Thread by @iowahawkblog

Winner of the first Indy 500 in 1911, Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp. Mostly a stock car with the unnecessary bits removed; also the first car with a rear view mirror. Won with a blistering average speed of 74.6 mph.

Marmon, based in Indy, made fine automobiles like this 1930 V16 Sedanette, until they succumbed to the Depression in 1933.

Detroit was the capital of mass produced cars, but the creme de la creme of American cars were made in Indiana: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg, Marmon, Stutz

you can chuckle at an average speed of 74.6 mph, but that's with stops and refueling. The Wasp was capable of speeds ~90-95 mph. I will guaran-damn-tee you if you were behind the wheel of that thing at 90 mph you'd be soiling your drawers

Maybe the greatest Indy figure of all: Harry A. Miller, genius engineer and machinist. His cars and engines utterly dominated the 500, winning 12 times between 1922 and 1938. Some call him the American Bugatti, I call Bugatti the French Miller

After he went bankrupt in 1933, Miller sold out to his employee Fred Offenhauser, who continued making engines based on Miller's basic designs. Between them, Miller-Offy cars remained competitive at Indy for 60 years, 1922-1982

Secret to the Miller/Offy 4 cylinder engines was DOHC + head & block cast as one piece ("monoblock"). You could boost the living hell out of them with supercharging or turbocharging without blowing them up. By 1980 they were producing 1000+ hp.

After bankruptcy Miller teamed with Preston Tucker (of Tucker Torpedo fame) to field an Indy team for Henry Ford in 1935, powered by Ford flatheads. Lordy I love these cars, but they weren't successful and it wouldn't be until the 60s that Ford officially sponsored racing again

To me, this is Harry Miller's Mona Lisa and maybe my favorite car in the world: 1931-32 V16 Miller Speedster, raced by Shorty Cantlon and Brian Salpaugh. Never finish higher than 27th at Indy, but I don't care. Pure mechanical artistry.