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IndyCar teams that never raced


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#51 William Dale Jr

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Posted 01 August 2011 - 11:46

Re: the Interscope-Porsche, it's basically the same chassis that would be fitted with a Cosworth and run in the 500 in 1981-82, right?


http://www.gunnarrac...02indy-0726.htm

Any other info on the history of these two cars?


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#52 RA Historian

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Posted 01 August 2011 - 13:07

IIRC, the Interscope Porsche mule was a Parnelli VPJ-6 modified to accept the Porsche flat six. The later Interscope car was Cosworth powered and the vehicle in which Danny Ongais had his devastating crash at Indy.
Tom

#53 HistoryFan

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 21:17

Your humble servant scribbled five stories about such cars in AutoWeek, the Lotus Type 96 Indycar (June 3, 1991), the 1980 Interscope-Porsche Indycar (June 8, 1992), the Spartus Indycar (May 24, 1993), the 1959 Maserati Eldorado Special (June 7, 1993), and the 1987 Ferrari Indycar (August 16, 1993). It has always been a subject of fascination for me and I have researched many, many other interesting examples in the history of the 500.

Hmnn, maybe after my Le Mans epic, I'll put that all together as a book :)

TC


Thank you, I will read it
Perhaps you will write some more here...


#54 RA Historian

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 21:44

Hmnn, maybe after my Le Mans epic, I'll put that all together as a book :)

TC

Tim, how is the Le Mans book coming? Jim Sitz told me about it a few years ago, and I have been anticipating it ever since. Close to print?
Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 03 August 2011 - 21:45.


#55 racinggeek

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 21:45

IIRC, the Interscope Porsche mule was a Parnelli VPJ-6 modified to accept the Porsche flat six. The later Interscope car was Cosworth powered and the vehicle in which Danny Ongais had his devastating crash at Indy.
Tom


OK, now that you and TDC mention it, I do recall that the Parnelli chassis was fitted with the Porsche and tested. Also remember seeing the, uh, interesting concept drawings Colani made for the project (shown in FORMULA or RACECAR magazine, whichever it was at the time). I could have sworn, though, that the Slobodynskyj Batmobile that Interscope ran with the Cosworth in '81-82 was at least first designed for the Porsche deal, even if it was never fitted with the engine. Thought I saw either drawings or photos of it shortly before Porsche pulled the plug. Or is my imagination playing "What if ...?"

#56 RA Historian

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 21:47

That is a very likely scenario. Had Porsche not been forced to abort the project, it is very likely that the engine would have wound up in the Interscope chassis, the Parnelli being just a test mule.
Tom

#57 Henri Greuter

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Posted 04 August 2011 - 05:56

Your humble servant scribbled five stories about such cars in AutoWeek, the Lotus Type 96 Indycar (June 3, 1991), the 1980 Interscope-Porsche Indycar (June 8, 1992), the Spartus Indycar (May 24, 1993), the 1959 Maserati Eldorado Special (June 7, 1993), and the 1987 Ferrari Indycar (August 16, 1993). It has always been a subject of fascination for me and I have researched many, many other interesting examples in the history of the 500.

Hmnn, maybe after my Le Mans epic, I'll put that all together as a book :)

TC




Any chance that pdf's or other scan versions of these articles can be found on the Internet? Or can be obtained somehow?
More than interested in seeing these.

Henri


#58 Michael Ferner

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Posted 10 August 2011 - 09:55

http://news.google.c...A...berts&hl=en

A group of "Los Angeles citizens" were reported to be in the process of purchasing the first front-drive Miller from Jimmy Murphy's estate, the week following Murphy's fatal accident in Syracuse, for rising "outlaw" star Floyd Roberts to drive at Culver City in late 1924. The deal fell through, however, and Floyd had to wait another decade or so for his Indycar debut.

#59 TDC

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Posted 10 August 2011 - 15:51

Tim, how is the Le Mans book coming? Jim Sitz told me about it a few years ago, and I have been anticipating it ever since. Close to print?
Tom


Sorry I didn't see this earlier, Tom. Volume I of Twice Around the Clock - the Yanks at Le Mans is nearing completion, maybe two or three months. That covers from 1923 through 1976. Don't yet know the actual publishing date.

TC

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#60 RA Historian

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Posted 10 August 2011 - 19:40

Thanks. I answered your PM before seeing this; sorry for any duplicating of questions.
Tom

#61 HistoryFan

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Posted 04 March 2012 - 20:25

Perhaps we can also add Michael Shrank Racing...

#62 john glenn printz

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 15:23

The Spartus was the brain child of Art Sparks circa '63, '64. It was, to say the least, an original design, to be powered by a water-cooled, blown 170 c.i. flat six engine, which was projected to weigh 385 pounds. Douglas Aircraft was to build the chassis, which had many space age innovations. It was a very clean mid-engine design, the most unique feature of which was what Douglas engineers called a "centripetal force generator." It was a pivoting vertical fin actuated by cornering forces, alegedly to generate force opposite centrifugal force. Unfortunately, the million dollar budget never was realized.

Yes, the Interscope Porsche Indycar was tested at Ontario. It had a water-cooled (the heads) flat six derived from the successful 935 and 936 sports prototypes.

Ah, just remembered, I also did a piece for AutoWeek in '90 on the Bardahl Indy Ferrari, a 4.4-liter six in a roadster chassis.

TC


With regard to the Spartus project (posts 46 & 50 above.) Art Sparks himself once showed me the blueprints for his Spartus racer. It was a rear engined car using a flat opposed six. The cylinders were parallel to the ground instead of placed upright. I asked Sparks why the motor was laid flat. He replied (quote), "Well you're fighting gravity all the time."

Art said the project was cancelled because the money sponsors wanted a solid guarantee that the car-engine regulations would not be changed for three or four years at Indy. That could not be obtained and the project was thus dropped. Sparks said the money for the car had actually been obtained, but with such large sums involved, the money men wanted to be sure they could use the cars and motors at the Speedway for more than one year.-Printz

Edited by john glenn printz, 06 August 2012 - 17:07.