Marmon Wasp

The Marmon Wasp was a remarkable racing car that the Marmon engineers had built from the get-go, rather than having a stripped down passenger car. It became famous for winning the inaugrual Indianapolis 500 race in 1911.
The clever thinking behind it was that Marmon had thoroughly checked the rulebook, and there was no passage that stated that a riding mechanic was mandatory. Therefore, this machine was built as a one-seater straightaway. Saving the weight of another person meant they could create a more streamlined and narrow body.
For the next season, the rule was changed, and a mechanic was compulsory to have for the Indy 500.
In 1911 Marmon only built 4-cylinder engines, but for this beast they had a purpose-built six-cylinder race-engine. It utilised three 2-cylinder blocks and it had a full-pressure oiling system, a very unique feature at the time. It was started by a crank, which needed heavy winding if it would stall.
The Marmon Wasp received its name from the shape of its tail, the first nickname however was Yellowjacket.
The foundation of the car came from the 1909 Model 32.
== The inaugrual Indy 500 ==
In the first practice session, the Wasp had immediately drawn the attention of the other teams. It hadn't gone unnoticed that she could only house one driver, and the other constructors had their concerns. Especially with the fact that without a riding mechanic, it would be very difficult to see if other cars would come up from behind or from the sides, in the blind spots. Ray Harroun, the first driver, however, was smart. He was not just a driver but also a brilliant engineer who also made his own plane at some point. He had remembered seeing a horse-drawn taxi in Chicago with a pole and a mirror on it back in 1904 seven years ago. He wanted to give it a try for his race car.
They put 4 rods above the cowling with a three-by-eight inches mirror on it, carried by the theory. This in essence made Marmon the brand that invented the rear-view mirror that is so essential in cars today. With this new gadget, he would be able to drive while looking up in the mirror to see if other cars were approaching. This way he could silence the critics. As nice as the idea was, it worked only partially, since the car was shaking and vibrating a lot during the race, so it was still hard to see.
Ray Hurroun was using more of his brain-power to win this race. He had conducted an experiment in 1910, and it turned out that by going only 75 miles per hour, the tyre life could be preserved much better, perhaps even doubled. Replacing tyres was quite a job back then, and wasn't done in a flurry. The wheels wouldn't come off, the whole tyre itself had to be stripped of the wheel and replaced, a task that would take time. Ray decided that no matter what the others did, he would stay at 75 miles per hour even though he could go well over 80. By adopting this strategy, Hurroun had to change tyres only 4 times. Ralph Kirkman Mulford, who finished second, had to replace a tyre 14 times.
== Success booms ==
The American public saw the magnificent performance of the Marmont, and many buyers were attracted. Their sales skyrocketted after the Indianapolis race. Marmont's racing team was disbandoned immediatly, because they felt they 'might as well just quit when still being ahead'. 
== Modern times ==
In the 100th running of the Indy 500 in 2011, the 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones took the honor of driving the Wasp to celebrate this anniversary. He found the seating position awkward and wondered how they were able to drive like this.
The actual winning car is still live and well today and running in perfect condition.