Ferrari Mailing List: Re: The electric hybrid racing car

[Doug & Terri (dnt]

Hans postulates: “I've heard [no engine sounds] that is why the turbine cars were "discouraged" from further competition at Indy.....”

 

Ach those were the daze (sic).  Many engines were tried at Indy.  Indy was THE race in Spring.  As late as the mid-sixties, it was a circus starting May 1 and lasted to the anti-climactic end - the day of the race.  Such a time.  Many times turbines tried and failed to even qualify at Indy or any other race.  One of the more successful of the turbines was the Howmet TX.  Not sure if it tried out for Indy – but Andy Granatelli saw the advantages on jumped on it. 

 

In the late 60’s Andy enters the side car turbine engined STP special with Rufus Parnell Jones at the helm.  Had it not had a tiny mechanical problem it would have handily won its debut.  Now the rest of the reciprocating world starts to really look at this method of propulsion.  Hey they say in unison – UNFAIR.  That means the rest of them don’t have the where with all, knowledge or money to also develop a Turbine car so they pounce on the rule book.  OK OK USAC says, we need FAIRNESS so they reduce the size of the annulus square inch area.  In other words – they choke down the air intake.  THERE – that ought to put them in the back of the pack.

 

Hah hah – not so.  Andy gets Lotus Chapman to design the next generation for 1968.  A door stop looking wedge car, the Lotus 56.  Big problem with turbine cars - - - brakes.  No engine compression to slow them down so the wheel brakes get a double dose of work and double dose it was – two disks per wheel.

 

Alotho again, the engine stops due to a small mechanical failure the writing is on the wall.  Turbines Ueber Alles.  The reciprocating teams howl again and this time USAC reduces the total air intake to about 15 square inches.  I could be wrong on that size but it was way too small for any further serious race car consideration.

 

And that was that.

 

DOUG

 

PS – Mario Andretti driving, in December 1968, an STP turbine (that’s a story in itself) in the last race the turbines raced at the Rex Mays Race at Riverside T-Boned the other last STP turbine in turn nine at nearly the last the lap.  Alas.

 

PSS – after Mario won Indy in 1969, in a piston engine car, I got to go to a victory press lunch at Little Joe’s in Los Angeles put on by Andy.  I got a wooden Little Joe’s pig bread board which Andy  signed – Best Whooooshes, Andy.  Pretty faded out by now.  So is Andy.