Dodge Viper RT/10 paces the 75th Indy 500

A prototype Dodge Viper RT/10 paces the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, 1991.

The Dodge Stealth initially was chosen for official pace car duties for the 75th race until the UAW, race traditionalists and others raised objections.

The Stealth was essentially a Mitsubishi 3000GT and the union and others didn't support the idea of a Japanese marque pacing the tradition-bound Indy 500.

Under pressure, Chrysler pulled the Stealth, an import from Japan sold as a Dodge, and replaced it with the yet-to-be-released Viper RT/10.

The Viper, pieced together from parts Chrysler had on hand, debuted as a hand-built concept car on the 1989 auto show circuit.

The car caused such a stir, however, that less than a year later Chrysler decided to build and sell it.

Although it wasn't scheduled to hit dealer showrooms until late in 1992, Dodge managed to churn out a pre-production Viper in time to pace the 1991 race.

The Viper, with red paint and cutting-edge sports car styling, proved a race crowd favorite in May 1991.

It boasted a monstrous V-10 engine and 400 hp -- the highest hp rating for a nonmodified Indy pace car at the time.

Car designer and racing legend Carroll Shelby drove the Viper pace car for the 1991 race.

The Dodge Stealth was still used as a parade and festival car in May and was also awarded to the winner of the race -- Rick Mears -- instead of a Viper.

A hardtop version of the Dodge Viper paced the Indy 500 field again in 1996 and became the last non-General Motors vehicle to pace the race.