Ex-Graham Hill 1968 Lotus 56 Indianapolis Heads to Auction
Images by to Stephen Kim courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
This magnificent 500bhp turbine-engined 1968 Lotus 56 was raced in the 1968 Indy 500 by Graham Hill. It’s heading to auction at RM Sotheby’s’ upcoming Monterey sale.
The car, chassis 56-3, was born out of automobile racing’s flirtation with turbine engines during the ’60s.
In 1967 STP boss Andy Granatelli sourced a Pratt & Whitney ST-6 turbine engine for a new race car he was building with his brothers. They entered the finished car in the 1967 Indy 500. Parnelli Jones was behind the wheel for the race, and would lead for 171 laps before dropping out 197 laps in with gearbox failure.
Indy’s governing body USAC noticed the unconventional automobile’s astonishing performance, and brought in new rules in an attempt to manage it. They introduced a regulation size for the car’s inlet, effectively reducing its ability to develop power.
Granatelli took this in stride and began working with Team Lotus to produce a follow-up turbine car for 1968. The car would use the same motor, and Lotus designer Maurice Phillipe would be responsive for its aerodynamics.
Four Lotus 56s were built, with three entered in the 1968 Indianapolis 500 and one serving as a backup machine.
1968 had been a dark year for motorsport, with Lotus drivers Jim Clark and Mike Spence killed in separate incidents earlier in the year. Joe Leonard and Art Pollard were brought in to the team to drive two of the cars, with Graham Hill handling driving duties in 56-3.
Hill went out in qualifying to set a new speed record of 171.208 miles an hour, which Leonard then promptly pipped with a 171.559 mph run. This gave Lotus their first ever pole position start at Indy.
Sadly the race would not be quite so successful for Hill, or any of the three 56s. Our car lost a wheel 110 laps in and went on a trip into the banking not long after. The other two Lotuses dropped out with broken fuel shafts – Leonard’s lasting until lap 191 having led 31 laps.
56-3 was classified 19th, and that would become the only race qualification on its resume, as it never raced again. Following Indy the car went to the STP headquarters where it was put on display until it was given to Richard Petty. He kept it for 15 years before selling it to its current owner.
At that point a full restoration was commissioned for the car, supervised by Classic Team Lotus’ Clive Chapman and and Andy Granatelli’s son Vince.
Restoration complete, the car was reunited with the other two 56s in 2014 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parnelli Jones handled driving duties for a demonstration run with Mario Andretti and Vince Granatelli at the wheels of the other two cars. The car was then placed into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
The car was nominated for Car of the Year in the 2014 International Historic Motoring Awards and picked up the Octane Magazine Editor’s Choice Award at the 2014 Quail Motorsports Gathering.
This low-mileage one-race car is a magnificent piece of motor racing history and we’d love to see it sing on track once more. It’ll head to auction at RM Sotheby’s’ Monterey Sale over the 19th and 20th of August, and RM Sotheby’s estimate you’ll need to bring along US$900,000 – $1,200,000 to take it home.
Images by to Stephen Kim courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
