The long and storied history between Chevrolet->ke199 and the Indy 500->ke3200 will run a new episode in 2016, when the brand-new Camaro SS will pace the iconic 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. Set to take place on May 29, this year's Indy 500 will be the 100th running of the event and Chevrolet will provide the organizers with four pace cars based on the 2017 Camaro SS 50th Anniversary Edition. In other words, two of America's most recognizable brands have chosen to celebrate their milestones together.

Chevrolet will supply the event with four identically prepared pace cars, which will be driven by motorsport legend Roger Penske. The 79-year-old is marking 50 years as a race team owner and seeks his 17th Indy 500 title in 2016.

"Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500 have a long, storied history and it’s an honor to mark the respective milestones of the Indy 500 race and the Camaro simultaneously," said Mark Reuss, executive vice president of Global Product Development. "It’s also a privilege to have Roger Penske perform the driving duties, as his team has helped Chevrolet earn four consecutive IndyCar manufacturer titles since 2012."

This year's race will be the ninth time the Camaro->ke248 has served as the pace car and the 27th time for Chevrolet. Chevy first paced the race in 1948, while the Camaro made its debut in 1967, less than a year after the first-generation model was unveiled to the world. The Camaro returned to Indianapolis in 1969, 1982, and 1993, before becoming one of Indy's favorite pace cars in the late 2000s. The bowtie-badged car led the pack for three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011 and returned for the eighth time in 2014. The Camaro is the second most frequent Indy 500 pace car, surpassed only by the Corvette,->ke1280 which paced the race 13 times between 1978 and 2015. Interestingly enough, the 2016 Indy 500 will be the 20th consecutive race paced by a General Motors vehicle. The last non-GM car to pace the event was the Dodge Viper GTS->ke1404 in 2006.

Continue reading to learn more about the Chevrolet Camaro SS Indy 500 Pace Car.

What makes the Chevrolet Camaro SS Indy 500 Pace Car special

Much like all pace cars, the Indy-prepped Chevy SS will feature race-specific graphics on the doors and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway wing-and-wheel logo on the rear fenders. To mark the 100th anniversary of the race, the coupe will feature a special Indy 500 logo that also includes the number 100. Being based on the Camaro 50th Anniversary Edition model, the pace car will also sport all the unique details that come with the special edition. These include a body-colored front splitter, 50th Anniversary stripe package and badges, "Fifty" emblems with satin chrome letters and orange inserts on the front fenders, and a unique grille with satin chrome accents.

However, unlike the 50th Anniversary model that will be sold in dealerships, the pace car traded the standard Nightfall Gray Metallic paint for an Abalone White exterior. Probably because white is a more traditional color for the Indy 500, although previous pace cars were painted in all sorts of brighter or darker hues.

Chevy had nothing to say about the pace car's interior, but it's safe to assume it remained unchanged except for the addition of a radio system through which the driver can communicate with the race officials. Other than that, it comes with all the goodies offered with the SS, as well as the black leather upholstery with suede inserts and orange accent stitching available with the 50th Anniversary Edition. It should also feature special-edition logos on the dashboard, seat backs, and steering wheel.

Under the hood, the pace car is a standard Camaro SS, but that's far from bad news. The 2015 redesign dropped a new 6.2-liter V-8 (mostly shared with the Corvette Stingray) between the front wheels, giving the coupe a whopping 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of twist. That's enough to push it from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds with a manual transmission and four seconds flat with an automatic gearbox, which should be more than enough for pace car duties.

Chevrolet Camaro

The sixth-generation Camaro was launched in 2015 for the 2016 model year. It replaced the fifth-generation model, introduced in 2010 after eight years with no Camaro in dealerships. Much like the Mustang, the new Camaro sports an evolutionary design that blends styling cues seen on the previous generation with some classic features. About two inches shorter and 294 pounds lighter than its predecessor, the sixth-gen pony is also quicker thanks to its new V-6 and V-8 engines. The newly developed 3.6-liter V-6 is the most powerful naturally aspirated V-6 in the segment at 355 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of twist, while the Corvette-sourced, 6.2-liter, LT1 V-8 makes the Camaro quicker than the V-8-powered Mustang thanks to its 455 horses and 445 pound-feet of torque. The Camaro also received a four-cylinder engine for the first time since 1992. The unit in question is a 2.0-liter turbo-four similar to the one found in the Cadillac ATS and CTS. It generates 275 horsepower and 295 pound-feet and returns more than 30 mpg on the highway. Pricing for 2016 starts from $25,700, two grand more than the previous model.

Read our full review on the Chevrolet Camaro here.