What Are Your Top 5 Favorite American Open Wheel Cars...

[Hitokiri]

Since I started one about drivers why not start one with cars? Again since we're talking about American open wheel that includes USAC, CART, IRL, Champ Car, or Indycar Series. Even today's dirt cars are fair game. Your decisions can be based on anything. Historical significance, who drove the car, performance, livery, where it was driven, who owned the car, teams, era - again anything is fair game.

Yes! More brain picking! Hehehehehe... :krusty

[NoviVespa]

Parnelli Jones' winning roadster, Calhoun
Both of A.J. Foyt's winning roadsters.
The Belond Special, winning car for Sam Hanks and Jimmy Bryan
Any car with a Novi engine in it.
The first time I saw an Indy Car race, Pat Flaherty in the John Zink Special. At the Milwaukee Mile.

[TKG26]

[BSJracing]

1. Any 1972-1979 McLaren
2. Any 1972-1976 Eagle(bonus points if painted as a Sugarripe Prune Special)
3. Penske Pushrod Mercedes
4. Foyt's 81 Coyote
5. 85 March(I know most hate it, but since I got to turn wrenches on one, I love it)

[stnkypete]

1994 Penske
1998 Reynard
1980 Pennzoil Chaparral
1977 Gilmore Coyote

[indyracefan]

McLaren MP-16C


Vels-Parnelli Jones Colt - 1971


Gurney Eagle - 1975


March - 1986


Reynard - 1995

[Littleman]

Maybe any Indy car, Sprint car & midget - before they added wings. Guess my first favorite car was Johny Ritters Outboard.

[Lemming51]

1.


2.


3.


4.


5. (the only ground effects car - 1979 to present - that I've ever really liked.)

[Sea Fury]

[voice_of_reason]

Any BEAST Silver Crown car

The Watson Roadster

The KK500A from 1953

Car #18 from the 1998 Indy 500 (G-Force/Oldsmobile Aurora)

The City of Lebanon Special

[Firstturnpro]

Any car without wings and ground effects.

Top 5:

1) 1970-71 Johnny Lightning/Samsonite spl. (Al Unser, Joe Leonard)
2) 1952-54 Fuel injection special (Bill Vukovich)
3) 1946-53 Kurtis front wheel drive NOVI (Ralph Hepburn, Duke Nalon, Chet Miller, Herb Ardinger, Cliff Bergere, and Rex Mays)
4) 1947-52 Blue Crowns/Mobile Gas Spl. (Mauri Rose, Bill Holland, Duane Carter, and Tony Bettenhausen)
5) 1965-67 Lotus 38 (Jim Clark, Bobby Johns, Dan Gurney, and Al Unser)

[RV]

Here are 5 of my favorites.

#91 Sprintster. Built to take advantage of the rules. Owned by Pat Russell. Driven by Rick Veenstra. Semi-upright, offset supermodified. Originally IFS, converted to solid axel.



#6w Dragster Cage Super. Built by Ed Hyder for the late Rebel Jackson. Driven by Troy Regier.



#1 Hyder Hawk. Trigrueiro Racing Team. Driven by Davey Hamilton, Tony Stewart, AJ Foyt IV, and many others.



#98 “Pink Lady” Sprint Car built (I believe by Grant King) for Art Sugai. Who knows how many races this car has won. Still occasionally raced by Ken Hamilton.



#5 Texaco Star. Tom Sneva 1983 winner.

[BSJracing]

Honorable mention...Car 52

[MS]

The 1980 Pennzoil Chaparral
The 1981 Norton Spirit PC-9B
The 1982 STP Wildcat
The 1981 Foyt Coyote (although it about killed Foyt)
The 1983 Hertz PC-11

Can you tell the era I started following Indy cars?!?!

[cgy1]

I can only give my opinions on the cars I've seen since I started following IndyCar racing (~1993)

Bobby Rahal's black MGD car - Bobby became my favorite driver when I started following IndyCars due to the black paint scheme
Robert Doornbos' HVM-Minardi USA car - beautiful black and red paint scheme on the DP-01
Alex Zanardi/Jimmy Vasser/Juan Pablo Montoya's red and yellow TCGR car - classic paint scheme with the yellow lightning bolts
Justin Wilson's CDW car - actually managed to make a red and white car look great
Nigel Mansell/Mario Andretti's white and black K-Mart car - maybe not the prettiest, but Nigel was one driver I'd always root for.