Quote:
Originally Posted by Historybuff
In '67 Parnelli Jones drove a Ken Wallis-designed turbine car for STP and almost won but a $6 bearing broke. The designer of that car, Ken Wallis, went over to Shelby and designed a new turbine car for him for the '68 season.
. The turbine car was built and Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren selected as drivers but they withdrew before the race (anybody know why?). Shelby left Indy at practice time when Mike Spence was killed in the rival STP car, saying "turbine cars needed more development. "
. One of the Shelby Turbine cars was said to be later used as a promotional vehicle for Paul Newman's movie "Winning". I also read somewhere it was a backdrop prop for a Disney ride (or maybe some other amusement park). Does anyone know where the cars went. It seems that they would be highly collectible if restored and fun to see at a vintage race. I don't know if they ever went as far as painting them with the sponsors colors though, and they'd be pretty ugly in flat black.
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I remember 1968 at Indy well. Mike Spence (who replaced Jimmy Clark) died late in an afternoon practice when he hit the wall in turn one & a front tire hit him from his Lotus Turbine. Colin Chapman promptly returned to England leaving the other Lotus Turbines in the hands of Andy Granatelli. The Shelby Turbines mysteriously vanished over-night over rumours of an illegal air inlet that some say opened like a camera shutter at speed. The story goes that they were destroyed soon after. Hope this helps.