I don't remember this car.

[Truth Detector]

Anybody?



On a side note...does that look like Gordy's autograph? It looks like he spelled "Gordon" wrong.

[Frank Capua]

That is Gordon's car from 1978 that he started 6th and finished 3rd in.

[indyrjc]

And it is the 1978 version of the Wildcat which was built in-house at Patrick Racing. It was powered by the DGS (Drake-Goosen-Sparks) version of the earlier turbocharged Offenhauser.

[Truth Detector]

I thought it resembled late 70's but I just don't remember it. I thought Gordo drove the STP car back in '78.

Oh well...

Thanks for the help.

Did they all have that second front wing? I don't remember that either.

[Frank Capua]

Wildcats ran that front wing in 1977 and 1978 and all of them had them... in 1979 Patrick bought Penske's for his drivers but Howdy Holmes drove one of the older wildcats for Sherman Armstrong in `79.

Johncock ran the STP colors in 1977 with the wing... you mean you don't remember that famous photo of Johncock waving at A.J. while sitting on the nose of his wildcat next to the creek in 1977?

His car wasn't sponsored by STP again until 1981.

BTW that's not the Sherman Armstrong you know.

[Roadrage]

I thought it resembled late 70's but I just don't remember it. I thought Gordo drove the STP car back in '78.

Oh well...

Thanks for the help.

Did they all have that second front wing? I don't remember that either.

Rookie.

[Sea Fury]

I thought it resembled late 70's but I just don't remember it. I thought Gordo drove the STP car back in '78.

Oh well...

Thanks for the help.

Did they all have that second front wing? I don't remember that either.

Foyt at Mosport-despite the caption I think the photo is from 78 which IIRC he won-I take it the Wildcat was a Coyote copy?

Those second wings weren't exactly the prettiest thing Indy cars ever sprouted, though!

[Frank Capua]

Foyt at Mosport-despite the caption I think the photo is from 78 which IIRC he won-I take it the Wildcat was a Coyote copy?

Those second wings weren't exactly the prettiest thing Indy cars ever sprouted, though!

That is a picture of Foyt's `78 car but he didn't use that front wing at Indy... I wonder if that was an early road course wing?

[theunions]

BTW that's not the Sherman Armstrong you know.

1. There's more than one?
2. Is he and/or Armstrong Mould/AMI still around?

[Indyot]

[QUOTE=Sea Fury-I take it the Wildcat was a Coyote copy?

[/QUOTE]

Indeed, it was. But perhaps it's more correct to say that the Wildcat was a copey of the 1974 Riley-Offy (McCluskey's ثnglish Leather Spcl) that he built for Lindsey Hopkins.
The Riley was indeed an Offy powered version of the Coyote.
It was a real shame that the Offy was cut back in turboboost as from 1974 on. Because of the smaller frontal area of the Offy, the Rile principle worked even better with an Offy than with the Turbo-Quadcam. And with unrestricted boost the Coyote would have been slaughtered in '74. Imagine the `stuck at some 850 hp Coyote' up against 1200 hp Wildcats
Instead, due to the 80 inch boost we got a great situation in which the Offy powered Riley cars (Primarily Wildcats and the similarly designed Lightnings) had the better aerodynamics for which the Coyote made up with more power.
Making, in my huble opinion the era '74-'77 one of the most interesting era's of the Speedway when you chip in the Eagle's and McLaren M16's to battle it out with them as well.


Indyot

[Jamski]

Indeed, it was. But perhaps it's more correct to say that the Wildcat was a copey of the 1974 Riley-Offy (McCluskey's ثnglish Leather Spcl) that he built for Lindsey Hopkins.
The Riley was indeed an Offy powered version of the Coyote.
It was a real shame that the Offy was cut back in turboboost as from 1974 on. Because of the smaller frontal area of the Offy, the Rile principle worked even better with an Offy than with the Turbo-Quadcam. And with unrestricted boost the Coyote would have been slaughtered in '74. Imagine the `stuck at some 850 hp Coyote' up against 1200 hp Wildcats
Instead, due to the 80 inch boost we got a great situation in which the Offy powered Riley cars (Primarily Wildcats and the similarly designed Lightnings) had the better aerodynamics for which the Coyote made up with more power.
Making, in my huble opinion the era '74-'77 one of the most interesting era's of the Speedway when you chip in the Eagle's and McLaren M16's to battle it out with them as well.

I believe Riley designed the Wildcats too, from 75-80. Ironically, the 1980 Wildcat (Gordy crashed the prototype in practice at Indy and broke a leg) became the 1981 Coyote...go figure.

[IndyJim]

Indeed, it was. But perhaps it's more correct to say that the Wildcat was a copey of the 1974 Riley-Offy (McCluskey's ثnglish Leather Spcl) that he built for Lindsey Hopkins.
The Riley was indeed an Offy powered version of the Coyote.

Indyot

a Year later wasn't that same car the famous Silver Floss Saurekrat special?

I still have a poster for ordering Silver Floss windbreakers with Roger on the poster.

[Indyot]

a Year later wasn't that same car the famous Silver Floss Saurekrat special?

I still have a poster for ordering Silver Floss windbreakers with Roger on the poster.

Yes it was.


Indyot

[Roadrage]

. . . . . . . . .
Making, in my humble opinion the era '74-'77 one of the most interesting era's of the Speedway when you chip in the Eagle's and McLaren M16's to battle it out with them as well.
Indyot

Ain't it the truth! I've been watching those races on my collection (an annual winter tradition in this house!) and I couldn't agree more. Amazing the life span of some of those cars.

[Allen Brown]

Making, in my huble opinion the era '74-'77 one of the most interesting era's of the Speedway when you chip in the Eagle's and McLaren M16's to battle it out with them as well.

Completely agree.

I widened it a little from 1971 to 1978 for the coverage on OldRacingCars.com but it was a very interesting period. The cars did last quite a few years, especially when you consider the rate of turnover in F1 and even in F5000, but nothing ever stood still.

Allen