The start of the 1961 Indianapolis 500.. Brabham is the small car no. 17 in mid-pack, inside of his row just to left of the scoring pylon.
Photo: Ozzie Lyons www.petelyons.com
“Dinosaurs,” we called them, ridiculing their bulk, their weight, their mindless loyalty to outmoded dogma. Indy Roadsters; they were rife with front engines and beam axles and no clue about “Modern Engineering.” Hopelessly old-fashioned, they should be rolled aside and forgotten. That’s what we said at the time.
But look what history says about them now. Roadsters are positively hip. They’re important artifacts of Americana, and beautiful in their own right. They have their own historic racing association, and their worth is rising.
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