Here's an interesting Studebaker presence I'm at a loss to explain: A brand-new 1960 Champ front and center among the Safety Vehicles at The 1960 -yes, 1960- Indianapolis 500!
Let's set this up: The Official Pace Car for The 1960 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race was a 1960 Oldsmobile 98 convertible. Naturally, you'd expect all the support vehicles to be of General Motors manufacture, right; perhaps GMC trucks?
Well, a couple years ago I saw (which I cannot find now, of course) an interesting picture of the Pace Lap, with the Olds 98 leading the field into Turn One. It's a typical glamour shot taken every year, of course; always dramatic at the start of the race. (The subject picture was in a recent edition -within the last three years- of Indianapolis Monthly magazine.)
But I noticed in the picture's background, a brand spanking new Studebaker Champ pickup at the south end of pit row, poised to drive directly onto the track (no gates or fencing in the way) in the event of an emergency. It was clearly an IMS Safety Vehicle; not a spectator vehicle.
That got me to thinking (dangerous, I know): The new Studebaker Champ had barely been out but a couple months at the time, and here The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was using one in a prominent position right under The General's nose with "his" 1960 Oldsmobile 98 Pace Car the supposed Glamor Queen!
Here's a video of the 1960 Indianapolis 500. Right at 3:45 in the video is a shot of Rodger Ward re-entering the race after a troubled pit stop. Freeze frame Rodger as he exits the pit area and take a look at the can't-be-but-a-couple-months-old Studebaker Champ at the southernmost pit exit:
(I didn't watch the video past 3:45 because I knew what I was looking for, and had found it. So if you watch the balance of the video past 3:45, maybe you'll see an even better picture of the Champ...or, for all I know, footage of it tearing out onto the track to respond to an emergency.)
'Still haven't figured this out, given General Motors' propensity to dominate and control everything in which they had their big mits back then...why a new GMC or Chevrolet truck wasn't serving in that position...and, instead, the newest-model Studebaker in its place!
Good score, Studebaker; we're talking about some seriously-beneficial exposure for what was the fresh new truck from South Bend. BP
Let's set this up: The Official Pace Car for The 1960 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race was a 1960 Oldsmobile 98 convertible. Naturally, you'd expect all the support vehicles to be of General Motors manufacture, right; perhaps GMC trucks?
Well, a couple years ago I saw (which I cannot find now, of course) an interesting picture of the Pace Lap, with the Olds 98 leading the field into Turn One. It's a typical glamour shot taken every year, of course; always dramatic at the start of the race. (The subject picture was in a recent edition -within the last three years- of Indianapolis Monthly magazine.)
But I noticed in the picture's background, a brand spanking new Studebaker Champ pickup at the south end of pit row, poised to drive directly onto the track (no gates or fencing in the way) in the event of an emergency. It was clearly an IMS Safety Vehicle; not a spectator vehicle.
That got me to thinking (dangerous, I know): The new Studebaker Champ had barely been out but a couple months at the time, and here The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was using one in a prominent position right under The General's nose with "his" 1960 Oldsmobile 98 Pace Car the supposed Glamor Queen!
Here's a video of the 1960 Indianapolis 500. Right at 3:45 in the video is a shot of Rodger Ward re-entering the race after a troubled pit stop. Freeze frame Rodger as he exits the pit area and take a look at the can't-be-but-a-couple-months-old Studebaker Champ at the southernmost pit exit:
(I didn't watch the video past 3:45 because I knew what I was looking for, and had found it. So if you watch the balance of the video past 3:45, maybe you'll see an even better picture of the Champ...or, for all I know, footage of it tearing out onto the track to respond to an emergency.)
'Still haven't figured this out, given General Motors' propensity to dominate and control everything in which they had their big mits back then...why a new GMC or Chevrolet truck wasn't serving in that position...and, instead, the newest-model Studebaker in its place!
Good score, Studebaker; we're talking about some seriously-beneficial exposure for what was the fresh new truck from South Bend. BP
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