In 1978, the Corvette turned 25. To celebrate, it was the pace car for the Indy 500. A redesign also rolled into the showroom. The fastback rear end included a larger rear window, more cargo space, and a privacy shade to help conceal cargo from view. To match its new exterior, the Corvette’s interior received an update too. The speedometer and tachometer were reshaped to be more square, and the windshield wiper controls were moved to the instrument panel.

In celebration of the Corvette serving as the Indy 500 Pace Car, Chevrolet offered a limited edition replica of the pace car. This car featured glass roof panels, power locks and windows, A/C, 8 track stereo with upgraded speakers, and aluminum wheels. This car was available for $13,653.21, and 6,502 were sold.

In the base configuration ($9,351.89), Chevy offered a 185 hp 350ci engine, and paired it to their wide-ratio 4 speed manual. However, most customers optioned for the automatic transmission at no additional cost. Some common options for the year were the tilt-telescoping steering column, power windows, A/C, and sport mirrors. The most common paint color was Silver Anniversary, which was a $400 option and was ordered 15,283 times.