Ferrari's most recognisable road cars. Instead, the assignment went to I.DE.A Institute, an Italian design and engineering company founded in 1978. Its work included Fiat's experimental VSS project and the development of the Fiat Tipo, which entered production in 1988. The Ferrari pace car was therefore created by a company with experience in both experimental vehicle design and production-car development.
Among the designers involved was Ercole Spada, whose work includes numerous celebrated cars, like the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, Alfa Romeo Junior Z, Ford GT70 as well as the Ferrari FZ93.
Spada's design transformed the proportions of the Ferrari Mondial. The wheelbase was extended by approximately 5 cm (2 inches), while the body became wider and the familiar production-car styling disappeared beneath an entirely new exterior. The finished design featured an oval front air intake, extensive glass surfaces and distinctive horizontal body detailing.
Its appearance was closer to an experimental concept car than a conventional Ferrari.
Carbon fibre construction
The bodywork was remarkable for more than its appearance. I.DE.A used carbon-fibre and Kevlar composite materials for several major panels, including parts of the doors, roof and rear bodywork. Such materials were already becoming important in Formula 1, but their use in road-going and demonstration vehicles remained relatively uncommon during the late 1980s. The company manufactured these components using techniques that did not require the large autoclaves associated with some contemporary composite construction.
Inside, the car received an equally extensive transformation. Designer François Lampreia developed a dashboard using Kevlar, leather and suede, replacing the familiar Mondial interior with a cockpit designed specifically for pace-car duties.
The exterior also incorporated several features designed specifically for its role on the circuit. Instead of using a conventional roof-mounted light bar, I.DE.A integrated the warning lights directly into the bodywork, including transparent sections surrounding the rear engine cover. The rear ventilation louvres were electrically operated, allowing additional airflow through the engine compartment when required. These details helped preserve the car's futuristic appearance while accommodating the practical requirements of a working pace car.
Additional controls operated the emergency lighting, communication equipment and other specialised systems. The vehicle also incorporated an integral roll bar, racing-style safety equipment and a dedicated fire-extinguishing system.
Experimental Ferrari engineering
The mechanical specification was particularly interesting because the project was developed during a period of significant change in Ferrari's V8 range. Historical accounts describe the use of a prototype 3.4-litre V8 associated with the next generation of Ferrari sports cars. This engine family would subsequently appear in the Ferrari 348 and Mondial t. The pace car also incorporated a transverse five-speed gearbox arrangement, although the precise installed engine output is reported differently across historical sources (between 280 and 300 HP).
The car also featured electronically adjustable suspension, adding another unusual element to its experimental mechanical specification.
Perhaps the most unusual mechanical feature was its water-assisted brake-cooling system. CART required its pace cars to perform repeated high-speed braking manoeuvres, placing considerable demands on their braking systems. The Ferrari therefore carried a dedicated water tank connected to nozzles that sprayed water onto the brakes during heavy deceleration. According to historical documentation, the system could operate when braking above approximately 56 km/h (35 mph). This unusual solution was developed to help the car withstand the repeated acceleration and braking associated with its duties on the circuit.
The project first appeared publicly as a full-size styling model at Laguna Seca on 9 October 1987. This distinction is important because the completed mechanical vehicle was not yet ready for active service. The styling model allowed Ferrari and PPG to present the design while engineering work continued. The finished car was subsequently prepared in Italy, with Ferrari responsible for installing and developing several of its mechanical systems.
By late June 1988, the completed Ferrari had been delivered to PPG in the United States. It subsequently served in the CART pace-car fleet, with documented activity continuing into the early 1990s. Contemporary and retrospective accounts indicate that the car was not particularly reliable, despite the considerable effort invested in its development.
Nevertheless, it fulfilled an unusual promotional role and became one of the most distinctive vehicles associated with the PPG pace-car programme.
What happened next?
Following its retirement from the PPG Indy Car World Series, the Ferrari PPG Pace Car largely disappeared from public view. In 2004, chassis 76390 resurfaced at a Christie's auction in Le Mans, where it was described as a Ferrari Mondial t Speciale Pace Car. The auction house confirmed that the one-off vehicle was not road legal, and it reportedly sold for €70,500. Considering its original development cost of approximately $1 million, the sale represented a remarkable contrast to the investment required to create it.
Decades later, the unusual Ferrari found its way into The Caretakers Collection. According to the collection's owner, the car underwent work to return it to running condition before making a public appearance at Laguna Seca, the same circuit where its original design had been unveiled in October 1987. The return brought the car's story full circle, reconnecting it with the location where the project was first introduced to the public.
Today, the Ferrari PPG Pace Car remains a fascinating example of the manufacturer's experimental engineering during the late 1980s. Its prototype V8, unusual brake-cooling system and distinctive I.DE.A bodywork make it far more than a promotional vehicle. Although it never competed for victory, the one-off Ferrari represents an unusual connection between Maranello and American IndyCar racing, preserving a small but remarkable chapter of Ferrari history.
Must-watch video on the Ferrari PPG Pace Car.
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