STP-Paxton Turbocar, 1967
date: label: date made
content: 1967
name: label: maker
content: Granatelli Enterprises
label: maker
content: Paxton Corp.
notes: label: Description
content: At the 1967 Indianapolis 500, STP CEO Andy Granatelli and his racing team unveiled one of the most innovative and controversial cars ever to race at the Brickyard. The STP Paxton Turbine Car was the first turbine-powered car to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Vince Granatelli and Joseph Granatelli constructed the car in total secrecy but within all racing regulations. The car was propelled by a Pratt and Whitney turbine engine typically used in helicopters. During practice, onlookers dubbed the quiet vehicle Silent Sam while others called it the Whooshmobile, mimicking the whooshing sound it made passing by. The car featured four-wheel drive, a centrally located fuel tank, and a side-by-side design that placed the driver beside the mid-mounted engine. Andy Granatelli promoted his racer as the world’s first truly space age car. Racing legend Parnelli Jones manned the cockpit and dominated the race, starting from the first lap and leading 171 laps. With only three and one-half laps left to victory, a transmission bearing failed, and Jones coasted into the pits while A.J. Foyt took first place. “Silent Sam” lost the race but succeeded in shaking up Indy car racing. The STP Paxton turbine car launched a brief period of turbine Indy cars marked by intense debate and controversy. Many people welcomed turbine cars as innovations while others wanted them banned from competition. The 1968 Champ Car season saw several turbine racers brought by STP, Lotus, and Shelby. By 1969 racing regulations made turbine cars noncompetitive at Indy, and dual overhead cam engines became the sport’s mainstay.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Engineering
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
label: See more items in
content: Sports & Leisure
label: See more items in
content: Automobiles
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: See more items in
content: Road Transportation
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of STP Corporation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.336464
label: accession number
content: 1978.0418
label: catalog number
content: 336464
objectType: label: Object Name
content: automobile, racing
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 34 in x 72 in x 157 in; 86.36 cm x 182.88 cm x 398.78 cm