Man, that Sumar car is a ***y beast, wonder how hot it got under that bubbletop... Ryan, you should build a street car that looks just like it....
I bet it got hot as ****... Turned out the body was a lifting wing, so they ran without it and the canopy:
My parents drove my dad's '58 'vette out to the 500 in '67 from Connecticut. My dad tells the story of how my mom had a turn at the wheel one night coming back on the interstate. Top was down and he was hunched down getting some Zs. He wakes up and sees my mom is racing a '62 vette, the speedo is buried. He said the little 283 sounded fine, so he just went back to sleep.
Those are the kinds of stories that built American car culture—raw, reckless, and s***ched together with foggy memories and bad ideas. We might not know how to build a real race car, and we sure as **** can't drive them worth a damn… but put us on the street, and *******, we know how to make an impression.
I enjoyed the obvious transition from the traditional to the new. To some degree both were successful and both had their turn in the limelight; however, some new ideas were stillborn.
I would have been 8 then and would have listened to the race on my folks car radio on the way to a family picnic after we had carried loads of flowers to family graves. We usually had a family picnic at Brooks Memorial park on US 97 near Goldendale Wa in those days. That's a 35 mile ride from my house. Either with my dad, my step father after 1956 or my grand parents I would listen to the race on the car radio. Had to do some talking with my grandparents but my grandfather always relented.
1955 was the year my Pops and my Uncle made me aware of the 500 by excited discussions of the tragedy. Each year after, I'd be sure to have my pocket transistor dialed in on it. Made 2 visits, but not on race day. Until now I had not viewed the wreck. To me the biggest symbol of the US auto experience is The 500 Thank you Ryan
Denny Jamison recreated in the old Hammer Art shop on Gasloline Alley. Was told the driver couldn’t see tire wear and that’s why it ran without the body. Original was destroyed in Daytona testing.
. On 2/11/59 a reconfigured SUMAR race car crashed and killed the driver in a speed record attempt. Supposedly the car practiced with the body but qualified without. I can’t find anything that actually says it at that time had an aerodynamic issue, but only to find that these streamlines were a new thing for Indy at the time. This was the roadster era so I’m gonna go with the tire wear theory due to the strong reference that I have. I was around for the recreation and was fortunate to hear stories from guys like Bob Harkey I like the tire wear theory and gonna stick with that. I will ask Denny Jamison for some references also and some pictures.
Thank you for posting this Ryan,I learned a few things today about the 1955 Indy race and was amazed at the innovations that worked but ultimately don't work out. All the men competing in the 500 at that time seemed to believe they were invincible and drove like they were possessed, that's what made racing in the early day so exciting. HRP
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