Hoon's Day Out: LeMay Museum – The Indy Cars

IMG-20130406-00721

This post comes to you just in time for the greatest spectacle in racing, the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500.

The latest installment, of what I’m calling Hoon’s Day Out, is by far my favorite and one I’ve been looking forward to sharing for some time. Being a big racing fan, I spent a long time just staring and pointing at the cars you’re about to see, probably annoying my friends in the process.

I had seen many of these cars before online or in print, but never had the good fortune to stand next to them. They were on loan to the LeMay Museum from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation and I was like a kid in a candy store.

Come take a look!

IMG-20130406-00722

The first car you’re looking at is a biggie: the 1968 Lotus Turbine “Wedge” 70. With a Pratt & Whitney gas turbine engine and Ferguson four-wheel drive, this car, driven by Graham Hill, started 2nd and was running 4th when the suspension gave out. It was capable of 170+ MPH.

IMG-20130406-00697IMG-20130406-00698

The second car is a 1925 Miller Junior 8 Special. First of all, I love the names given to these cars; it really speaks to the purpose-built, prototype nature of early Indy car racing. This is the first front-wheel drive ever entered in the 500, which finished 2nd in the closest finish to date, 44 seconds.

IMG-20130406-00701 IMG-20130406-00700

Next, we have a 1930 Miller Hi Speed Special, and you can clearly see the evolution of the Indy car – a little lower, a little wider, a little faster. This particular car finished 2nd in 1930 and 1932, and was raced in 12(!) 500’s from 1930 to 1947. It runs on a 4-cylinder, 183-cubic inch engine, good for 180hp.

IMG-20130406-00704 IMG-20130406-00703

I forgot to take down information for this car, so I don’t know much about it, except that continues with the 2-seat configuration, has some fairly beefy tires, and what looks to be a pretty large gas tank. For an Indy car, it’s pretty tall and slab sided. If any of you know more about this car, feel free to weigh in.

IMG-20130406-00705 IMG-20130406-00707

This is a 1940 Sampson Special, and again, you can see that Indy cars are evolving into the classic Indy roadster shape – long, low, with a teardrop back end. This car made four starts in the 500, running on a 12-year old V16 made from two supercharged 91.5-cubic inch straight-8 Miller engines! In 1946, it qualified 3rd, using that same now 18-year old engine.

IMG-20130406-00710 IMG-20130406-00711

This is a 1938 Gulf-Miller, and straight away you can see some major differences in previous Indy cars. This car took inspiration from the Auto Union grand prix cars that were making waves in Europe at the time, as you can see by the big supercharged slant-six out back, and the driver (and stubby nose) in the front. It, too, was 4-wheel drive, and apparently ran on pump gas. It wasn’t a successful venture at first, although it qualified 3rd in 1939, but retired after just 47 laps.

IMG-20130406-00712 IMG-20130406-00714

Here we have a 1948 Kurtis Agajanian, and you can see that classis roadster shape that became so popular through the 1950’s. This car didn’t see success until 1950, when it took pole position at 134.343 MPH (a new . . . track . . . record!). This car has a 270-cubic inch Offenhauser engine, making around 300hp, and a 2-speed transmission.

IMG-20130406-00715 IMG-20130406-00717

This is a 1959 Watson Indy Roadster, the same car that won the 1959 race. It also has an Offy engine, good for 400hp. Unlike the other cars, this one is fuel injected, and also had on-board air jacks. In many ways, this car pointed to the future.

IMG-20130406-00718 IMG-20130406-00720

We end this tour of the Indy car exhibit with one of the wildest, craziest, and coolest cars ever to turn a lap at Indy. They call it “Smokey’s Sidecar”. Just look at this machine! It’s a 1964 Hurst Floor Shift Special, powered by a 4-cylinder, 255-cubic inch Offy. Sadly, this car never raced at Indy, but it did make several practice laps over 150mph. Bobby Johns tried to qualify, but wrecked it coming to the green flag. The team couldn’t repair it in time to make another run, and the sidecar special never came back. It’s a real shame, as the innovation that went into this car is truly impressive.

I truly hope you enjoyed this look at some of the great Indy cars through history. While we know exactly what kind of car is going to win the 500 this Sunday, I expect it will be a thrilling race anyway. Let us know what you think of these history-making machines.

[Photos Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Marcal Eilenstein]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

8 responses to “Hoon's Day Out: LeMay Museum – The Indy Cars”

  1. Van_Sarockin Avatar
    Van_Sarockin

    Exceptional collection! STP turbine, Millers, and a Smokey special? Almost makes that roundy round stuff interesting.

    1. JayP2112 Avatar
      JayP2112

      New regs stifled innovation. Used to be that if it wasn't prohibited by the book, it was legal.
      I'll watch the Indy 500… with 2 engine manufacturers and 1 chassis. Makes NASCAR look like the good ole days of F5000.

      1. MVEilenstein Avatar
        MVEilenstein

        Which is precisely why one guy showed up with a gas turbine strapped to a sidecar; one guy showed up with a turbocharged 4-banger; one guy showed up with a 15-year old Frankenstein engine. Some people used old F1 chassis; some people built an Indy special in their garage; some guys showed up with 10-year old cars.
        Innovation was at the heart of Indy racing. Just look at the first winning car as an example, the Marmon Wasp. Ray Harroun was the first to bolt a mirror to the top of his car, giving us the first rearview mirror. Innovation gave us cars that could make the distance without a mechanic onboard. Innovation gave us front-wheel drive cars, rear-engine cars, etc.
        That's what makes Indycar interesting, and if Miles & co. have any sense, they'll remember this and open the rule book a little. Aero kits are a nice gesture, but they're not enough.

      2. Van_Sarockin Avatar
        Van_Sarockin

        It's Monaco F1 for me, and Indy only if there's nothing else to do. I couldn't agree more with your points about innovation and diversity. May at Indy used to mean something and was full of pit lane drama.

  2. FЯeeMan Avatar
    FЯeeMan

    I was at the track on Sunday for part of bump day. It was far more interesting during the practice sessions when there were several cars on track, but the roundy round racing, the identical cars, and the horrible view one gets from the infield made soccer with the kids during the down time more interesting than qualifying.
    F1 has been dull on occasion, but at least they have to shift and turn right.
    I say give 'em a maximum engine displacement, a maximum and minimum foot print, and a minimum weight, then let the engineers go to town.

    1. JayP2112 Avatar
      JayP2112

      Maybe a limited amount of energy?
      Light, heavy fuels, hydrogen cells, electricity, solar, coal, steam?
      The Indy 500 started out to stretch technology. The cookie cutter Dallara (Is it? I'm out of touch) isn't spinning any cogs with me… or anyone outside the fans.

  3. craigsu Avatar
    craigsu

    You gotta love the whimsy in Smokey's Sidecar, especially the handprint cutouts for the front "bumper".

    1. sporty88au Avatar
      sporty88au

      That's the first thing I noticed – then I jumped down to the text to find out what the heck I was looking at. It's almost like the designer said, "How many crazy ideas can I fit into one car and still be able to race it?"