Don't be fooled by impostors!

Unfortunately it's the tendency of some people to make a car into something it isn't just to make a quick buck. This is nothing new to car collectors. A classic example of this is stuffing an over-400 cubic inch engine into a Camaro and then claiming it's a Yenko Camaro when in fact it isn't.

Because the '75 Buick pace car is such a rare find, most people don't have the first clue how to verify the authenticity of one. However, with the information listed here, now you do.

Step 1. Check obvious things.

1973 and 1974 Century's have a smaller "squat" grille opening and round turn signal lamps. The '75 year has a full grille opening and rectangular turn signal lamps. See images for examples.

Step 2. Check the VIN

In the FAQ is an explanation of how to decode the VIN.

An example VIN would be: 4H57J5H123456

The characters to pay attention to are the second, fifth and sixth.

The second character is an H. That means it's a Century Custom Series. Were it a J, it'd be a Regal.

The fifth character is a J, indicating a 4bbl V8. Pace cars came equipped with nothing but 4bbl V8's. If it's a 2bbl, it's not the real deal.

The sixth character is a 5, meaning model year 1975. Any other number is not a '75 model year.

If any of the above doesn't match up, she's not a pace car.

What can you do if you spot someone trying to sell a pace car that isn't authentic?

In the instances I've seen where people are attempting to sell pace cars that aren't authentic, they're betting on the fact you don't know how to fact-check the car. After all, she is rare and there isn't much information available (since rectified by the launch of this web site). In addition to that, it's all too easy to fudge the numbers because 13-character VIN's are not indexed on the internet.

If someone tries to sell a Regal as a Century, that's fraud - plain and simple. The cars may look similar, but the models are different.

If the model year doesn't indicate 1975, that's also fraud because this particular Free Spirit Buick was only made in 1975.

If someone outfits a regular Century Custom Series to look like a pace car, the way to prove fraud is by the engine code of the VIN.

Why would anyone make a fake pace car?

One reason: Money. A pace car is worth more than a regular edition of the same car.

To all those who are trying to pass off regular Century's as pace cars, be warned - you can get in a lot of legal trouble and it isn't worth it. If you've already spent the time and effort converting a regular Century or Regal to a pace car with the intent of selling it, advertise it as a Century or Regal pace car conversion. People do this all the time with other cars (such as recreating the Camaro pace car and advertising it properly as a conversion).

There is still enough desire in this car where it would probably sell for just as much as the real thing, given the car's rarity.

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