The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was initially built as a proving ground for the fledgling automotive industry. In 1911 the Indianapolis 500 was staged for the first time, beginning a century of radical designs, engineering marvels, great triumphs and embarrassing failures.
Early Innovation at the Indy 500
Innovation at the Indianapolis 500 can be traced back to the inaugural event in 1911, when Ray Harroun’s winning Marmon Wasp sported a rear-view mirror. Although Harroun had used such a device on buggies pulled by horses one had never been seen on a racing car before.
The Indianapolis 500 has proved to be a fertile breeding ground for maverick designers and engineers. In the early years streamlining was a little understood aspect of racing car design and wind tunnel testing lay far in the future. A particularly striking example of early streamlining was the Mercedes-Knight entered for the 1913 event. With a V-shaped radiator grille and bullet shaped exhaust it was designed to cut cleanly through the air. In the hands of Belgian driver Theodore Pilette the car finished a very respectable fifth.
An even more radical car appeared at the speedway the following year, the Hughes-Rayfield Special. Remarkably, the car boasted side mounted radiators, pre-dating modern racing car design by several decades. The car was damaged before the 1914 Indianapolis 500 but provided a tantalising glimpse into the future.
The 1930s produced a whole series of radically streamlined cars at Indianapolis. These sleek machines with sweeping bodywork included the Gilmore Specials and the Abels Auto Ford Special. In 1937 Wilbur Shaw won the Indianapolis 500 in a Gilmore Special by a couple of seconds over Ralph Hepburn.
Indianapolis 500 after World War II
Racing resumed at Indianapolis in 1946, and once again the speedway attracted automotive oddities. Paul Russo raced the Fageol Twin Coach Special that year, which placed the driver in the middle of the car between two engines. The car was not a success, and neither was the Tucker Torpedo Special, a rear-engined contraption driven by George Barringer. The most curious entry for the 1948 Indianapolis 500 was the six-wheeled Pat Clancy Special. With four driven rear wheels the car performed admirably, with Pat DeVore bringing it home in 12th position.
Rear-engined cars finally found success at the Indianapolis 500 during the 1960s. Reigning Formula 1 world champions Cooper crossed the Atlantic in 1961 with a tiny rear-engined car powered by a Coventry-Climax engine. Double Formula 1 champion Jack Brabham drove the car and, despite being unable to compete with the traditional Indy roadsters for top speed, its excellent cornering ability and light tyre wear resulted in a ninth-place finish.
Lotus boss Colin Chapman visited Indy in the early 1960s and was horrified by what he saw. Chapman considered the roadsters to be terribly old fashioned and resolved to show the Americans what a racing car should look like. In 1963 Lotus travelled to Indianapolis with Ford power and the incomparable Scotsman Jim Clark behind the wheel. The sleek little car came tantalisingly close to winning, but it would take until 1965 for Clark to finally triumph. Lotus came very close to winning again before the decade was out with a wedge-shaped car powered by a gas turbine.
Indianapolis 500 Modern Era
By the 1970s the front-engined roadsters had been consigned to history. Indy cars had sprouted aerofoils, raising downforce and dramatically reducing lap times. In 1982 arguably the most bizarre Indy car ever to attempt qualification for the Indianapolis 500 appeared, the Eagle Aircraft Flyer which, with its extreme styling could have come straight from the pages of a science fiction comic. Despite its looks the car was nowhere near competitive and was eventually withdrawn.
Famous Indy car teams have not been averse to innovation either. In 1994 Penskes took advantage of a loophole in the engine regulations and used a powerplant which was designed amidst the utmost secrecy. Although badged as a Mercedes it was actually built by Ilmor in England. The cars dominated proceedings, with Al Unser Jr inheriting victory after his Penske team-mate Emerson Fittipaldi crashed.
In many ways the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has remained a proving ground for the the automotive industry. The gruelling 500-mile race has attracted mavericks, design geniuses and hopeless dreamers for 100 years, giving the race a unique place in motor racing history.
Kevin Guthrie - Kevin is based in Fife, Scotland, where he works as a music teacher, professional drummer and freelance writer. At an early age he ...
