25 replies to this topic

[Richard Jenkins]

In the midst of Schumacher's plight, which one hopes will be a successful outcome, it musn't be overlooked that a true legend of US racing has died - aged, 90. http://abcnews.go.co...ies-90-21363430

[TecnoRacing]

R.I.P. Andy

[JacnGille]

Sad news

[Lemnpiper]

God Speed Andy,

 

 

  Who can forget his STP Label suit , or the big honking kiss he gave Mario after the 1969 win in Victory lane.

 

   A true innovator over the years in Indy car

[arttidesco]

Condolences to Mr Granatelli's family and friends. RIP Mr STP.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

A legend has passed.  A great showman.

 

RIP, Andy.

 

[Emery0323]

His sponsorship really helped raise the profile of auto racing back in the 1960's- 70's, and he really stepped up the pace of technical innovation.    Fans interested in the history Indycar racing should read his autobiography, "They Call Me Mr. 500", published back in the late 1960's.

Edited by Emery0323, 30 December 2013 - 03:39.

[Lemnpiper]

    Hi Everyone ,

 

  In   the articles mentioning his crash in 1948 while attempting to qualify , does anyone know  if any timed qualifying laps has been completed prior to the crash, and if Andy had the speed to make the 1948 race based either on his practice laps or timed qualifying laps if they existed.

[Henri Greuter]

Oh, that is sad.

Like him or hate him, he has done much for racing.

I am glad I had the fortune to meet him on several occasions and still feel thankful that he supported George Peters and me when we wrote our books on the Novi cars, including the era he fielded them. He shared a lot of insight with us.

Thanks for the memories Andy, rest in peace.


Henri

[B Squared]

"Everything he did was bigger than life," Vince Granatelli said. "The thing that gave him the most gratification in his life was what he did at the Indianapolis 500."

Sad to see this news. Through my Dad's love of the Novi and the fact that he and Mr. Granatelli also owned and loved Model J Duesenberg's, I was able to meet Andy a few times over the years. He will be missed, thanks for the wonderful memories.

Andy, Dad and B² at the 1992 Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Meet in Auburn, Indiana

Edited by B Squared, 30 December 2013 - 11:32.

[B Squared]

Parnelli, Mario and Bobby Unser remember Mr. Granatelli - from Racer:

http://www.racer.com...article/327251/

[Joe Bosworth]

I was first aware of the Granatelli brothers from about 1950/51.  They ran a speed shop on the north side of chicage which was one of the two major ones in the aqrea at that time. I and my compatriates were regular customers having to make the 80 mile or so round trip at least once a month and often more more frequently.

 

I am to this day not sure as to who was the driving force of the group so I shall refer to them collectively.  No doubt to further speed shop sales they regularly were the orgnising body in running stock car and street roadster races at Soldiers Field Stadium on the down town water front.  I remember crowds in the 20,000 plus as the norm.  

 

They also were the promoters of drag racing At Half Day Illinois.  This was an emergency use airport for WW2 pilot training.  I am quite certain that their Half Day drags were the first outside of southern California and was likely to be the 3rd, 4th or 5th drag strip in the US.

 

The fact that Andy was born in 1923 this would place him as quite a momentous speed pervader before his thirtieth birthday. His/their forward looking vision was extraordinary.  The broad range of motor racing in the greater northern Illinois and Indiana and up into Wisconsin in the 1950s and 1960s has probably never been healthier.

 

Regards

[Bloggsworth]

A giant among giants - None left now.  RIP.

[Michael Ferner]

I must admit that I never had much time for the man, but his legacy cannot be overlooked. Love'm or loathe'm, he really was a giant!

[jonpollak]

Thanks for this...

Like Richard said..

With all the Schumacher drama I missed the news...

 

I'll never forget "The Kiss"

 

Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 30 December 2013 - 16:23.

[cpbell]

R.I.P.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by fines

I must admit that I never had much time for the man, but his legacy cannot be overlooked.....

 

If you check the Charmers thread you'll see this is an area where you both agree and disagree with Buford...

 

He came to Australia once or twice, backing F5000 cars here in the International races. I think, though, his fascination and obsession for the Novi must be one of the greatest insights into the man. He simply didn't like to give up!

[Magoo]

I was first aware of the Granatelli brothers from about 1950/51.  They ran a speed shop on the north side of chicage which was one of the two major ones in the aqrea at that time. I and my compatriates were regular customers having to make the 80 mile or so round trip at least once a month and often more more frequently.

 

I am to this day not sure as to who was the driving force of the group so I shall refer to them collectively.  No doubt to further speed shop sales they regularly were the orgnising body in running stock car and street roadster races at Soldiers Field Stadium on the down town water front.  I remember crowds in the 20,000 plus as the norm.  

 

They also were the promoters of drag racing At Half Day Illinois.  This was an emergency use airport for WW2 pilot training.  I am quite certain that their Half Day drags were the first outside of southern California and was likely to be the 3rd, 4th or 5th drag strip in the US.

 

The fact that Andy was born in 1923 this would place him as quite a momentous speed pervader before his thirtieth birthday. His/their forward looking vision was extraordinary.  The broad range of motor racing in the greater northern Illinois and Indiana and up into Wisconsin in the 1950s and 1960s has probably never been healthier.

 

Regards

 

 

Thanks for your first-hand observations.

 

His book, They Call Me Mr. 500, details a few of the Chicago exploits. They were energetic entrepreneurs, to say the least. You get the sense that Vince and Joe were the mechanical minds behind the scenes and Andy was the rainmaker with the big ideas. 

[Michael Oliver]

Sorry to hear this news - he certainly was a character and a showman. The world will be a duller place without him.

 

I had the pleasure of interviewing him a couple of times and he came out with some gems, even if they were not always 100% grounded in fact. For example on the Lotus 56 turbine: "Colin Chapman built what I told him to build!", which might have upset both Chapman and Maurice Phillippe at the time, more than a little...

 

But he was always pushing the boundaries, trying to do something different and he wasn't afraid to bring in the right people to get the job done on his behalf. The #40 STP turbocar of 1967 is still, to my mind, one of the most amazing, innovative cars ever to appear at the Brickyard. The Superwedge of 1969 was another radical attempt to steal the limelight, although in this case it was not a success. He then went on to put a Plymouth stock block engine in a four-wheel drive Indy car chassis with an automatic transmission, the same year. You can see why he and Chapman had so much in common because they both thought outside the box.

 

RIP Andy and condolences to Little Vince and the rest of the Granatelli family.

[terry mcgrath]

Sad news indeed,

he was another of the great drivers that had an XK120 Jaguar when they were new.

I would be very keen to get a good shot of Mr Indy and his XK120

terry

[Collombin]

he came out with some gems, even if they were not always 100% grounded in fact. For example on the Lotus 56 turbine: "Colin Chapman built what I told him to build!", which might have upset both Chapman and Maurice Phillippe at the time, more than a little...

No doubt - but playing devil's advocate, would Chapman have gone down the turbine route without Granatelli's influence?

[Henri Greuter]

 

No doubt - but playing devil's advocate, would Chapman have gone down the turbine route without Granatelli's influence?

I doubt it. Turbines were really Granatelli's (STP) things and I think that Chapman only would have gone for it had he someone found someone else or a company involved with turbines to head into that direction. I don't think he would have gone that direction on his own initiative.


Henri

[B Squared]

Four-wheel drive was also something that Granatelli had long utilized; I would think that this was also a component of the Lotus 56 that he influenced greatly.

[kayemod]

 

I had the pleasure of interviewing him a couple of times and he came out with some gems, even if they were not always 100% grounded in fact. For example on the Lotus 56 turbine: "Colin Chapman built what I told him to build!", which might have upset both Chapman and Maurice Phillippe at the time, more than a little...

 

But he was always pushing the boundaries, trying to do something different and he wasn't afraid to bring in the right people to get the job done on his behalf. The #40 STP turbocar of 1967 is still, to my mind, one of the most amazing, innovative cars ever to appear at the Brickyard. The Superwedge of 1969 was another radical attempt to steal the limelight, although in this case it was not a success. He then went on to put a Plymouth stock block engine in a four-wheel drive Indy car chassis with an automatic transmission, the same year. You can see why he and Chapman had so much in common because they both thought outside the box.

 

RIP Andy and condolences to Little Vince and the rest of the Granatelli family.

 

He wouldn't have dared to say that to Colin Chapman's face though would he? Replace "told" with "asked", and we might be getting there, though I'm sure that each respected the other's input.

 

You're right about them both being men who could think outside the box, but an overall concept was all Granatelli would have contributed, everything else was pure Lotus. Seeing the obvious advantages of turbine power around an oval, ACBC wouldn't have taken much persuading.

[scheivlak]

The 1969 Indy 500: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Vm8psC1pE7I

 

The other Granatelli-entered cars retired pretty soon and the commentators immediately started their usual talk of Granatelli's luck.....

[Henri Greuter]

 

The 1969 Indy 500: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Vm8psC1pE7I
 
The other Granatelli-entered cars retired pretty soon and the commentators immediately started their usual talk of Granatelli's luck.....

And then to imagin that there were 11 cars (!) entered under the STP banner, some of them true exotics.
Yet only a few made it into the field.....
It was indeed, from every perspective a remarkable victory.

Also ever so often overlooked: other then that it was Mario's lone victory, it was also the only victory at Indy for another household name at Indy. A man well liked and who everyone was happy to see being the winning chief mechanic at least once and at last: Clint Brawner.


Henri