One of the people who drove, built, and promoted racing was Anthony “Andy” Granatelli. One of the exhibits at at the World of Speed, a motorsports museum in Wilsonville, Oregon, provides a glimpse into Granatelli’s life.
According to the museum display:
“From his earliest days racing on a rural highway outside of Chicago with his own hand-built hot rod, to the greatest racing venues in the world—Indianapolis and the great salt flats of Bonneville—Andy was at the center of it all.”
1935 Miller-Ford-Offy #59
Hoping to promote the Ford name in the 1935 Indy 500, nine cars were built in time for the race using Harry Miller’s front-drive technology with Ford V8 flathead engines. Only four of the cars qualified and a design flaw in the steering took the rest of them out of the race. The cars were sold off. In 1948, Andy Granatelli bought the car shown below, now powered with an Offenhauser engine. Driving the car himself, Andy did well until his last lap when the right front tire blew causing the car to smash into the wall. With a few broken bones and shattered dreams this was the beginning of the Granatelli legacy.
1972 Lola T272 STP Indy Car
This Indy car chassis was from Eric Broadley at Lola Cars with input from Bob Marston and Patrick Head. The car didn’t have great success. The car went on to be part of the STP pit-stop promotion caravan. Restored cars from the Granatelli Racing team would travel around the country, stopping at stores to promote STP products.
1948 Grancor Ford Flathead V8
To cater to hot rod racers, Andy Granatelli and his brother Joe and Vince started Grancor Automotive Specialists. The brothers cast their own heads and manifolds to go on the Ford V8 engines that they were hopping up. From 1946 until the early 1950s, there was a Grancor V8 Special entered in every Indy 500 race.
Novi V8 Indy Engine
Lew Welch from Novi, Michigan and W.C. “Bud” Winfield from Los Angeles laid the foundation from what would become the V8 Novi engine. Leo Goossen produced the final design and the engines were built in Fred Offenhauser’s Los Angeles plant. The first engine was used in the 1941 Indy 500. In 1961, Lew Welch sold his operation to Andy Granatelli. In 1966, the Novi was retired without every winning the Indy 500.
1982 Granatelli Chevy Camaro
Shortly after Andy Granatelli and his son Vince purchased Tuneup Masters, Vince had purchased a new Camaro. Vince decided to put a new engine in the car to improve its performance. At the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Camaro had a two-way average of 241.7 mph with an exit speed of 278 mph.
More World of Speed
World of Speed: The Porche 911 (Photo Diary)
World of Speed: A Tale of Two Demons (Photo Diary)
World of Speed: NASCAR
World of Speed: Post-1960 Street Cars (Photo Diary)
World of Speed: Land Speed Racing (Photo Diary)
World of Speed: Can-Am Endurance Racing Cars (Photo Diary)
World of Speed: Drag Racing (Photo Diary)