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.
The Belstaff Whitwood 2.0 Short Boots are made from a water-repellent, full-grain buffalo leather (1.4 to 1.6 mm thick) designed to offer maximum protection from both the elements and the asphalt. The boots have a full calf leather lining for comfort and an extra layer of leather across each forefoot to protect the boots from…
This is one of the most famous examples of the Vauxhall Firenza in existence, if not the most famous outright. Nicknamed “Old Nail” this is the car that was driven by iconic British driver Gerry Marshall to the Forward Trust Special Saloon Car Championship win 1972 and 1973, the Simoniz Saloon Car Championship in 1974, and…
The Goodwood Revival is one of the most important vintage motoring events in the world, it takes place each year usually in early September at the historic Goodwood Circuit in southern England near the coastal town of Chichester. The Goodwood Circuit The Goodwood Circuit started life as the RAF Westhampnett airfield, built during WWII. The…
Against All Odds is a 1971 Datsun documentary about the team’s Trans Am racing efforts with the Datsun 510, known as the Datsun 1600 in many world markets outside of North America. The mighty little Datsun 510 would shock the under 2.5 class in the 1971 and 1972 SCCA Trans Am Championship, beating the previous…
Supercar Showdown is a straight-to-VHS film from 1986 comparing the Lamborghini Countach, the Ferrari Testarossa, and the Porsche 911 Turbo (930). The film is peak ’80s, with synth backing tracks, classic period video effects, and some great on-road footage showing all three cars driving together as well as all the other ‘70s and ‘80s…
Lloyd Brothers Motorsports have been building some of the quickest flat trackers in the world for over 25 years, but this project wasn’t built for dirt oval competition, it was built as a father son project by company co-founder (and Dad) David Lloyd, and his son James. The Beginning The project began with a 1987 Honda…
