Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Mickey Thompson front drive racer?
I know this is ancient history but I have been trying to find and information and hopefully pictures of the last race car the late Mickey Thompson entered in the Indy 500. It had a stock block Chevrolet engine with specially made overhead cam heads, was front engine front drive. I believe the main chassis member was a very large diameter tube that had all the suspension components grafted onto it.
Mickey tried a lot of unconventional ideas and the rule makers eventually make most of them illegal.
He was first in open wheel racing to use slicks. That was so obviously better that pavement cars in open wheel were using slicks in every series within a year or so. His idea for 12 inch wheels to lower drag (shorter tire height) was outlawed. Those were on his extra wide rear engine cars the first year he ran them. And his Chevy stock block/racing head engine was also outlawed the following year. Thompson got disgusted and quit trying to innovate, quit building Indy cars.
Anyhow, does anybody know where I can find data or pictures on this oddball car? It didn't handle for squat but it went like stink down the straightaways. Nothing on Yahoo or Google search seems to work and I don't think the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has any photos.
2 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
I found some pictures and descriptions of the cars Thompson entered from '62-'67 here:
http://www.thompson-motorsports.com/indy.html
He entered some very interesting and innovative machines.
- JayLv 71 decade ago
Pics are next to impossible to find. They mention the car very briefly in Erik Arneson's book "The fast Life and Tragic Death of a Racing Legend". Thompson was definitely ahead of his time. According to the book, the front engine car, which also featured 4 wheel steering, failed to qualify for the 1967 Indy 500. Sam Sessions was the driver. Nothing is mentioned about the engine being overhead cammed, but it did have 3 valves per cylinder. Another first for its time. The car was called the "Spit-Fire Special" and was featured on the cover of Hot Rod magazine.