This 1991 Ford F150 PPG Indy 500 Pace Truck will be auctioned Thursday at the Mecum auction in Kissimmee to benefit Spina Bifida of Jacksonville. | Mecum Auctions
Published on January 10, 2025 at 11:28 am
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It’s a rad ride indeed — a customized 1991 Ford F-150 pickup truck capable of 130-plus mph. It has led some of the world’s fastest race cars around the nation’s biggest race tracks.
The Ford F150 PPG Indy Pace Truck could be yours when it hits the auction block Thursday at the Mecum Auction in Kissimmee, all to benefit a local nonprofit agency.
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Proceeds will go to Spina Bifida of Jacksonville. A successful sale could mean $50,000 to $75,000 to help repair and provide handicapped-accessible vehicles to clients’ families, said Demery Webber, head of the spina bifida group, which has helped children with the birth defect for 51 years.
“It’s really an amazing representation of the uniqueness of our loved ones with spina bifida,” said Webber, whose 25-year-old daughter deals with the birth defect. “Our goal is to empower our loved ones with spina bifida and their families, providing mobility and freedom for them to be able to be out in the world, getting the care they need, having access to services. Jacksonville is a very, very big city.”
Spina Bifida of Jacksonville helps 90 families with children and young adults who have the birth defect, supporting them with doctors visits and medical reimbursements, plus referrals, research and vocational development as well as monthly events supporting clients and families.
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Spina bifida happens when a baby’s spine fails to close properly during the first month of pregnancy. The defect can cause paralysis because of damage to the spinal cord.
Mecum’s annual auction takes place in a tented compound at Osceola Heritage Park. About 4,500 vehicles were set for sale, including a 1936 Ford Coupe, a 1981 DeLorean DMC 12 (think Back to the Future), and the 1969 Porsche 917K driven by Steve McQueen as he produced his 1971 film Le Mans.
This 1991 Ford F150 PPG truck was the official pace truck for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991 and was used in the PPG IndyCar World Series between 1991 and 1994. The 5,600-mile-old truck was custom built by Jack Roush and McLaren Performance technologies.
The truck has a streamlined rooftop light bar, plus special rear roll bar bisecting a cargo bed with two rear-facing bucket seats fitted with racing harnesses. The seats are accessed with custom side doors.
Inside, the truck features black leather sport bucket seats, a custom radio system and a console-mounted plaque that says the truck was built by “ECS/ROUSH FOR USE BY Ford.” Its multicolor paint job started out in white, purple and red, then was changed to the PPG purple, green and yellow.
Restoring the truck
This pickup truck was originally set to be sold in a raffle at a recent Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, with all proceeds going to Spina Bifida of Jacksonville. But the truck had mechanical issues and was pulled from the raffle so volunteers could fully restore it, Webber said.
“They even took it the extra mile and found some features that we did not even know were on that truck,” Webber said. “To have it in absolute perfect order, it is ready to head to Mecums. We are very excited — it is a very unique truck. It looks like Mardi Gras on wheels.”
Mecum’s annual auction is shown live daily on Motor Trend TV and MAX.
Spina Bifida of Jacksonville owns the truck and has partnered with Mecum Auctions to sell it. Local auto collector and enthusiast Bill Warner helped connect the two. Warner founded what is now called The Amelia in 1993 and is also Webber’s father.
One of its biggest fundraisers for Spina Bifida of Jacksonville is the Jacksonville Grand Prix, where up to 30 teams in go-karts have battled every April for the past 23 years.
The grand prix raises an estimated $10,000 for Spina Bifida of Jacksonville each year. Another estimated $100,000 came last year from charity auctions as part of events during The Amelia concours d’elegance in early March, Webber said.
