Register now to get rid of these ads!

History Classic Indy roadsters: Most beautiful oval racers ever?

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Bill McGuire, Mar 19, 2013.

  1. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    A.J. ends his first roadster ride in da grass.
     

    Attached Files:

    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  2. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    A 'non' Indy, Indy roadster. What has got to be the only purpose built oval track specific roadster built outside the U.S. Figuring it was better to switch than fight, for the 1958 Monzapolis race the Ecurie Ecosse team built, essentially, a Indy roadster copy using a modified Lister frame with a Jag 3.8 motor.
     

    Attached Files:

    OldSchoolRodz and kidcampbell71 like this.
  3. rick finch
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 3,504

    rick finch
    Member

    Winners from 1958-1964 in color...

    1958, Jimmy Bryan...

    [​IMG]

    1959, Rodger Ward...

    [​IMG]

    1960, Jim Rathman...

    [​IMG]

    1961, A.J. Foyt...

    [​IMG]

    1962, Rodger Ward...

    [​IMG]

    1963, Parnelli Jones...

    [​IMG]

    1964, A.J. Foyt...

    [​IMG]
     
  4. ago
    Joined: Oct 12, 2005
    Posts: 2,199

    ago
    Member
    from pgh. pa.

    Notice the Cummins Diesel photo, post 428. Open trailer with common truck compared to today's racing, multiple closed purpose built enclosed trailers and spare cars and engines. I read Smokey Yunick flat towed some of his race cars to Indy. Simpler times for sure.



    Ago
     
  5. ago
    Joined: Oct 12, 2005
    Posts: 2,199

    ago
    Member
    from pgh. pa.

    Very nice color photos of the winners Rick.


    Ago
     
  6. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    I've read that Watson's cars were essentially copies of Kurtis', differing significantly only in the design of the nose, but that nose! IMO the design of the Watson nose makes those cars the most beautiful of the classic Indy roadsters.
     
  7. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    This is an interesting piece. Any idea if it still exists in this form, or was it recycled into something else?
     
  8. rick finch
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 3,504

    rick finch
    Member

    It still exists Tony, this was taken @ Goodwood recently...

    [​IMG]
     
  9. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    Very cool indeed. In one of the earlier pictures, it appears to have a removable metal "tonneau cover" over what would presumably just be the driveline. Wonder why?
     
    OldSchoolRodz likes this.
  10. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Here's a shot of its guts. Looks like it was just used to access the tranny etc. (?)
     

    Attached Files:

    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  11. noboD
    Joined: Jan 29, 2004
    Posts: 8,458

    noboD
    Member

    Looks like the body is aluminium.
     
  12. rick finch
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 3,504

    rick finch
    Member

  13. rick finch
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 3,504

    rick finch
    Member

  14. rick finch
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 3,504

    rick finch
    Member

  15. rick finch
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 3,504

    rick finch
    Member

    1963 controversy...Parnelli developed a leak from the side oil tank and probably should have been black flagged. Agajanian was going ape shit and being the powerful figure that he was in USAC at the time, the flag was never thrown. Eventually the oil level dropped below the crack and Jones cruised to victory...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Look closely under the tank, there is still oil residue on the bottom panel...

    [​IMG]
     
  16. ago
    Joined: Oct 12, 2005
    Posts: 2,199

    ago
    Member
    from pgh. pa.

    You all heard the argument from Colin Chapman and the Lotus Ford(Jimmy Clark) that was in 2nd place catching PJ with enough laps left to pass and win. But the track got too slick from leaking oil and he lost out.



    Ago
     
  17. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    More of Quinn Epperly's handiwork was the Maxson roadster of 1969. Probably the ultimate in roadster design it was a few years too late to attempt to challenge the R/E revolution. Monocoque chassis, irs, ifs with a turbo Offy.
     

    Attached Files:

    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  18. mac miller
    Joined: Jan 13, 2007
    Posts: 524

    mac miller
    Member
    from INDY



    Actually, It was quite a scene at the starting line, with Chapman whining in Harlan Fengler's ear to pull Parnelli off the track and Aggie, in Fengler's other ear, telling him not to mess with Parnelli.
    Fortunately, Fengler let the race play out....
    Fact is that Parnelli and Clark were both racing on the same slick track.... Had the oil been gushing out of Parnelli's oil tank as much as Chapman claimed, it would have been all over Jones' left rear tire and he would have spun out....... or, he would have run out of oil and blown up his engine. Neither of those things happened and Parnelli won the race by 34 seconds(half a lap) so it wasn't really that close.
    Nice try Colin! Can't blame Chapman for going for the cheap win.

    mac miller in INDY
     
  19. banjorear
    Joined: Jul 30, 2004
    Posts: 4,479

    banjorear
    Member

    I can read about this stuff all day. Love it.
     
  20. BillWallace
    Joined: May 6, 2011
    Posts: 132

    BillWallace
    Member

    their is more to the oil story. Fengler the chief steward had stated the day before the race that any car laying down oil would be black flagged so Chapman was at the starting line pleading his case when Aggie showed up & argument & innuendo began. All this was thought quite comical afterward until the next day when at a celebatory event Eddie Sachs called out Jones & was promptly decked by the latter . Jones was in no mood to have his victory fouled in any way after so much heart break at Indianapolis.
     
  21. gnichols
    Joined: Mar 6, 2008
    Posts: 11,345

    gnichols
    Member
    from Tampa, FL

    Pretty swoopy... but I don't think I've ever seen it before. I like it! Gary
     
  22. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    It only ran limited races in the 69/70 seasons and never did qualify for the 500. Ziggy Snider did finish 7th at Phoenix though and our own Denny Zimmerman attempted to qualify it at Ontario. I suspect it probably still exists but really don't know.
     
  23. rick finch
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 3,504

    rick finch
    Member

    Also one of the last gasp "roadsters" the Jim Hurtubise Mallards...'67/68 in the background, and in the foreground the
    last roadster entered @ Indy in '71. (non-qualifier)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  24. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Actually Herk kept entering the Mallard through the 1970s. IIRC in 79 the USAC officials wanted him to pull it out of line for qualifying because they knew he had no chance. This resulted in a big brouhaha and ended up with USAC having him banned from the Speedway until after qualifying.
     
  25. rick finch
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 3,504

    rick finch
    Member

    ^^^I stand corrected...:)
     
  26. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    The last Kurtis roadster design was the 500L of 63. Cutting edge for its time with irs/ifs/r&p steering just not very fast and kinda ugly imo.
     

    Attached Files:

    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  27. BangerMatt
    Joined: Mar 3, 2008
    Posts: 465

    BangerMatt
    Member

    I like this one from May 1978 Sports Illustrated:

     
  28. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Appears it was 78 not 79 but here's the story on his "dispute" with the USAC officials.
     

    Attached Files:

  29. 29AVEE8
    Joined: Jun 28, 2008
    Posts: 1,384

    29AVEE8
    Member

    Rootie.

    Jim Lattin owns the car today. He has a good story about Quinn and Nye Frank showing up at his place to reassemble the car.
     
  30. indybigjohn
    Joined: May 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,713

    indybigjohn
    Member Emeritus

    That was my first 500, and Pat O'Connor was my first racing hero. I had met him in southern Indiana while selling NSSN at a short track in the late 1940s.

    We were in Grandstand B and had a great view of the battle early in that race between Russo's Novi and Pat in the Ansted Rotary Special. Also a great view when Russo blew the right rear tire and went into the wall in the first turn. There was a loud bang and flash when he hit, which someone later explained was caused by the magnesium wheel scraping the wall at high speed.

    What impressed me most was the way Paul Russo, after getting to the inside of the track, stepped back out to salute O'Connor when they came by under the yellow.

    This, of course, was in the days before they closed up the field. Everybody just slowed down and maintained their spacing until the green came out again. Some fudging on this later in the 60s brought about the pacer lights, and eventually the closing up behind the pace car.

    Damn I miss those days.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.