Hey, why don't I make a late contribution, too? I think the pace car idea is a fun one. And technically a Corvair came extremely close to fulfilling that dream back in 1969 with the 1969 Goodyear Yenko. A test bed for Ford tire manufacturing techniques, no less.

Hemmings article on Goodyear Yenko

The closest ever I came to owning a "tribute car" was my 1965 Monza that I had painted in 2011 Camaro Yellow.

Eric C. Player
Fargo, North Dakota
MEMBER: CORSA National, Central Coast CORSA, South Coast CORSA, Vintage CORSA, Sfba CORSA, and Great Plains Corvair Club.
THEN: 1965 Monza 110, Canary Yellow - 1965 Corsa 180 Turbo, Red - 1966 Monza 110, Purple - 1967 Monza 140, Red - 1966 500 110, Black; nicknamed "Shadow" - 1965 Monza 110, Camaro Yellow; nicknamed "Silver"
NOW: 1966 Corsa 180 Turbo, Blue; nicknamed "Bluvair"
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"He cautioned me not to take notes. It would not have helped if I had, as he would start a paragraph with, 'It is therefore obvious. . .'
and go on from there to matters which may have been obvious to him and God but to no one else."
-- Robert A. Heinlein, character of Daniel B. Davis, 'The Door Into Summer.'