From two engines to six wheels: the oddities of the Indy 500

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has always been a fertile ground for new ideas. Over decades of competition, many innovations have emerged at the Brickyard along with numerous oddities, often in attempts to gain some advantage without any theoretical basis. Employing a blend of technique and practical exploration, constructors tried a bit of everything in their designs, from cars with two engines to prototypes with the suspension of a regular car. Even without achieving significant results, these models have left their mark on the history of the 500 miles for their complete extravagance (and in some cases, lack of common sense) employed in their projects.
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Music:
Futureshock by ‪@SeansSoundtracksAndGaming‬
• Futureshock (HD)
Narration by ElevenLabs:
www.elevenlabs.io
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Source:
www.motorsportmemorial.org/LWF...
www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/t...
www.conceptcarz.com/z18216/hu...
www.gtplanet.net/forum/thread...
flatout.com.br/eagle-aircraft...
www.conceptcarz.com/z20354/hu...
www.motorsportmemorial.org/LWF...
#INDY500 #indycar

[@RacingLineChannel]

CORRECTION: At 2:28 the correct text is: 'In the early 1960s, rear-engine cars began to dominate the racing world, bringing an end to the era of front-engine models.' Thanks @donwest5387 and @allareasindex7984 for notifying me!

[@Dlweta57]

Landed here by accident, really enjoyed this delve into to the history of Indy cars, many thanks

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

Same, subbed

[@powertothesheeple5422]

The irony of being an aricraft engineer who designed the least aerodynamic car to ever see the brickyard 🤣🤣

[@cdjhyoung]

A 13th place finish is a failure for one car, but a 12th place finish is the proof of success for another? Pretty dicey opinions being offered here.

[@RacingLineChannel]

Actually, I think I cut out a lot of information in the final version of the video, including about these two. The Liquid Suspension started in 13th place and finished in 13th place. The Clancy Special started in 21st place. Additionally, the LS was heavily tested by several good drivers, and there was some anticipation around it (so much so that MG advertised using images of the car). The CS did not.

[@alias19]

Think of Max Verstappen in 13th (failure) vs. Logan Sargeant in 12th (success).

[@jacobmassey3897]

Well 12th is one place better than 13th.

[@feelincrispy7053]

Ackchyually ☝️🥸

[@pommunist]

Finishing the race is better than not finishing

[@pughoneycutt1986]

You forgot the Mickie Thompson car with the 12 inch wheels

[@61rampy65]

Good call. Those tires turned out to be the future of how race (and street) tires were designed.

[@robertlevasseur6843]

Indy car history is so colorful, unlike F1 which is much more evolutionary. I vividly remember the turbine powered car in the 1960s. It was crazy but effective.

[@coldlakealta4043]

brought to us by our friend Andy Granatelli, the STP man

[@joest23]

Fantastic video. Great photos, footage that I have never seen, and cars that I did not know about despite being a huge IndyCar fan. A+

[@stephenphillip5656]

And there's me thinking that the 1975 Tyrell P34 F1 car was the first one with 6 wheels... Every day is a schoolday! Excellent video - thank you.

[@61rampy65]

You may want to google the Reeves Octoauto and the Sextoauto. From 1908 (I think), the Octo had 4 front and 4 rear tires. The Sexto had 2 front and 4 back tires. These were street cars, not race cars. Not many were sold!

[@MABfan11]

i would love to see those old cars being driven again, possibly replicas if the original isn't available for use

[@mikego18753]

VERY ENJOYABLE VID.

[@TheInkPitOx]

I've been to the Monterey Historics several times and never had the honor of seeing the Tyrrell in person.

[@yippeeclawyay2591]

This is a really well made video for a channel of a small size, ai voices aren’t the best to start with as it won’t get you too far, but the footage you used is great

[@trainnerd3029]

Agree, 100%!

[@SelectCircle]

I'm just barely old enough to remember when Indy cars were experimental. It was a thrill to tune in to the race back then. And I was dismayed when uniformity of design was instituted. What a bore.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Took me a while to realize how much variation there was. I kinda thought everyone followed what was fastest, but that people generally raced the same basic designs except for big shifts like front/rear engines

[@bloqk16]

I was familiar with all the cars in this video with the exception of the Eagle Aircraft . . . that was new to me. In the intro of this video, I'm most appreciative of the producer to inform the viewers of the AI generated narration. Lastly, I was familiar with the race driver Paul Russo, whom drove that twin-engined car at Indy. He was a talented and brave driver, as he also had a history of racing the powerful NOVI roadster in that era, too.

[@G.S.W.SewmesomeMusic]

Indy was known for innovation and not just in the snake pit!👍

[@K-Effect]

1:29 That seat must’ve been hot sitting on top of those super chargers

[@davidshiveley4508]

You forgot the STP PAXTON TURBOCAR. it was entered in the '67 event with PARNELLI JONES driving. It blew a transmission bearing with 8 laps to go.

[@RacingLineChannel]

In fact, I made a video about the Turbo Paxton and the Lotus 56 two years ago. The problem is that it's on my first channel (in brazilian portuguese) Over time, I'll translate and bring it here!

[@coolruehle]

That Clancy special looks like a flippin road grader!!

[@bob_._.]

"The Indianapolis Motor Speedway used to be a fertile ground for new ideas." - I fixed your opening line for you. I think carbon fiber chassis was the last innovation to come from there and that was over 40 years ago.

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

First carbon fiber chassis ~ Google: McLaren MP4/1. Not an Indy innovation, Bob.

[@ElTio.45-70]

Liquid Suspension, BMCs trade name for that suspension was Hydrolastic, don't know why they used other name in the USA market.

[@RacingLineChannel]

BMC probably did that to give a sense of exclusivity to their product, even though it's something already present in other cars. It makes the product "feel special."

[@terrystevens5261]

@@RacingLineChannel Hydrolastic suspension was invented by British rubber engineer Alex Moulton, it was first used on a production car called the Morris 1100. (BMC)

[@coldlakealta4043]

I had Hydrolastic in my Minis. Fantastic ride and road handling. They were (and still are) very successful race and rally cars. They are great fun to watch at vintage racing as they kick butt over much more powerful cars, including some "classics".

[@61rampy65]

@@terrystevens5261 Moulton also made a bicycle with a rubber suspension, but I think he only made one.

[@dicksonfranssen]

@@coldlakealta4043 My friends and I all had Mini's. I even had a panel wagon, the parts car from the local dealer. Now every model made is a Cooper? That used to mean something, not anymore.

[@noydb-1]

It was way better when a team could make its own car and each car was different than its competitors. Now Indycar is just a spec series with one car and two engine choices, yawn.

[@61rampy65]

Just like NASCAR.

[@josephfraumeni2829]

only because speeds are way faster today its about safety today the time tryles at indy speed LAP 239!! MPH

[@Looney2ing]

That's formula 1.

[@feelincrispy7053]

Hilarious how that their thinking for adding more grip was adding more wheels and not just widening the wheels lol

[@jasmijnariel]

Remember planes with 12wings? 😅

[@9rjharper]

Nah. Every single concept was based on a theory. Good or bad. Of course they were, and it’s kinda weird to say otherwise. They were a bunch of smart dudes, trying cool stuff in an era without the privilege of data that we have now. It was a much cooler time.

[@jasmijnariel]

5:29 such a gorgeous car❤

[@bbrod14]

Torn: love that this type of content is out ther and it clearly comes from a good place, but not into AI vids at all.

[@anonymousplanetfambly4598]

Roger Penske experimented where it counted with the Ilmor 2-valve. Innovation has always had a prominent place in motorsports...but some of the wackier ideas weren't presented quite so publicly as a debut at Indy. They were quietly swept under the rug and forgotten with time. These are the crazier ones for sure.

[@oldschool1993]

I believe that the twin Coach Special of 1941 used components from the Gulf-Miller car of 1939 which was the first rear engine car to run at Indianapolis.

[@donwest5387]

they where all rear-wheel drive. you mean rear mid-engine (Lotus)

[@sw653j]

No mention of the powerplant in the Eagle Aircraft car?

[@leechjim8023]

Either a Cosworth or a stock-block Chevy.

[@rogerclyde2720]

Indy used to be a place of development that anyone could challenge even from there home Garage, now everything seems to be canned and cloned and cost millions of dollars to compete, a great Tax write off for the rich. I would like to see a race where the cap in spending is 50k and the builders had to use their own ingenuity.

[@dicksonfranssen]

One common thread with a lot of these cars is a complete disregard for the driver's life. Imagine hitting the wall in that flimsy sidecar monstrosity.

[@leechjim8023]

You're not supposed to hit the wall! You're supposed to turn left then keep it straight!!!😂😂

[@nelsonbergman7706]

Indy has a great history but its glory days are behind it. Too many other series to attract drivers and money.

[@maxmccullough8548]

Same with NASCAR sadly

[@StephanBuchin]

I must admit I am deeply impressed by the AI voice in this video.

[@alexprost7505]

Последний болид возможно затаившийся трансформер

[@alepaz1099]

A guy who builds aircraft doesn't know anything about aerodynamics? 🤯🤷‍♂

[@gemanscombe4985]

That close to the ground, not so much. About suspension settings, nearly nothing - but was willing to make changes in secret! Guy needed a tune-up.

[@needfoolthings]

6:40 In contrast to whoever wrote this script, we see a plane's wing shape. I suppose the engineer did have an idea. 70 years later, we can all say there would have been better solutions. I hope to not come across thus channel so soon again.

[@soundofdreams1034]

​@@needfoolthingsThe wing appeared later on the car (and the video mentions this). Look for images of the car during the practices, there's no wing at the beginning. Don't be so butthurt

[@needfoolthings]

@@soundofdreams1034 I'm talking about the shape of the front wheel with its front and rear ... whatchamacallit, skirts?

[@user-ks8pf5yk4m]

I used to be a sign painter and did lettering for race cars decades ago. Never got near anything big time like an Indy car. What I can't figure out is at 4:24, some of the worst-looking lettering ever seen for "Pat Clancy Spl" and the number is on this magnificent car that must've had tens of thousands of man hours and in today's money, hundreds of thousands if not millions, of dollars into its development. So they just let some mechanic or random guy do a half-baked job on that lettering? Like they couldn't have found some legitimate sign painter to spend a couple hours doing it up right? That looks worse than the graphics on a jalopy at the average small town dirt track. Ridiculous!

[@leechjim8023]

There's much worse ones than that😂😂

[@curtisnewton895]

2:06 how the fuck do some people manage to have no brakes and no steering at the same time, at that speed....

[@grinningg]

balls driving that!

[@JoeLocastro]

I will professionally narrate your videos for free if you promise not to use AI again for voice over.

[@KillyJoe]

Are you like me. Ai narrated videos make me sick. It just screams to me oh a video made by someone that doesn’t have a clue what they are talking about and found a topic they could make a video about

[@Sajuuk]

There's AI voices that sound annoying af and AI voices that sound perfectly OK. Don't conflate the two. I know of many KZbinrs who's voices are worse than any AI. And don't attack AI just because it's AI.

[@salmussantiago7626]

@@KillyJoe The channel is brazilian, so he could not find someone that speaks english fluentlly, probably

[@HALLish-jl5mo]

@@KillyJoe A real voice requires a creator with time, a good microphone, a quiet house, a relatively mild accent and no severe speech impediment to sound good. Get all that right and it is better than AI. But there’s a lot of creators who can write amazing scripts but not realistically produce good narration.

[@allareasindex7984]

Rear wheel drive is not the same as rear engine.

[@timothyproksch2915]

Run what you brung

[@briantaylor9285]

Wilson waa clueless. Wow.

[@donwest5387]

4 rear wheels doesn't want to turn

[@needfoolthings]

Of course, in American "racing", you don't have to turn...

[@1dave301]

I had a 2 axle car trailer. One day, a friend had borrowed it to tow his car to my shop. At one point, I had to walk along side the trailer's tires while he was backing the loaded trailer and turning sharply. So much scuffing sounds and creaking, etc. I felt sorry for that trailer and the tires. Semi trucks and other vehicles w/o steerable rear axles go thru the same thing, of course.

[@markskrobis9841]

So much uncalled for negativity in the comments. Wow. @RacingLineChannel Don't let the b*st*rds grind you down. I took alook at your other channel. I would love to see more videos translated to English and posted here.

[@markskrobis9841]

I looked through more of the comments. Most were positive. Anyway, I still want more of your older content translated. Keep up the good work.

[@RacingLineChannel]

Thank you very much! It's good to know that my content has reached other audiences beyond the original. I learned early on to ignore most of the haters, but I admit it can be quite toxic. Thank you for the support!

[@user-ks8pf5yk4m]

Not always. Not for years. It used to be. Now it's saccharine entertainment, every car the same, no experimentation, no true competitive innovation.

[@user-hk5zb4oi7i]

only listen to human beings. Rule 1.

[@feedboy2112]

First and last time watching your channel. Narration by AI? No thank you.

[@joehomoky2393]

Maybe it’s just me but why’d we get away from this in the Indy series/ Indy 500. So many innovations, Half baked ideas and interesting tech. All the racing is sooo boring now

[@alanluscombe8a553]

Racing isn’t boring you just don’t like proper motor racing. Racing is closer and more competitive now than any other time. If you wanna see high tech massive innovation look at f1. The cars aren’t all equal they all have different approaches to the same parts. You pay for that though cause teams with cash that make good on innovation actions blow the field away and win damn near every race due to it.

[@SelectCircle]

Will there ever be an experimental racing league again? 8 /

[@1984jns]

There's still great minds and strategies, and usually the 500 is a decent race, not to mention the indy series quality of racing as a whole.

[@9rjharper]

Honestly, you have a pretty snotty attitude about these guys and these cars. “Lack of common sense”? Weird take, and COMPLETE bs. Who do you think they were? They were accomplished racecar engineers and fabricators, breaking new ground. It’s strange of you to look back, with the benefit of decades racecars of all sorts, including these, and say they “lacked common sense”. Have some perspective and respect.

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

The Yanks NEVER broke new ground at Indy. It took the Europeans in 1963 to do that. Except for Granatelli's turbine car.

[@Carnutzjoe]

You lost me with the AI voice.

[@Beauxtrux]

Indy and NASCAR are both boring...