Legendary '500' Drivers and Cars To Appear at Santa Fe Concorso

The history of the Indianapolis 500 is unparalleled in all of motorsports and much of it will be on display for race fans to experience during the fifth annual Santa Fe Concorso classic car show Sept. 26-28 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Legendary Indianapolis 500-winning drivers Al Unser, Parnelli Jones, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser Jr. and Eddie Cheever will be on hand during the Concorso’s “Legends of Racing: A Tribute to Indy Drivers.” The event will take place at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport on Friday, Sept. 26, from 1-2 p.m. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to speak with the drivers and hear them reminisce about their driving careers and their experiences competing in the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Another driver appearing Friday night will be Lyn St. James, who in 1992 became the first woman to be named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. All of the drivers will appear in a roundtable discussion led by Indianapolis Motor Speedway Historian Donald Davidson on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m. at the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“Al (Unser) has been involved with this show from the beginning but then a couple years ago Junior (Al Unser Jr.) decided to show up for the event and be part of the show, so I suggested one night that we get some of our other friends to come to the show and we decided that would be a good idea,” said Susan Unser, Al Unser’s wife, who has been one of the organizers of the Santa Fe Concorso from the beginning. “It’s all just kind of fallen into place and it’s going to be like old times. To have these Indy 500 drivers in the Southwest at any one time is really quite exceptional for the fans here in New Mexico. This is going to be a great event for local race fans and people who are coming to the show.”

One of the most highly-anticipated attractions of the Concorso - which this year is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Maserati - will be the special appearance of the famed 1938 Maserati 8CTF Boyle Special, which is one of the most accomplished and historic racecars ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500.

Appearing courtesy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum following an appearance in August at the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Boyle Special was driven to victory by Wilbur Shaw in the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940. Those combined triumphs marked the first time that either a driver or a car had won consecutive Indianapolis 500s.

While once again driving the Boyle Special in 1941, Shaw, who won his first of three Indianapolis 500s in 1937, had a wheel collapse late in the race sending him into the Turn 1wall and keeping him from becoming the first driver to win four Indianapolis 500s and three in a row. Shaw finished the race in 18th position in what was the last of his 13 Indianapolis 500 starts.

Ted Horn, who finished in the top 10 in nine of his 10 Indianapolis 500 starts, drove the Boyle Special to third-place finishes in 1946 and 1947, and placed fourth in 1948. In its final Indianapolis 500 appearance, the Maserati led the 1949 race for 19 laps before finishing 23rd with Lee Wallard at the controls. Its last official appearance on the famed IMS 2.5-mile oval came in 1950 when it was used by future two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bill Vukovich for his rookie test.

An additional iconic Indianapolis 500-winning car that will be represented in Santa Fe was driven by Al Unser Sr., and built under the ownership of 1963 “500” winner Parnelli Jones.

Powered by a 159-cubic-inch, quad-overhead camshaft Ford V-8 engine, the Johnny Lightning Special appearing in Santa Fe is a replica of the car that won the pole for the 1970 Indianapolis 500 prior to leading 190 of the 200 laps en route to Unser capturing the first of his four Indianapolis 500 wins. Unser Sr., who later that year drove the Johnny Lightning Special to the series championship, joins A.J. Foyt and Rick Mears as the only four-time winners of the world’s most famous and prestigious automobile race.

Also appearing in Santa Fe will be the car driven in 1994 by Al Unser Jr. that gave him his second Indianapolis 500 win in three years. Unser Jr. started the race from the pole position with his Marlboro Penske car that was powered by a special Mercedes-Benz-financed Ilmor Engineering “pushrod” engine that was also used by his Penske teammates Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy. The engine was built in secrecy specifically for that Indianapolis 500 and it never raced again. Unser Jr. posted seven wins that season in winning the 1994 CART title. 

The 1973 STP Double Oil Filter car that Gordon Johncock drove to win the 1973 Indianapolis 500 will also be showcased this weekend in Santa Fe. The Gurney Eagle chassis was powered by a 157 cubic-inch Offenhauser engine that propelled Johncock to his first of two Indianapolis 500 wins. The race is remembered for weather delays that caused the running of the event to enter a third day before rainy weather finally forced its conclusion after only 332.5 miles.

Also appearing at the Santa Fe Concorso will be 104-year-old Margaret Dunning of Plymouth, Mich., who will bring her prized 1930 Packard 740 Roadster to the classic car show.

Lovingly referred to throughout the vintage and classic car show world as “The Belle of the Concours,” Dunning appeared with her Packard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 2013 Celebration of Automobiles. The fifth annual IMS Celebration of Automobiles, scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2015, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will once again celebrate an amazing collection of vintage and classic cars.

For more information on the 2014 Santa Fe Concorso, visit: http://santafeconcorso.com/