History Lost

Elsewhere in this issue you’ll read of the passing of an individual that you’ve likely never heard of. Yet, this gentleman is probably responsible for preserving more significant racing history than nearly anyone else in the past 50 years. His name was Bill Spoerle and from 1963 until his passing, he was responsible for restoring and maintaining all of the vehicles in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s museum.

My personal experience with Spoerle was limited to a single day in 2011. I flew back to the Speedway to test drive the 1909 Blitzen Benz. Once we arrived at the Speedway, we were told that we had to go clear everything with Bill, before we could take the car out. Driving to a far corner of the IMS property, behind Turn 2, we pulled up to a very non-descript, white clapboard building. With no signs of life or activity, we found an unlocked door and ventured inside. Once past the threshold, we discovered that this was a small restoration shop, although how anything got accomplished in the overwhelming riot of ephemera was beyond me! Every surface, every nook and cranny was filled to the brim with books, manuals, old parts, tools, pieces of cars, complete cars, signs, photographs, you name it. I detected movement within the clutter, only to find famed restorer Phil Reilly having a laugh with a short, older gentleman with a pronounced German accent. After a moment of greeting, Phil introduced me to his friend Bill Spoerle.