Published: July 5, 2016, 8:35 AM
Updated: November 21, 2021, 3:26 PM
Classic race cars take on the Brickyard
The biggest race of the year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in terms of entries at least, is for vintage race cars. By Gerry Malloy
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2016 SVRA Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational
The third annual Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, held on Father’s Day weekend, attracted more than 350 entries in 15 classes, with more than 60 separate track sessions over four days.
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Classic Indy Roadster
Of course, the classic Indy cars of the 50s and 60s, like this Watson roadster with which Parnelli Jones won the 1963 Indy 500, beating out Jimmy Clark in the first rear-engined Lotus-Ford, were crowd favourites.
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Pre-war race cars
Beyond just early Indy cars, the pre-war class included such European stalwarts as this 1938 ERA and 1925 Bugatti Type 35.
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Terlingua Racing Mustang
Among a large field of early Trans-Am era cars was this replica of the 1967 series-winning Terlingua Racing Team Mustang entered for Ford by Carroll Shelby and driven by Jerry Titus. Finished in what was dubbed “gawd-awful yellow,” the original race team was named for a Texas ghost town which Shelby and his cronies owned and used for camping and partying. It was the inspiration for a series of 50 special-edition 2016 Terlingua Mustangs.
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427 Cobra
Shelby Cobras from the same era, like this aluminum-bodied 427, are also popular vintage racers – in spite of their significant investment value.
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NASCAR Monte Carlo
At the opposite end of the spectrum, one of several NASCAR racers represented was this 2006 Monte Carlo in the Home Depot #20 livery of Tony Stewart.
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At an even further extreme, this 2005 Audi R8 LMP Le Mans race car, one of which won that famous 24-hour endurance race.
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Benetton B97 F1 car
There was even a Formula 1 car – a 1997 Benetton B97. The original works drivers for the B97 were Jean Alesi, Gerhard Berger and Alexamder Wurz.
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1968 Lotus Turbine Indy Car
Among the most infamous Indy cars on the track was this revolutionary 1968 Lotus Turbine car – one of three entered in the Indy 500 that year, another of which came within nine laps of winning. In addition to a gas turbine engine, which was subsequently rendered non-competitive by restrictive new regulations, this Lotus debuted the wedge design, which quickly became the Indy car norm.
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Can Am standout
There weren’t a lot of original Can Am series cars at the event but this Lola T70 in Penske/Donohue livery was a standout.
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Golden-age racers
For many, the 1960s were the golden age of racing and they were well represented on the track by both Trans-Am series cars and sports cars from that era, still racing hard wheel-to-wheel.
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1966 Yenko Stinger
While there were multiple entries of popular models like Camaros, Mustangs and the Corvette, there were also much rarer cars like this Yenko Stinger, a variant of the second-generation Chevrolet Corvair modified by Chevy dealer cum car builder, Don Yenko, to be eligible and competitive in the D-Production sports car class.
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Studebaker Daytona
An even more unlikely sight on a race track was this 1964 Studebaker Daytona Coupe, but it was a serious racer. All Studebaker production shifted to Canada in 1964 and subsequent models were powered by Chevrolet engines, including a small-block V-8.
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Mustang pre-cursor
Other lesser-known models included this V-8 powered 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint, a pre-cursor to the Mustang, seen here leading a ‘66 Corvette Sting Ray. As is evident from the stands in this photo, the vintage race was more a competitor event than a spectator event.
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Spectator friendly
It was extremely spectator friendly, however. For the simple price of admission, spectators had access to everything except the track itself, including all the garages in Gasoline Alley. And kids with adults were allowed in for free.
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Up close and personal
Spectators were allowed to get up close and personal with the cars and the people preparing and driving them.
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Canadian content
Among several cars and drivers from Canada was this 1969 Corvette, entered by Peter Klutt of Legendary Motorcars in Milton, Ontario (and of Dream Car Garage TV fame) and shared with Al Unser Jr in the weekend’s feature Pro -Am race.
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Truly original
For many competitors there was more emphasis on the racing than the vintage part of the equation. But some of the cars were truly original, right down to the details.
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Safety progress
As this externally-mounted oil tank illustrates, there has been huge progress in the safety of race cars over the decades since then.
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Evolution on display
A tour of the garages was like a history lesson on the evolution of race cars. This Indy car roadster illustrates the adoption of engines offset to the left to help improve the left-right weight balance on the tires under the high G-forces of the Speedway’s four left turns.
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Lotus 23B
Among the prettiest race cars to be seen in the garages or on the track – perhaps anywhere – was this gorgeous Lotus 23B.
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AJ Foyt tribute
The garage area included a tribute to four-time Indy 500 winner, AJ Foyt, with several of his historic cars on display, including this Coyote.
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Vintage Transporter
It wasn't just the race cars that were vintage. Some, like this Boyle Racing Special, came in an equally vintage transporter - in this case a Diamond T.
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1957 Mercury Pace Car
There were several Indy 500 Pace Cars around the paddock as well, including this 1957 Mercury.
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Newest and oldest
The Stoddard-Dayton in the foreground was the pace car for the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911; the 2016 Camaro behind it the pace car for this year’s 100th running of the race.
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Corvette SS
Other beauties in the paddock but not on the track included this historic Corvette SS, built by General Motors in 1957 as a potential Le Mans competitor but retired after just one race, at Sebring, when GM joined the rest of the industry in a non-racing agreement.
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Fierce action
Back on the track, the action was fierce in every class with wheel-to-wheel racing the norm.
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Trying hard
The cars may have been old but the drivers didn’t hesitate to take them to the limit.
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Feature event
The feature event was a 50-minute Pro-Am race featuring ‘60s-era Sports and Trans-Am cars and a combination of amateur and professional drivers in each. Canadian, Peter Klutt, in second place here on lap one, sat on the pole and led most of the race but he got caught out by a yellow flag before switching drivers, setting him back in the field.
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Canadian winners
The class-winning white-and-blue Shelby GT350 here in the Pro-Am winners’ circle was owned by Canadian Gary Moore and co-driven by Paul Tracy.
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Finally, the milk!
Paul Tracy finally got to drink the milk that’s traditionally given to the Indy 500 winner. He was denied that opportunity after winning the 500 on the track in a disputed finish in 2002, ultimately losing a protest on a technicality.
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