The Silent Screamer - Andy Granatelli’s gas turbine car run at the 1967 Indy 500

[@indyfastal]

Pole day '67 was my first time at the speedway. For a 10 yr old this was heaven. I've been a gear head ever since, thanks Pops...

[@donlove3741]

I was 11 and watched this race on ABC ..

[@lewiskemp5893]

My exgirlfriends Dad was there. He told me all about this car and how special it was to see in person

[@bigal1863]

I've been to time trials but never there on race day. Nothing quite like the brickyard.

[@tonyfremont]

My dad took me to qualifications when I was 4. I still remember them starting this car, with difficulty, and the crowd cheering when it finally spun up.

[@joshboyfuture9698]

My gosh I would give anything to go back to one of those races in that era period any Motorsport out there but Indy cars F1 cars and NASCAR would have been amazing.

[@bobmcl2406]

Still my favourite race car of all time. I got to see it at the IMS Museum in 2001. One of the curators invited me back after closing, so he could let me have a closer look. Still a high point in my life. RIP Andy Granatelli, you brought us so much over the years.

[@Redmenace96]

I'm with you, brother. The loss of power at 197 cannot be in a movie script. Nobody would believe it! It is the tragedy of real life, which eclipses fiction.

[@plantfeeder6677]

@@Redmenace96 a very welcome trajedy by 99% of us there. The cheer was deafening when that thing broke. Also gave AJ(my favorite driver at Indy)his 3rd win. All around great day in motorsports history😊

[@robertstanford9177]

@@Redmenace96 And unfortunately the Granatellis had many bad luck races at Indy.

[@larrysouthern5098]

You lucky dog... I loved this car

[@RickyJr46]

That is a lot of innovation in one machine. The good old days of race car engineering, every season brought wild new ideas.

[@blacksquirrel4008]

Umm, you do know about LeMans prototypes and F1, don’t you?

[@RickyJr46]

Ummm, yes, and not only.

[@davidparker8221]

Dear Ricardo Juliet, I miss innovation. I miss Dan Gurney's A.A.R. shop bringing something so good 2/3 of next years' field either bought one from Gurney or copied his, or the other teams had it banned. If you entered the 1983 (Pepsi Challenger) Eagle in the 2021 race would it look out of place? Nothing against the philosophy of the Dallara DW 20, or the hybrid power plant 2.4 to come. The cost cutting "stock block" engine combined with your innovative aerodynamics would have been my preference, BUT I'm grateful IndyCar arrived at some kind of solution/ANY SOLUTION that it survived- whatever it was. I was in the CART/Champ Car camp but also watched the IRL. It's the best racing series to watch now. I want it to continue that way.

[@peterson7570]

@@blacksquirrel4008 ÷4qby

[@AdamosDad]

I was there with my friends, Russel King, Jerry Bohlke and Frank Fletcher. It made a sound like wind blowing through the leaves of a tree in the fall. 67' was an amazing year. Jerry was on the rail by the Goodyear pit and hollered at A.J. Foyt, "how's it hangin' " A.J. yelled back, "like a whisile, wanna blow it", we laughed our asses off about that for years.

[@iknklst]

Back when innovation was still celebrated in auto racing.

[@jaxcell]

Agreed, those days are long gone. Today it's "how can we make it more fair for everyone, I know lets make the better car add weight and restrict the airflow at the intake"

[@smokeylovesfire1589]

Not in these days. Snowflakes have ruined all racing.

[@TheHannukahZombie]

@@smokeylovesfire1589 bullshit. Racecars are better than ever. Go piss and moan in the past if you want, but don’t act like there’s nothing valuable or innovative in racing anymore.

[@smokeylovesfire1589]

@@TheHannukahZombie things are so out of control with racing costs now that the organization are making the cars all the same. Perfect for parade laps until the big wreak.nascar fans are leaving. Empty stands. Enjoy you parade! This

[@TheHannukahZombie]

@@smokeylovesfire1589 You do know that NASCAR isn't the only racing series out there, right? NASCAR is stagnant because that's what the fans want. The same old bullshit year after year. They want pack racing and big wrecks. That's NASCAR. World class engineering wasted on garbage, outdated thinking and living 50 years in the past. The engineering is world class, the series is garbage.

[@brucewilson1958]

I'm 68. I was at this race with my Dad, Russ. We were from Iowa. Not Hicksville, but definitely Rural. It was a true Rite of Passage for me. Bravo

[@Gator_Bait_Motorsports]

I was there in turn 4 when Jones came by at a slower pace. I was rooting for the 40 car all the way. He had the race in the bag till the bearing took the gear out. Too bad the car was to be banned. Racing might have had a totally different complexion today. I feel fortunate that I got to see the car race! Granatelli was a man ahead of his time.

[@gold98gtp]

I was at pole day qualifying, hard to believe how quiet it was. I always wondered if the spin might have contributed to the failure.

[@Redmenace96]

Granatelli is legend. We are lucky that a lot of his best work was captured on film.

[@PeterWMeek]

Turbines have killed other motor sports. The Unlimited hydroplanes are no longer a chest thumping excitement. Sure the turbines are faster, but they don't bring in fans like the big Allison piston engines did.

[@algrayson8965]

@@PeterWMeek Look at what electrics are doing. No noise. Just the sound of their tires rolling, them rushing through the air. After an initial excitement, people lose interest. The vacuum cars were noisy but they went around the tracks like they were on rails.

[@robertoswalt319]

@@PeterWMeek I think a big consideration with any innovation that causes the average speed to increase is the related risk to human life whether it is the drivers or spectators.

[@Redmenace96]

What a film! Pure gold. Thank you very, very much for posting this. 500 fan, here. Will watch this 2-3 times in a row.

[@ToddKing]

USAC official " I want to compliment you on the design and structure of this chassis. This is one of the fines cars ... at the Speedway in a good many years. It's possibly the beginning of a new breed. You are to be congratulated." 3 months later "You're banned"

[@mikekuczynski1552]

The engine used in the car was a variant of the P&WC PT-6 engine witch is still in production today . Debatably the most reliable turbine engine ever made

[@plantfeeder6677]

Thank God it wasn't on race day.

[@mikekuczynski1552]

@@plantfeeder6677 it wasn’t the engine that failed

[@plantfeeder6677]

@@mikekuczynski1552 who cares. It failed and that's what counts. Never was happier in my 14 years on earth as I was that day PJ came rolling to a stop. It also gave AJ the victory which I was very happy about.

[@ivogarza9339]

Now, if they made a gear box to match. Listening on the radio and rooting for Parnelli Jones both years, course I was always a PJ fan. PJ or AJ anyway.

[@knighttuttruptuttrup8518]

We used to collect stickers from automotive/racing and related. I remember we got many of them by simply writing a letter to them. STP and others covered the back of my bedroom door. I hadn't thought of that in 50 plus years.

[@pauldavis5459]

For awhile STP ran ads in magazines that included a free sticker in an envelope.

[@paulhare662]

It was difficult to find items that didn't have STP stickers on them in the late 60s.

[@chugwaterjack4458]

I remember when having STP in your street car was a sign of a junker on its last legs. Ranked right up there with oatmeal in the radiator.

[@johnjones5354]

While I never saw them actually race, I loved watching the turbine cars at practice and qualifying. Andy Granatelli was a genius, but had terrible luck.

[@jondrew55]

And he looked like Clemenza from The Godfather

[@michaelward9880]

Agreed. Andy was a genius and a visionary. He loved cars, racing, mechanics and engineering. I read his autobiography many years ago and gained great insight into what he and his brothers were all about. Monster gear heads!

[@wordcarr8750]

Speaking of *bad* luck, it's somewhat ironic that Mario Andretti was at the pole this year...a driver who although he won Indy once, had so many other failed opportunities/attempts.

[@JW...-oj5iw]

@@wordcarr8750 ... He got to be on Tool Time. What's left after that?

[@motorhomemac]

@@JW...-oj5iw 🕶

[@stevenparker1063]

racing was so much better back then before all the rules, My Dad and My Grandfather both retired from Champion spark plug and they both watched races all the time. They both said the Indy 500 wasn't the same anymore in their later years. RIP to both of them.

[@billythekid3234]

Thank you for this great upload! I didin't know this video was out there! I remember watching this race on tv when I was 13. Now all the cars are equal and unable to try new things! It's so sad!

[@caseysmith544]

They had to be or else Roger Penske would keep dominating every Indy series race up to now, in the early1990's it was not fun to watch Indy style racing due to his cars dominating all the races with the money thrown at the cars due to sponsors and having 2 turbos for every cylinder or a Turbo and a Supercharger for each piston still fitting in the rules of having a Piston engine vehicle and the other rules of body/materials. They had to change so that people would still watch the sport when NASCAR was becoming the Dominate Auto racing watched in the USA.

[@domestikriders]

@@caseysmith544 a turbo or supercharger for each cylinder?? You sure that’s right? How many cylinders did the cars have??

[@caseysmith544]

@@domestikriders 6 cylinders not 8 that the others had. This was only in the early 1990's, then Penske had to use less but still a 6 cylinder engine. Then after Penske teams most went to both a supercharger and Turbo as they could only have one, but rules did not ban both, still needing the 6 cylinder engines. Soon after the Indy track did ban Turbos and supercharging of engines in 1995 to lessen the Penske team. Then in 1997 for the 1998 season Indy tried to leverage its power to CART to ban the supercharger/Tubrbo and Penske got CART to walk from Indy who then formed its own season using mostly the 1997 season and CART picked time slots The Cart/Indy spilt was not resolved until early high school for me in fall of 2003 with Indy finally winning the war. We now see Indy with the more strict rules on the cars to prevent teams from doing what Penske did and buying wins even though now Penske just buys contracts of top drivers in other series like F2 that can't break through or spends money shaping really good drivers they have scouted into top drivers.

[@lawrencetate1329]

The golden years of Indy. Nevermore, but what a magical time.

[@gavinmclaren9416]

When I was in engineering school I designed a combined cycle engine using a radial diesel (5 Cylinders) coupled to a turbine with a planetary gear. The compressor from the front of the turbine also provided boost to the diesel. It required a double reduction planetary set to match the revs of the diesel with the turbine. Of course both engines used the same fuel. It was a pretty good idea and I got an A for it but alas when I did an FEA on it the pulses from the diesel combustion caused fatigue in the turbine. I re-did it with a two stroke diesel and that helped but it really needed a fluid coupling or torque converter between the two engines. I expect that NOx would prevent something like that from ever being built, but thermodynamically the two cycles (Brayton & Diesel) were very complimentary and each contributed to the positive characteristics of what an engine like that would be.

[@andyharman3022]

Sounds like you reinvented the Napier Nomad. You needed a Beier Stepless drive to match the turbine speed to the diesel.

[@safetyfirstintexas]

Def exhaust scrubbing for nox

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

What is NOx?

[@safetyfirstintexas]

@@MrJohnnyDistortion oxides of nitrogen exhaust gas.

[@andyharman3022]

@@MrJohnnyDistortion Oxides of Nitrogen. Product of high combustion temperatures.

[@tsf5-productions]

Gosh! This is a great story, told in the 1967 style of telling a unique story of innovation. The Granatelli boys had a great upper hand on Indianapolis Champ car styles, which included the engine. This model was literally indestructible...except for a part that cost less than $ 10. Had this car won...it would have changed auto racing greatly then and now.

[@davidleonard8369]

Win or lose it wouldn't have changed anything. USAC banned turbine engines and four wheel drive.

[@simonmusgrovewethey]

This film is not a documentary. It only provides a snippet of true information implying that this was a great USA development. In reality Rover cars in the UK, were the first to develop a gas turbine car with a prototype in 1949/1950 called the Jet1. Further development produced the T2, T3 and T4. In 1962 BRM (British Racing Motors) then took the idea and produced an F1 car driven by Graham Hill. They even took it to Le Mans in '62. So as a documentary it's completely rubbish, however as "let's make the American's feel good" it works. Bit like the travesty of the film Fury with Brad Pitt. Wrong war, wrong tank crew nation.

[@farmerbill6855]

Wow, are you still sore about 1776? It's about Andy Granatelli and the 1967 Indianapolis 500. So yea, it's a documentary. No one suggested he invented the wheel either. But damned if there ain't wheels on that car.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Ya THANK GOD for that not happening. Would've ruined autoracing for this young boy I assure you.

[@robertstanford9177]

If I remember correctly from the book "They Call Me Mister 500" (or it may have been from later statements), Granatelli was more upset with them banning the 4-wheel drive system than the turbine. He considered the drive system to be a big safety implement and his dream was to resurrect the famed NOVI engine.

[@kendoughty7309]

Fantastic Video with an Innovative ShowMan! The Indy 500, Greatest Spectical in Racing!

[@johnwagner4776]

We loved the STP turbines back in '67 and '68 (especially the Lotus 56 "Super Wedge") The crash that totalled "Silent Sam" prior to the '68 500 was a real tragedy. Thanx for posting this great vintage documentary.

[@plantfeeder6677]

No YOU loved them. 99% of us loathed them and wanted them gone but had to let the racing gods slap Andy up the side of his head to get rid of them. Thankfully they never won a race. In two years they only finished once(4th)so they were never reliable cars. Again Thankfully.

[@timford3599]

90 cars and 61 drivers on the entry list for the 1967 Indianapolis 500! Well...spec race cars will insure that those of type of diverse designs and driver and car counts will never happen again. Too bad.

[@billythekid3234]

Tim Ford , sir you are so right,,,, It's so sad being 66 years old and watching Indy and nascar, try new things thru the years some great some not so good. But now there pretty much equal,,,,,,,,, makes for some boring races at times. I won't even watch a F1 race now. Take care!

[@RickyJr46]

A few years ago I met Al Unser Sr. at the fabulous Unser Family Racing Museum in Albuquerque. He agreed that modern racecars are much less interesting to him, as they've grown so much alike.

[@toddcolinfew]

Thanks for posting this documentary. My dad first brought me to the speedway earlier in 1967. As I recall we saw some tire testing. I was only 7 so it is a “fuzzy memory”. But he also took me to the ‘67 race on closed circuit tv at the Hillside Theater in the Chicago area. When the race got rained out they showed a movie and invited everyone back for the conclusion the next day. As I recall, I had to go to school so I missed the dramatic end.

[@Redmenace96]

Your dad is a good egg.

[@likydsplit8483]

Granatelli and STP. Penske and Penzoil. Those were the days that made me racing fan.

[@Dr_Mario2007]

Andy Granatelli was also a guest on Mythbusters, talking about tricky things driving a stupid fast car on one of the JATO Car episode. He was a racing legend.

[@saxmusicmail]

Andy Granatelli - Wow! That's a name I haven't heard in a very long time! I'd forgotten about his turbine car. Thanks for the history.

[@hilslamer]

Thanks so much for sharing. My dad talked about this since I was young and watching the Indianapolis 500 with him probably 20 years after this was made. So cool to see what they made way back then, and also to hear(or not) the sound etc.

[@MrFabrizio1962]

Great Video,thank you for the sharing

[@kclaptraffic]

I love how back in the day creativity was allowed. Now it's all cookie cutter crap.

[@gwcrispi]

There are tradeoffs. Back in the day only eight cars finished and they were all on different laps.

[@rickyrudd28texacohavolinef2]

They banned the “vacuum cleaner” car Jim Hall was going to run one year. He was famous for the #66 Chaparral car in the ‘60’s & ‘70’s. There’s a museum in Midland, Texas that houses the different Chaparral race cars that are kept in running order. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaparral_Cars

[@rallywagon261]

Yeah, how dare a sanctioning body make it about the racers ability rather than the sponsors/teams wallet size.

[@kclaptraffic]

@@rallywagon261 the more rules there are the more expensive it is. Our local track had the same problem, every time they added a rule it cost more to run up front.

[@paulhare662]

@@kclaptraffic Much like government regulations in ... well, everything.

[@almostfm]

I've always wondered if the rain delay contributed to the bearing failure. Parts have a limited number of heat cycles, especially in race cars where you're stressing parts to the breaking point. It may have just been one too many heat cycles on the bearing.

[@theirishhammer9451]

I agree! It probably wouldn't have failed if the race could have continued. As it had the heat, and it was consistent heat while still running, and not having to heat up again after cooling, that changes the Rockwell hardness rating.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Who cares. It worked out in motorsport history's favor and that's all that counts. This car would've ruined Indy had it been successful.

[@billshiff2060]

@@plantfeeder6677 I love piston engines as much as you do but I also love innovation and experiment in the quest for THE best for an application. Now you have stagnation locked in with indy cars and that is boring regardless of the sound. You are gonna h8 the electric indy cars coming down the pike lol. So will I to tell the truth but I'd still like to see a turbine or Doble steam powered or even electric indy cars compete with the pistons, all 4 in the race.

[@caribman10]

@@plantfeeder6677 Define "ruined" and use Unlimited Hydroplanes as your example...

[@alanvogel1164]

The heat cycles had very little to do with it.the fact that the way it was constructed without a bell housing had everything to do with it.end of story.

[@papabits5721]

I want to congratulate you on the crew jammies

[@localcrew]

Parnelli Jones said that the other drivers called his car the “Whooshmobile” because when he passed them, all they heard was “WHOOSH!”

[@mattskustomkreations]

On the STP team, it’s “Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day” every day.

[@jerrywestaway9316]

LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

[@BlazinRiver1]

That is how my bike looked. My dad worked at a gas station and I would get STP stickers from him. My bike was completely covered in stickers lol

[@2flyabove]

Exactly!

[@RocRizzo]

@@BlazinRiver1 yeah, I had STP stickers everywhere too. My uncle owned a gas station, and would give me stickers. I had them on my bike, bedroom door, my school notebooks, I even had a model of the car on my little desk at home.

[@kaycraig1756]

We sat in turn 1 on the first day of time trials. As this car went by it just whooshed! What a day that was. I loved it. The racing industry did not like it. They thought racing needed to have the sound of the engine. Parnelli has always been my favorite driver.

[@dhy5342]

What a fantastic lineup of drivers in that race. All the top drivers in the world.

[@petnatcar]

One of the better documentary films. Excellent job boys.

[@johnsteve900]

My wife and I saw the car at a practice session in 1967. The other cars were deafening, but with the turbine, I could hear the suspension working. Completely unique.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Wow...What every kid lives for, to hear the suspension working. 😣

[@scotthaskin1509]

I was lucky enough to see the turbine car run during the 500 pre-race show, it is way cool!

[@kendoughty7309]

I got a couple Turbine Car stickers Here somewhere for Ya!

[@scotthaskin1509]

@@kendoughty7309 that would be awesome!

[@kendoughty7309]

I worked for Andy's Son years ago

[@scotthaskin1509]

@@kendoughty7309 Vince? On Roberto's car? I was lucky enough to meet both at Indy in 88-89.

[@kendoughty7309]

Vince , Roberto and Tom Sneva. I wired the cars and Vince's Dyno in Deer Valley, AZ. Great Times ,Brudda!

[@briansd2772]

This era was the last time I felt authentic excitement for the racing at Indy.

[@bicklesby1]

Damn man how old is you

[@briansd2772]

@@bicklesby1 Younger than some, older than most.

[@ericynot]

Unfortunately, some of that excitement came from drivers regularly being hurt and killed. Those cars were scary.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Ya when FORD dominated. The '60s was their decade in motorsports which to this kid, who's grandfather had been a Ford employee all his life, was a great time to be alive.

[@jamesmooney8933]

I saw the race as a young man. I remember the disappointment of his loss. He was leading the race up until the last laps. After the loss, I was hoping for him to win the next year. The race officials made air intake restrictions that made his car unable to race. I quit watching The Indy 500, and have never watched it again. I switched to Stock Car Racing, until Stock Car racing became NASCAR.

[@jorgejefferson8251]

I still think that was the best looking Indy car ever. That driver engine side by side just looked wicked.

[@existentialerasure]

I loved the asymmetric beauty of this car. The ones entered the next year were works of art as well.

[@61rampy65]

Never was able to see it run, but this video told me way more than any other vid or article. Thank you!

[@drewby613]

"It's tomorrow." The last words. But they never got back to Indy. In '68 the car crashed during qualifying and was not rebuilt. Subsequently, USAC banned the turbine engine, and that was the end of it. Too bad--a $6 transmission bearing failure cost a great design a fabulous victory.

[@ivanjimenez8868]

political parasites always play a role in technology suppression

[@blackbirdxx928]

USAC had to ban it, it was to quiet. Motor racing is about noise and it's taken until now with the obvious superiority of electric power to change it.

[@algrayson8965]

The turbines were not outright banned. Their intakes were restricted. Turbines are frightfully expensive as well.

[@drewby613]

@@blackbirdxx928 😂😂😂

[@joeyager8479]

That particular car didn't return, but Andy had three newer cars entered in the 500 in 1968 with Joe Leonard on the pole in one. If I remember, none of them finished. These cars were faster than the '67 car, but so was everyone else.

[@kennydemartini2169]

Where can I get some of those STP pajamas the pit crew was wearing?

[@MrChristopherHaas]

Mr. Granetelli went from the loudest engine to the quietest lol. I wonder if the first turn of first lap and the spin affected cars outcome. AWESOME POST I learned a thing or two and it leaves me pondering many things in regards to engine…and chassis..design THANK YOU

[@dropinabucket1484]

The pace car looked like he could've stayed in the race and competed

[@BlazinRiver1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5m5omyOYr5snrs

[@walter2990]

That WAS a pretty hot exiting speed for a pace car! Wonder who was driving it? Sort of reminded me of a couple of years ago when Richard Petty drove the pace car at a race, and they were having a tough time getting him to exit the racetrack! It was just too cool, and The King just didn't care! "What are they gunna do to me? Make me retire again??

[@robertstanford9177]

@@walter2990 Mauri Rose was the driver and I'm sure he was going as hard as they would let him. Or maybe a little harder. 😉

[@scottspencer321]

My family had friends who moved to Speedway, Indiana, the suburb where the track is located. Three or four years in a row we visited them, and spend a day at time trials. The first year I was in third grade, and loved seeing drivers such as Jimmy Stewart, Graham Hill, Parnelli Jonea, Jim Clark and AJ Foyt walking around the pits. I remember the STP sponsored turbine-powered cars very well. Andy Granetelli wore a white suit covered in STP logos! And the Hurst-girls were something else to a young guy. I remember the sound produced by the turbine cars was a swoosh as air moved over the body, which evolved to a pronounced wedge shape a couple years later. And I remember when the last front engined roadster attempted unsuccessfully to qualify for the race. The piston-powered powers cut the size of the air intake for the turbines each of several sequential years until they could not produce enough power to race competitively.

[@philiptownsend4026]

Good memories but it was Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart.

[@ernestogasulla7763]

Jimmy Stewart, the actor from Vertigo? I didn't know he raced at Indy! 😂😂😂

[@larrybair8074]

One fine engine and car. Back then the Indy was not televised live. I listened to it on the radio. You were blowing the doors off until the 25 cent bolt broke.

[@geraldtrudeau3223]

I remember watching that car race at the Indy 500 on TV back in the 60s. It was amazing. That turbine car blew past every piston banger on the track. It was so good and so fast that the industry did what corporations always do when they can't compete, they simply banned him from running anymore. I always thought that NASCAR and the racing scene was about technical improvement, and innovation. Apparently not. Maintaining the status quo is more like it.

[@Redmenace96]

And Granatelli put 3 years of development into the project!

[@pauldavis5459]

Andy always said it was a combination of three things that made the Turbo car superior. Engine, four wheel drive and side by side body concept.

[@2lotusman851]

They didnt ban it at all. They restricted the air intake area some. Granatelli came back in 1968 with Lotus chassis turbine cars. For 1969, USAC had cut the turbine air inlet area again, so it wasn't worth entering a turbine car.

[@hayleydog10]

@@2lotusman851 Which had the same effect as banning it.

[@greghenner4978]

That's why all auto sports are dying, to many rules to make all the vehicles the same. All the good races were back in the "Run what ya brung" days.

[@yousernameish]

Kerosene powered, that alone could have saved the lives of hundreds of racing car drivers.

[@waynewilliams8554]

You're absolutely right, along with those that survived but suffered burn disfigurement for life.

[@RobertJamesChinneryH]

My experience with a kerosene stove say no

[@daddi275]

@@RobertJamesChinneryH Then try a gasoline stove

[@coryburns9161]

@@daddi275 at one time they had a car engine ran on water but the oil industry stop that

[@JBofBrisbane]

@@coryburns9161 naaah, that was just a con that didn't work. Water is a combustion product, not a fuel. Running an engine on water would be like trying to run one on clinker.

[@robertborchert932]

The glorious days of man and machine. As we've seen, rules and politics are a detriment to innovation. Just ask Graeme Obree. Some of you follow cycling. You understand. Thanks for the memories, a brilliant video.

[@johnneedy3164]

I was there my spot was in the SNAKE PITS 72 now my my that track has Changed ,miss Gomer signing Back Home In Indiana

[@chrissmith7669]

I had a book in engineering school that had cut away drawings of the Indy Turbine car. Was wild looking.

[@andyharman3022]

This era of Indy was so interesting. Every year there was a new innovation. From 1963 to 1980 the cars evolved from front engine roadsters to mid-engine turbocharged engines with wings and ground effects.

[@Redmenace96]

It is funny that the inspectors are looking closely at anything that may produce down force! Don't want that!!!!!

[@ernestogasulla7763]

Copying F1 every step of the way.

[@mqbitsko25]

How racing rules are made: 1. Wait for Andy to win. 2. Ban whatever he did to win. 3. Repeat.

[@tedecker3792]

Rule books would be much thinner if not for Andy and Smoky Yunik.

[@shauny2285]

As a kid, I build a scale kit model of number 40.

[@soylentteal]

Loved the sound of that amazing machine. It outclassed the other cars, just as the Novis did in the late 40s and early 50s.

[@joelbrooks3198]

There should be a turbine electric hybrid race car and a new racing series for them.

[@mjw1955]

Somewhere in KZbin is a video where on the day of one the Indy 500 race they took the turbine cars in the Speedway museum were brought out and driven in a parade lap around the track. So cool.

[@Shegal1535]

The "STP Turbine Special" Innovation, engineering, BOLD leaps in technology and Crushing failure all the earmarks of great story. #MakeIndySpecialAgain

[@Dirtzoo]

I was still too young to remember this race even though we went every year . I do remember Graham Hill and his turbine

[@Dirtzoo]

Parnelli was the best he was one of the best he would have won

[@davidparker8221]

You remember 1968, and not 67. If you remember Graham Hill's car (#70) his was the first of the new Lotus Turbines to exit the race in a crash at lap 110. Of the 4 "Flying Doorstop" Lotus cars brought to the Speedway, only 3 started the race. Mike Spence had his fatal crash May 7th in #30, and Joe Leonard had crashed the #40 car Parnelli Jones had driven in '67 beyond repair. He was fired, but a shortage of available, qualified, and willing drivers dictated his rehiring for #60. Jim Clark died in April at a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim, Spence died, Jackie Stewart broke his wrist so Art Pollard was hired for #20. Hill finished 19th, Pollard 13th and just 2 laps after Pollard's fuelshaft failed so did Leonard's at lap 191. I guess because Hill had won in 1966, MATTEL'S Hot Wheels cars offered his #70 car even though Leonard was leading when his car flamed out. The Hot Wheels car is another reason why people remember Hill's car rather than Leonard's. Joe Leonard deserves better.

[@malakiblunt]

"the engine is ignited with a unique device called a cigar lighter"

[@davidm7824]

NO, it is called a "glow plug" used in diesel also. Once the engine is running they are turned off.

[@rattusnorvegicus4380]

@@davidm7824 Whoosh!

[@andyharman3022]

That doesn't look like any diesel glow plug I have ever seen. The open heating coil would get fouled with carbon in the cylinders.

[@bondgabebond4907]

First thing that came into my mind was the glow plug was a borrowed cig lighter.

[@BlazinRiver1]

@@davidm7824 look up the word "sarcasm".

[@jerrynewberry2823]

This was the indi's greatest innovation. Watched this in sub school. Also same year as the "Fugitive" finally!

[@U3X6785]

The 4 wheel drive was the true advantage

[@glennvonk719]

The still an old Tune-up Masters building in my town. Andy was a man that set goals and smashed right through them.

[@mikesuch9021]

I recently did a little trading for a factory bone stock non molested F-150 Ranger XLT 4x4 with a four-speed. There's one STP sticker on it. It's part of the patina now so it's staying.

[@charleskiplinger9904]

I had the pleasure if being there the day it qualified. Was an unbelievable sight. Nothing but the sound of the wind as it went by.

[@wixom01]

My dad was at that race. I was 8 years old, and BEGGED him to take me. But he was taking business clients, and was having none of it, lol.

[@jaybee9269]

Those STP pajama jumpsuits were unfortunate-almost as unfortunate as the weather & the circumstances.

[@brunotulliani]

Invented yesterday but improved today. Such genius.

[@Petriefied0246]

Oval racing is one of the most appropriate for a gas turbine! Constant high speed running is just what they love!

[@andyharman3022]

Other gas turbine race car experiments from the era weren't nearly as successful. The Howmet turbine was run at LeMans and Daytona, but was not competitive.

[@Petriefied0246]

@@andyharman3022 yeah, they don't have the responsiveness that a piston engine does. High output for extended periods is what they do best.

[@ernestogasulla7763]

It's the only thing they're good for... the turbine Lotus 56 raced in F1 and it was a complete disaster.

[@mikef-gi2dg]

I didn't make my first 500 until 1980, but I remember hearing about the turbine car, and that is a big part of why I am a gear head today.

[@jomarkelly3932]

My brother & I were at this race... how awesome it was! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@plantfeeder6677]

Ya when that car broke everybody cheered. Then A.J. won and that capped a perfect day.

[@gsdalpha1358]

My mom and I went for time trials and the race in 1967. The turbine car was amazing - fast and *quiet*. The car just outperformed everything - so much that Indianapolis banned it from racing for years. The only positive outcome was A.J. winning - he and my dad traded fender paint way back in the days of dirt track racing in Texas.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Ya they didn't ban it in '67. It damn near won again in '68. Thankfully it was plagued by too many gremlins and only finished 1 race in two seasons.

[@emeraldaisle2927]

In '74 I made my Boy Scout pinewood derby racer this car. A red florescent wedge. Rest in peace, "Mr. 500".

[@jacobfinder7476]

I remember this race. I was 15 years old.. Great race.

[@RocRizzo]

I remember it like it was yeaterday, and I was 12.

[@jerrylarson723]

I watched the race, and to this day THE TURBINE almost. Bothered all my life

[@gosmo4504]

Great stuff, thanks for posting!

[@JonBoltinghouse]

love that Studebaker Avanti at the end. one of my favorites. Great job STP and Parnelli for showing the world a car ahead of its time. LEAD - FOLLOW - or get the hell out of the way of the turbine

[@ernestogasulla7763]

Since no one is driving turbine cars today, it was hardly ahead of its time...

[@Viking380]

@@ernestogasulla7763 It was banned. It’s wasn’t absent because it couldn’t compete, it sure could.

[@BillSmith-pp9sc]

I saw this car at the Milwaukee Mile when they used to run Indy cars there. It didn't finish, of course... but was still very cool.

[@billmcdonald4335]

Interesting to see Colin Chapman filmed ogling the turbo car. He went on to build the turbine-powered, wedge-shaped Lotus 56, which was an engineering marvel in its own right. Like the STP-Paxton Turbocar, though, it came up short at Indy.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Thank God.

[@ernestogasulla7763]

It was a dud. Lotus tried to race it in F1, then they realized the thing had no engine braking and no gearbox to maximize torque out of turns...

[@plantfeeder6677]

@@ernestogasulla7763 but the body became the Lotus 72 and the Lotus 72 was a Legendary race car. Three world driving championships and used for five seasons. How many GP cars last two seasons much less five. The one that most closely resembles the Lotus 56 turbine car is the Lotus 63 four-wheel drive F-1 car of 1969. It probably is just a 56 with a Ford V-8

[@cheongyei]

Fantastic story. So many great men back then.

[@billfunk3168]

I loved watching the Turbines race.

[@timothyboles6457]

I seem to recall that several things on the turbine cars were outlawed soon after the original race. Or the year after

[@philmanson2991]

I was 10 years old when I went to the time trials and saw the turbine. Every kid in the world built models of it. I saw the three he entered in '68, as well.

[@professorstokes6596]

Same here...1968 time trials. We could have been there at the same time . On a different note, those STP uniforms looked like pajamas.

[@Marriott0709Man]

I was there for qualifying and the Race with my Dad. They gasp from the crowd was amazing when the car faltered with just a few laps from the win. The crash on the 200 lap was right in front of us. A.J. Foyt maneuvered around the wreckage to win his 3rd Indy 500.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Gasped?!?! Ya right. That was a CHEER louder than what AJ received for winning.

[@largelarry2126]

In was on the inside of the first turn on that day and it seemed like everyone was surprised by how fast the turbine car was and how little noise it made. It was my pick to win because I was at qualifying and got to see it run and unlike a lot of others that day I thought it was going to be the wave of the future.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Thanking God you were wrong. It would've ruined the sport for me had these cars become the norm. I hated this thing then and can only look back with gratitude that they failed today.

[@daveywaite25]

I didn't know Harbour Freight made bearings.

[@dustinwarner6594]

Anybody remember the demler special? I believe it was the first of these...the story behind that car and where they got the motor is incredible!

[@bigunone]

Ahh what could have been!

[@marstondavis]

For the longest time I thought Mario Andretti drove that car. I guess you learn something everyday.

[@FilosophicalPharmer]

"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough." - Mario Andretti

[@alehster6901]

saw it run at the Rex Mays 150 in Milwaukee the next week

[@discpad]

I was 6½ and my family lived at 62nd & Allisonville, across the street from the high school. Let me tell you, the #40 was the talk of the entire Month of May!

[@toastnjam7384]

The high school I went to in the 1960's had a big car culture which was divided into two camps, Ford and Chevy. One thing they agreed on was their dislike of a turbine car and the thought of a turbine car at the Indy 500 was sacrilege. If it wasn't piston powered it was worthless.

[@mpetersen6]

The same thing has happened on the Salt Flats. The sanctioning body on the Flats has made every effort possible to remove the turbine powered streamliners from competing in the same classes as the piston engines.

[@philiptownsend4026]

The curse of backward traditional thinking is still with us in many spheres.

[@kevinb3812]

A ton of aircraft designers would disagree with those 60's high schoolers!

[@philiptownsend4026]

@@kevinb3812 I agree with you, they were traditional thinkers = anti progress. They were bigoted fools.

[@tonyfremont]

I saw this when I was a kid. This car was far from quiet, it's just you don't hear 10-100kHz audio on 1967 recordings. Think about it, it's a jet engine and it screams.

[@Redmenace96]

Right. it is RELATIVELY quiet compared to a V-8 with wide open exhaust. (which is deafening)

[@GenasysMech]

At 12 years old I was "Super Excited" about the turbine, it was "Futurerama" baby and it fit right in with those finned Caddies of the day... It felt like Parnelli was robbed when the gear box failed right near the end. I didn't care so much about the later "Wedge" design...it just didn't have "the look" of the original.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

The name for this type of gas turbine engine is a _turboshaft._ I had NO IDEA this thing had 4WD.

[@blownonfuel]

I'm glad to have met Andy in 1987.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

It is NOT a "turbo" car, it is a TURBINE engine.

[@AccordionJoe1]

Granatelli's car was outlawed because it was faster than the cars of the good old boys like Foyt, Unser and Bettenhausen.

[@almostfm]

If that was the case, they should have banned Chapman's Lotus five years earlier.

[@williamford9564]

The real story was this engine was a death knell to the combustion engine if it was allowed to continue running. At the behest of the teams, the car companies and the other engine makers, USAC severely handicapped the car prior to the 1968 race and when it still almost won the race, then effectively banned it. Think about the millions and millions of dollars that first the racing arms of the Detroit auto makers would have to spend developing turbine engines and then down the road replace the combustion engine technology of their road cars to turbines.

[@TheHannukahZombie]

@@williamford9564 turbine engines were never and will never be feasible for a mass market automobile. Anyone that argues otherwise is an idiot. The turbine car wasn’t going to do anything to the big automakers except beat them on a track every so often.

[@garyjones2582]

I was in 9th grade and I took my radio to school so I could listen to the race.. We were finished with finals so I walked the halls listening to the race.. I can't put into words the disappointment I felt when the turbine car fell out of the race... I still feel sad about it today...

[@paulgross4789]

They ran that race after Memorial Day because it was rained out, correct?