Posts Tagged ‘Andy Granatelli’

They Call Me Mister 500, Anthony (Andy) Granatelli

Monday, May 21st, 2012

I really enjoy stories about mid-twentieth century racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and They Call Me Mister 500 is one of the best. It chronicles the events in a 23-plus year saga of the Granatelli brothers, Joe, Andy, and Vince, in their attempts to win the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Author Andy Granatelli describes their journey from a speed shop in suburban Chicago in 1946 all the way to winning the 500 in 1969.


Jimmy Clark's 1966 STP Gas Treatment Special

Jimmy Clark’s 1966 STP Gas Treatment Special
Copyright ©1966 Studebaker Corporation

All three Granatelli brothers probably had gasoline in their veins as they grew up during the Depression hawking their automotive knowledge along Halsted Street in Chicago. All of their experience hopping-up cars led them to establish Grancor, a speed shop and one of the premier mail-order speed equipment businesses in the country in 1944. Plus, they had their eyes on a grand prize – the Indy 500 trophy.

A quote from Andy explains the elixir of the Indianapolis 500: “Indy is a special brand of hypnotism, and it sets up an impossible dream. And, in all this, I am like everyone else. I love it; I hate it. Yet, it draws me as it does the rest of them.” So, in 1946, the brothers modified a 1935 front-wheel-drive Miller-Ford and qualified in 33rd position for their first 500. Driver Danny Kladis improved his position to near the top 10 only to drop out of the race due to a pit stop error.

Most of my memories of the Granatelli racers are of the mid-1960s. I can remember Jim Hurtubise starting in a Granatelli-entered Novi on the outside of the front row in the 1963 race and setting a new track record while leading the first lap. Jimmy Clark drove the STP Gas Treatment Special Lotus-Ford to second place in 1966. Parnelli Jones was leading the 1967 race in the STP Turbine Car when a six-dollar bearing failed and sidelined him on lap 197. Finally in 1969, Mario Andretti drove the STP Oil Treatment Special to win the Indianapolis 500. The Granatelli brothers dreams of winning were finally realized after thinking about and working toward it for over 30 years.

I thoroughly enjoyed how Andy Granatelli uses personal stories to weave you into the story. I found it to be a riveting rags-to-riches tale of how the Granatelli brothers grew up during the Depression and later enjoyed success at the pinnacle of American auto racing.

Peruse They Call Me Mister 500 at Amazon.com

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Avanti 50th Anniversary this month

Sunday, April 15th, 2012

The Studebaker Avanti was simultaneously introduced on April 26, 1962, at the New York International Automobile Show, a shareholders meeting, and at a press preview in South Bend. Shortly thereafter, the company flew an Avanti prototype to 24 cities in 16 days to introduce Studebaker dealers to the new car designed by Raymond Loewy.

In spring 1961, Studebaker’s new president, Sherwood Egbert, enlisted the famous industrial designer to design a car to give the company’s product line a shot in the arm. Loewy then sequestered John Ebstein, Robert Andrews, and Tom Kellogg in a California studio to design the advanced car in a very short period of time. The name they selected was Avanti, which means “forward” in Italian. The Avanti had the international look and feel of a high-performance GT coupe.

The sleek, fiberglass, Coke-bottle-shaped coupe bodies where mounted on the new convertible chassis with a standard high-performance V-8 engine rated at 240 horsepower. Additional engines were available for up to 289 horsepower. One of these versions would go from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in a scant 6.7 seconds. The Avanti interior resembled a plush airplane with instruments set in neat, easy-to-reach groups with two bucket seats and rear bench seat for two.

In spring 1962, the Avanti was named the honorary pace car with a Studebaker Lark Daytona convertible was selected as the official Indianapolis 500 pace car. I clearly remember Pole Day 1962. There was a great deal of chatter up and down pit lane as the Avanti drove around the track fulfilling its honorary role. There is a popular publicity photo showing this Avanti and three Studebaker executives behind Tower Terrace at the Speedway.


1963 Avanti

1963 Avanti
Copyright © 1962 Studebaker Corporation

What a sensation! I was drawn to the Avanti’s aerodynamic Raymond Loewy styling, which I believe is timeless even today. Rodger Ward, winner of the 1962 Indianapolis 500, received a Studebaker Avanti as part of his prize package, “thus becoming the first private owner of an Avanti.”

Later that summer, Granatelli brothers – Andy, Joe and Vince – prepared a high-performance Avanti R-3 prototype to run on the Bonneville Salt Flats and set 29 American Class records.

It’s a great time to think back to the Avanti 50th anniversary! If money was no object, an Avanti would be my first selection for a collectible automobile. One can hope, can’t we?

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