favorite Indy car to drive | Page 2 | FerrariChat

favorite Indy car to drive

Discussion in 'Other Racing' started by Lotus91, Mar 23, 2018.

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  1. David Lind

    David Lind Formula 3

    Nov 19, 2008
    2,248
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    David Lind
    Lotus 91, nothing would make me happier than to have dinner with you guys, but ... I'm in Louisiana and I have relatives coming from California on that weekend. Raincheck, perhaps? I very much appreciate the invitation!
     
  2. Bisonte

    Bisonte F1 Veteran
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    Mar 27, 2007
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    Greg
    I got to see that McLaren up close at Pebble Beach in 2010. So cool. Here's a picture I took of it.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  3. tifoso2728

    tifoso2728 F1 Veteran
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    Apr 30, 2014
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    Awesomeness . . . . I think it has to be one of the most beautiful Indy Cars ever . . . . even among other Penske cars which are always so well presented.
     
  4. Bisonte

    Bisonte F1 Veteran
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    Totally agree. It's spectacular!
     
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  5. David Lind

    David Lind Formula 3

    Nov 19, 2008
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    David Lind
    That blue with yellow highlights is instantly identifiable w/ The Captain's Mark Donohue years, isn't it?
     
  6. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
    279
    it sure is..
     
  7. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
    279
    Mark passed way to soon. he would have been a great champion. when he drove the Porsche 917-30 with 1200 HP he was amazing. a buddy of mine raced that 917-30 for the Captain at Monterey a few years ago and the Porsche guys de-tuned it to 1100 hp.. then said " David, don't FUK this car up ".
     
  8. David Lind

    David Lind Formula 3

    Nov 19, 2008
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    1,100 or 1,200 HP? Still sounds superhuman to me!
    I saw Derek Bell run one up the hill at Goodwood about 1995, and even he was treating the car like nitroglycerine.
     
  9. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
    279
    oh man...I think I saw that on tv.. and wasn't the tubing in that car made of alloy ? or, was that the older 917 car ? that would have made me a bit leery of pushing too hard.
     
  10. David Lind

    David Lind Formula 3

    Nov 19, 2008
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    David Lind
    There was big chromed tubing ... don't know what it was made of.
     
  11. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Feb 27, 2004
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    Jim Pernikoff
    I like the cars with the normally-aspirated four-cam Fords; it's hard to believe that they only won the 500 three times. Clark's '65 Lotus, Foyt's '67 Coyote, Gurney's first Eagle, Andretti's '66 or '67 Hawk.

    I would also like to consider two of Parnelli's cars, the classic '63 Watson "Ol' Calhoun" (which I saw him drive at the Speedway in 2013) and the '67 STP Turbine car. And maybe also Ascari's Ferrari, just because it is what it is.
     
  12. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
    279
    Jimmy, Gurney never won the 500. his first chassis that won was the 68 Offy that Bobby won with I like the Watson Roadsters too. I met AJ Watson, he reminded me of Chuck Beck who builds the replica 904's and such.
     
  13. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
    279
    The Clint Brawner Hawk of 69 was a Dodge I think.. but it was a pushrod V8 I think. . he wrecked the Lotus all wheel drive car earlier in the month.
     
  14. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    I know that, but he won at least one other IndyCar race in the car: Riverside at the end of the 1967 season.
     
  15. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Jim Pernikoff
    No, it was powered by a turbocharged Ford V-8, the same engine that won for Al Unser the following two years. Ironically, Mario finished 33rd in 1968 and 1st in 1969!
     
  16. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
    279
    ahh, I lived in Indy and only followed the Speedway. we didn't even get televised CART or USAC races from anywhere else in the world...
     
  17. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
    279
    Jim McGee was Mario's Crew chief back then and he was a brilliant engineer. He is still around somewhere.
     
  18. #43 lorenzobandini, Mar 31, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2018
    (A) Oh really now. Are you referring to yourself??? :p

    (B) The "Merc'" wasn't claimed to be a stock block; 'just implied. The rule that Penske/Ilmor was taking advantage of was the pushrod and 2 valves per cylinder rules

    "Back in 1994, the Indy 500 wasn’t just a race among races, one that happened to have a strip of bricks on the track and some milk at the end. It was set apart, with its own rules and everything.

    Every other race required four valves per cylinder, operated by an overhead camshaft. The Indy 500, in an effort to be more proletariat, or something, allowed what was known as “stock blocks,” or engines with only two valves per cylinder, operated by pushrods.
    "


    I was always a Lotus guy. When we were running slotcars in the late 60s, my Jimmy/Lotus buddy and I ran Gold Leaf liveried "McLotus" M8 CanAm bodies at the end. (We figgered that if Dan could run his McLeagles for real, we could run McLotus' too!!!)

    The only Indycar I would like to take a spin in is the 56. (Well, maybe the 64 too. F1? The 49.)

    Can I come too??? :D
     
  19. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Feb 27, 2004
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    You do know that George Barber owns a running Lotus 64 at his museum down in Alabama?
     
  20. Turbopanzer

    Turbopanzer F1 World Champ

    Oct 2, 2011
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    A) Bring your checkbook and let's find out. I build some decent stuff! ;)

    B) The Mercedes by the rules was a "stock block". The Buick by the rules was a "stock block". Now..how the rules were written pretty much let anything with two valves and pushrods was a stock block. How you built to the rules was up to you. Menard's Buick's were anything but stock.

    As for the amateur stuff, how many have put themselves into a 800hp (Chapparal), 900hp (Mercedes) 1000hp(Offenhauser) 1500 pound race car and turned it lose? It does get ones attention not to mention that in some people's case they will experience an event that only their laundry will know for sure! :D
     
  21. Lotus91

    Lotus91 Formula Junior

    Oct 20, 2014
    279
    I had a nice long talk with Little Al about that 94 Penske and asked if they were sand bagging all month. he said Roger would let them run only in the mornings at 900 HP and then on race day they adjusted the boot to allow more power up to 1000.. and at 900 HP they were sand bagging. The Buicks I think were given 55 inches of boost.. but still, a pushod V6 stock block was producing that much power.. until it went kaboom.. and they always did. I think Cheever is the only Buick motor that ever produced a top 5 which he would have been in contention for a win but was penalized and had to make 1 more penalty stop otherwise he may have had a chance to win. It was in a Menard Lola.
     
  22. #47 lorenzobandini, Apr 3, 2018
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2018
    Yes, your own quote marks are exactly my explanation. They were not stock blocks and were not ruled as such as they had been in the past. The rules only let it be implied for the uninitiated.

    "The traditional "stock blocks," saw some limited use in the early 1980s, but became mainstream at Indy starting with the introduction of the Buick V-6 Indy engine. Initially, the stock blocks were required to have some production-based parts. (most importantly, the block itself) However, in 1991, USAC quietly lifted the requirement(the block, thus not stock block), and purpose-built pushrod engines were permitted to be designed for racing at the onset." (including the block)

    Again, the blocks no longer had to be literally stock....as in production car blocks. Just the unknowing needed to assume they were production blocks because that was what the majority knew of American iron with two valves per cylinder and pushrods.... ;)
     
  23. Whisky

    Whisky Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 27, 2006
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    The original Fernando
    Taking to heart the actual thread name, I'd like to DRIVE the 1971 McLaren M16, 1975 Eagle, I'd like to say 1982 PC10B, but if I
    could OWN some cars I'd go back to 1967-1972 - lots of them I'd LOVE to hang on my wall.
    Nothing newer than 1983 or so.
     
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  24. Whisky

    Whisky Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 27, 2006
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    The original Fernando
    IIRC The AMC Javelins Penske ran were 'stock block', but what they didn't say is they were acid-dipped and quite a bit
    lighter than the 'real' stock blocks. The story goes on that they dipped 20 of them at the factory - then lost them - they
    were used in the normal production Javelins or AMC cars, so somewhere, back then, there were some pretty special
    street cars being driven around, and nobody knew. They never would have known anyway.
     
  25. 'Heard about their acid dipped T/A Camaro bodies but not about the AMC blocks.
    How the heck did they get "lost" and from acid (by AMC, not Penske???) dipping back to the production line?
    'Just thought you couldn't hire good help more recently than that.
    And why didn't it play havoc with the bores???
    'Sounds a bit far fetched to me.
    Also talk about "the unfair advantage....." :)
    Egads if so.....:eek:
     

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