The 1976 Indianapolis 500 would be the last time a McLaren-badged car would win the iconic American motor race – with American driver Johnny Rutherford at the wheel. This would also be the last year that an Offenhauser engine would win the race, capping 27 victories for the motor and sealing it forever as one of the most successful racing engines of all time.
The recent news that McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is choosing to forgo an entry at the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix (a race he won previously) to enter the Indianapolis 500 has caused significant and well-warranted excitement in the international motor racing community. Alonso has made it clear that he’s now targeting the illustrious triple crown of motorsport, which requires wins at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the Indianapolis 500.
Fernando will be racing in a McLaren-Honda-Andretti badged entry, under the skin its a Dallara DW12 chassis as used by all IndyCar teams, powered by a Honda engine. It’s unlikely the Spaniard can win in his first outing at the Brickyard, but if there’s one thing I know about the Indy 500, it’s that you never know just what might happen.
Editor’s Note: This film was encoded from an original VHS tape at 480p. The quality is low, but in some respects that adds to the experience.
Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated with a highlights reel to showcase the best of the Goodwood Festival of Speed for this who missed the livestream. The Goodwood Festival of Speed has grown to become one of the world’s pre-eminent motoring events. It’s a competitive hill climb held on the grounds of Goodwood House…
A Note of Warning: Near the end of this film there are a few racing accidents that likely resulted in the death or serious injury of the drivers involved. If there’s a possibility you’ll find that troubling please consider not watching the film. Devil Drivers is a pre-WWII racing documentary that was likely filmed in…
Mika Häkkinen, known colloquially as the “Flying “Finn”, is consistently rated as one of the quickest Formula 1 drivers of all time. He’s the only driver that Michael Schumacher was reported to be afraid of, possibly because Häkkinen had soundly beat him to the 1998 and 1999 Formula 1 World Championship, but possibly also because…
The W. R. Case & Sons Hobo Knife is actually three utensils in one, and each can be detached to give you a full three-piece cutlery set for dinners when you’re on the road (or on the rails). Hobo knives were originally developed for American wanderers and migrant workers, the name “Hobo” is though to…
This Ford Model T Track-Nose is one of the most well-known hot rods of its era, it was built by Jack Thompson with help from Claude Hampson, and it appeared in the August 1958 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. Track-Nose hot rods have a distinctive look that sets them apart from their more traditional counterparts,…
This Boeing 747 Wheel Table by Plane Industries is more or less exactly what it says on the tin – it’s an authentic Boeing 747 alloy wheel that’s been meticulously rebuilt into what is undeniably one of the greatest coffee tables money can buy. Each wheel is sourced directly from the airline industry, wheels that…
