The Flamingo Hotel Imagine a bone-chilling, snowy January day in Manhattan. Looking up, you see a billboard promoting Miami Beach, “America’s Winter Playground,” complete with images of palm trees, tennis, boating, and polo. This was one of the tactics Carl Fisher used to entice people to visit Miami Beach. Fisher was
On the Road--The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum was started by Tony Hulman in 1956 with a handful of cars. Originally, the museum was to honor Wilbur Shaw, who died in a 1954 plane crash. Shaw was the man whose passion for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was behind Hulman’s 1945 decision to
Innovations of the Speedway--Four-Wheel Hydraulic Brakes When automobiles were first introduced, the braking system was rudimentary—a lever pushed a wooden pad against the rear wheels. The same system was used in carriages. As the engines became more powerful and speeds increased, this system became unviable. In 1918, Malcolm Loughead patented hydraulic brakes. His design was
The 4th of July Races at IMS The 4th of July Races at IMS The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in August 1909. While the racing was exciting for those in the stands, it was disastrous for some drivers, mechanics, and spectators. After multiple wrecks on the crushed stone and asphalt track, the final race was canceled after
The Hurst/Oldsmobile Pace Car A pace car has led the racers since the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. The 1972 pace car is the only with a non-automobile company sponsoring the pace car. The story of the Hurst/Oldsmobile pace car began in 1959 when George Hurst’s company started providing a floor-
On the Road--America's Packard Museum The Packard automobile was begun in 1899 by brothers James and William Packard in Warren, Ohio. In 1903, the brothers relocated to Detroit, Michigan and changed the name from Ohio Automobile Company to Packard Motor Car Company. It built a reputation as a luxury brand due to its styling and
Who Was the Youngest Driver to Win the Indianapolis 500? Who Was the Youngest Driver to Win the Indy 500? It was Bill Vukovich’s bad luck in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 which handed the victory to 22-year-old Troy Ruttman. Assured of victory, the official party was making its way to Victory Circle to greet Vukovich. He had
On The Road--Revs Institute, Naples, Florida Revs Institute has a much-deserved reputation as one of the leading car museums in the United States. Founded by former sports car racer Miles Collier in 2008 from his personal collection, the museum has 115 cars including a significant collection of Porsches. I took a docent-led tour which
Breaking the 200-mph barrier at IMS The 150-mph barrier was broken during the 1962 qualifying by Parnelli Jones with a speed of 150.370 mph. The next year, Parnelli Jones broke 150 mph during the race with a speed of 151.370 mph on lap 114. He started the race from the pole and won
Eddie Rickenbacker Adrift at Sea The first newspaper report that Rickenbacker was missing was on Saturday, October 24, 1942, after the War Department announced that the plane, a B-17D Flying Fortress, was overdue on a flight between Oahu island, Hawaii and another Pacific Island. The last message from the plane was that it had
Eddie Rickenbacker Critically Injured in Airplane Crash Eddie Rickenbacker Critically Injured Eddie Rickenbacker, who led a consortium to buy the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1927, was critically injured in a crash of an Eastern Air Lines DC3 on approach to the Atlanta airport on February 27, 1941. Rickenbacker, the president of Eastern Air Lines, was on his
Book Review: The Story of Maserati, A Tribute To Automotive Excellence by Stuart Codling Stuart Codling, a motorsports journalist, has covered Formula 1 racing since 2001. He has multiple books including The Story of Cars, a four book set detailing not only Maserati but also Bentley, Ferrari, and Porsche. Published in 2025, the book is a little gem. It measures just 7.3 inches
