1. sports
2. auto racing
3. nascar

es
g
Pa
e
l
p
m
Sa
Photography by Dean Kirkland
Designed by Dean Kirkland and Ren Wicks, Jr.
Written by Jimmy Dilamarter and Ren Wicks, Jr.
The Cars of
VEL MILETICH and
PARNELLI JONES
Presented by
Foreword
T
M
In addition to being the first person to lap the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway in excess of 150 mph (in 1962), the 1963
“500” winner might even be better remembered for having
come within three laps of winning it again in 1967 with Andy
Granatelli’s controversial turbine-powered car.
It was our mission that these iconic and irreplaceable racecars be part of the incredible display of historic
vehicles at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
he name “Parnelli Jones” is certainly synonymous with
the sport of auto racing, Parnelli undoubtedly having
been one of the most iconic American drivers ever.
By the time Parnelli retired as a driver from open-wheel racing in 1968 (but not other forms of motorsport),
he had already entered the ranks of “car entrant” in partnership with his long-time friend Vel Miletich.
While probably most noted in this capacity as the winning entrant at Indianapolis with Al Unser and the
Johnny Lightning Specials in 1970 and 1971, the Vel’s Parnelli Jones team eventually encompassed so
many different disciplines of motorsport at the same time as to boggle the mind. In addition to running
what was then the USAC National Championship circuit, they were also fielding cars in USAC Silver
Crown dirt track events, Formula 5000 events on road courses, NHRA drag racing, off-road racing and
even Formula One – all at the same time!
It was not at all unusual for Al Unser and Mario Andretti to be racing a Silver Crown dirt car and a
Formula 5000 car in two different states on the same weekend. In 1974, for instance, Mario drove in the
three 500-mile races at Indianapolis, Ontario and Pocono; won the USAC dirt car title; placed 2nd to
Brian Redman in F-5000 and drove in the U.S. and Canadian Grand Prix races all for the same team. It is
unlikely we will ever see anything like that again.
When the opportunity arose a few months ago for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation to acquire
many of the cars from the beautifully preserved Vel/Parnelli collection, the Foundation board members
had no hesitation in pressing forward with making that acquisition.
Although these cars really need to be viewed in person at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame
Museum, the pages of this book can certainly whet one’s appetite for this most amazing collection.
Tony George
President
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation
ike Bohanan, Vintage Racers, LLC and Charles Bronson, Boulevard Motorcar Company would
like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to help facilitate the acquisition of The Vel’s
Parnelli Jones Collection by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation.
We feel privileged to have been part of the preservation of these magnificent racecars, and consider it
our good fortune for the friendships of the remarkable individuals who designed, created, drove, restored,
owned and preserved them.
We sincerely appreciate the special efforts of all those who helped make this endeavor come to fruition.
Table of Contents
A Decade of Diversity
8
1960 Watson Roadster #98 Agajanian Willard Battery Special
16
1964 Lotus – Ford Type 34 #6 – Chassis 34/3
26
1967 Mongoose – Ford #26 Wagner Lockheed Special
38
1968 Lotus Turbine Type 56 #60 – Chassis 56/1
48
1969 Ford Bronco #1 – “Big Oly”
58
1969 King/Ford Champ Dirt Car #1 Viceroy Special
66
1970 PJ Colt #2 Johnny Lightning Special – Chassis 001
76
1971 PJ Colt #1 Johnny Lightning Special – Chassis 101
86
1971 PJ Colt #15 Samsonite Special – Chassis 115
96
1972 Parnelli VPJ-1 #4 – Viceroy Special – Chassis 101
106
1972 Parnelli VPJ-1 #9 – Viceroy Special – Chassis 103
116
1972 Parnelli VPJ-1 #1 – Samsonite Special – Chassis 104
126
1973 Ford Mustang Funny Car #FC 799
136
1973 Parnelli VPJ-2 #4 Chassis 101 and VPJ-2 #11 Chassis 102 Viceroy Specials
142
1974 Lola T-332 F-5000 #5 Viceroy Special
160
1974 Parnelli VPJ-3-101 #21 – American Racing Wheels Special
168
1974-75 Parnelli VPJ-4 #27 Formula One – Chassis 4/002
176
1975 Chevrolet Silverado VPJ-ORC-001 Off-Road Pickup Truck
186
1975-79 Parnelli VPJ-6, 6B, 6C, 6CT and VPJ Turbo Engine
194
A Decade of Diversity
I
n the mid-1950s, Vel Miletich, a Torrance, California Ford dealer,
had a vision to own a world-class racing team. About the same time,
in the same city, a young racecar driver named Parnelli Jones was
on a mission to compete at the highest level. Fate brought these two
extraordinary personalities together, forging a close bond that lasted for
over forty successful years. From the original sponsorship of Parnelli’s
humble early racing career, to the pinnacle of motorsports – back-to-back
Indianapolis 500 race wins and three consecutive United States Auto Club
National Championships – Vel Miletich and Parnelli Jones, and their
Vel’s Parnelli Jones (VPJ) Racing team of drivers, engineers, designers,
fabricators and mechanics dominated American automobile racing.
Miletich’s parents immigrated to the United States from Yugoslavia in
the 1920s. Their only son, Velco, was born in 1925. The family moved
to Torrance in the mid-1930s and ten-year-old Vel found odd jobs after
school in neighborhood car repair shops. He learned the merits of honesty
and hard work along the way, and discovered his passion for automobiles.
Vel graduated from Torrance High School in June 1942, joined the Army
Air Corps, and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II as an
aerial photographer. When the war ended he came home and went back
into the car business, but wearing a suit and tie. He went to work at the
Oscar Maples Ford dealership in Torrance, and became the company’s
manager. In 1954 he bought the dealership and then started his own stock
car racing team.
Rufus Parnell “Parnelli” Jones was born in 1933 in Texarkana, Arkansas.
He too moved to Torrance as a child, and at an early age he was rolling
cars in fields near his home, just like a movie stunt driver. In 1950, when
he was 17, Parnelli took part in his first car race, a stock car event on a
small dirt track in Los Angeles. For several years thereafter, he drove all
types of racecars, and on many occasions raced four and five times a week
throughout the nation. Midgets, sprint cars or stock cars, if it had wheels,
Parnelli drove it, and frequently won with it.
10
Vel and Parnelli first partnered in the middle ‘50s when Miletich supplied
Ford engines and bodies for Parnelli’s stock cars. Vel then built the sprint
cars that Jones drove to prominence on the Southern California dirt tracks.
He introduced Parnelli to JC Agajanian who took Parnelli into big league,
open cockpit racing.
In 1961, Jones was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year at the
famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Two years later, he won the 500 in
a roadster named “Ol’ Calhoun”, taking home the Borg Warner Trophy,
and in 1967, he came within three laps of winning Indy again, this time in
Andy Granatelli’s revolutionary turbine car.
Jones obtained a stake in Vel’s Ford dealership, and together they
developed a chain of Firestone Tire distributorships, ending up with
47 retail tire centers. With Miletich continuing to run his own racing
team, it was just a matter of time before Vel and Parnelli became joint
team owners.
The pair recruited the very best and brightest in motorsports to join
their team, and they developed many innovative engine and power train
Vel’s Parnelli Jones Driver Line-up
Mario Andretti – Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Danny Ongais – Costa Mesa, California
• 4-time National Driving Champion
• AHRA National Champion
• National Dirt Car Champion
• NHRA Division Champion
• World Driving Champion
• SCCA Division Champion
• Daytona 500 Winner
• Bonneville Record Holder
• Indianapolis 500 Winner
• 6 Championship Car Victories
• 52 Championship Car Victories
A. J. Foyt – Houston, Texas
Al Unser – Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Daytona 500 Winner
• National Driving Champion
• 24 hours of Le Mans Winner
• National Dirt Car Champion
• 7-time National Driving Champion
• 4-time Indianapolis 500 Winner
• 4-time Indianapolis 500 Winner
• 2-time Pocono Winner
• 3-time Pocono 500 Winner
• 2-time Ontario 500 Winner
• Ontario 500 Winner
• 39 Championship Car Victories
• 66 Championship Car Victories
Joe Leonard – San Jose, California
Parnelli Jones – Rolling Hills, California
• 2 -time National Driving Champion
• Midwest Sprint Car Champion
• 3-time AMA National Champion
• 2-time National Sprint Car Champion
• Pocono 500 Winner
• USAC National Stock Car Champion
• Ontario 500 Winner
• SCCA Trans Am Champion
• 6 Championship Car Victories
• 2-time Pike’s Peak Stock Car Champion
• 2-time Baja 1000 Winner
• Baja 500 Winner
• Indianapolis 500 Winner
• 6 Championship Car Wins
Car owner JC Agajanian smiles broadly while Parnelli Jones enjoys
the traditional drink of milk in the victory circle at Indy in 1963.
A ticket for the 1963 Indy 500
honoring the previous year’s
winner Rodger Ward.
RIGHT Elated Firestone
Racing Tire chief Bill
McCreary (left), car
owner JC Agajanian
(center), and driver
Parnelli Jones pose for
the traditional victory
photo in 1963.
BELOW Jubilant car owner JC Agajanian plants a congratulatory
kiss on Parnelli following his historic qualifying run breaking the 150
mph four lap average barrier.
COMPETITION RECORD
YEAR1964
MAKE
Lotus Ford
MODEL Type 34/3 Indy Car #6
NAME
Lotus Powered By Ford
DRIVER Jimmy Clark
Pole position/track record holder 1964 Indy 500
DRIVER Parnelli Jones
Pole position/track record holder/race winner 1964 Milwaukee 200
Pole position/track record holder 1964 Phoenix 150
Finished 2nd 1965 Indy 500
Pole position/track record holder/race winner 1965 Milwaukee 150
VPJ cars driven by Unser and Joe Leonard. In order to
achieve a better fuel mileage during the race, that extra
power had to be backed down, making the horsepower
of all the engines fairly equal. Unser therefore was able
to race near the front of the pack, and when Donohue
retired with gearbox problems, he took over the lead for
good, although Peter Revson in the McLaren factory car
made the race very interesting right to the end.
SPECIFICATIONS
1971 PJ Colt #1 Johnny Lightning
OVERALL LENGTH155.5”
OVERALL WIDTH69.0”
OVERALL HEIGHT38.5”
DRY WEIGHT
1450 lbs.
WHEELBASE98.0”
FRONT TRACK57.25”
REAR TRACK55.0”
ENGINE
Ford DOHC V8
DISPLACEMENT
159 cu. in.
TURBOCHARGERSchwitzer
FUEL INJECTIONBendix
IGNITIONMallory
HORSEPOWER
800 @ 9800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
4-spd. Hewland LG500
FUEL CAPACITY
75 US gals.
FUEL TYPEMethanol
CONSTRUCTION
Aluminum alloy monocoque
BODYWORK
Fiberglass and aluminum
1972 Parnelli VPJ-1 #1
Samsonite Special
Chassis 104 T
his is the racecar that carried Vel’s Parnelli Jones team driver Joe
Leonard to the USAC National Driving Championship for a second
time in 1972. The car was sponsored by Samsonite, the Coloradobased luggage giant, for a second year, and again was painted a bright
white, trimmed in blue and gold striping with the familiar “suitcase”
number boxes. The appearance of this car was embellished by the addition
of a huge Number 1 in those number boxes, traditionally assigned to the
National Champion.
This car and two other identical team cars in the VPJ stable were designed
by Maurice Phillippe, a Formula One designer who had worked for Colin
Chapman at Lotus. All three of these cars were extensively modified and
revised at various points during the year because of many new and untried
design and engineering concepts that did not function as planned.
The car was designed and built with a suspension geometry called “rising
rate”, and this type of suspension had not yet been tried on any Indy
racecar. The rising rate suspension was basically intended to stiffen the
springs when cornering at speed, and, in addition, down forces were
applied as the car went through the turns. Further, a double camber
compensator system was engineered for the rear suspension for the
purpose of automatically aligning both rear wheels to the correct camber,
when the car and suspension rolled as it negotiated a high-speed turn.
Adding to these features were the custom drive shafts, designed and
manufactured at great expense. These special shafts incorporated sliding
roller bearings in their lightweight housings, which were intended to
reduce friction as the rear-drive wheels moved up and down on the track.
Unfortunately the shafts could not be made to function as designed and
were replaced with conventional drive shafts.
It took time for the mechanics and drivers to obtain optimum performance
from this new suspension format. Like any new design concept, there
127
Driven by the talented and former
drag race champion Danny Ongais,
the VPJ Mustang Funny Car rockets
down the strip the way to
another victory.
Driver Danny Ongais and an
unidentified opponent in the far lane
prepare to face off in a run down
the quarter mile at the now defunct
Irwindale Raceway in 1974.
138
By early 1974, Andretti’s Formula One car was
progressing nicely and would be ready for testing in
the summer. Therefore the team marked the mid-Ohio
race in June as their debut Formula 5000 event. The
effort was headed by Jim Chapman, a highly respected,
experienced, and no nonsense leader whose handpicked team consisted of skilled professional mechanics
and fabricators, all imbued with the ability and desire to
field first class, reliable racecars.
The first of two T-332 rolling chassis was purchased
and delivered to the VPJ shop in Torrance where it was
race-prepared and made ready for its engine by Ryan
Falconer, the consummate engine builder and tuner at
the time. The T-332 monocoque chassis was constructed
of light gauge, aluminum alloy panels riveted together
with bulkheads and stiffeners, thereby reducing flexing.
Front suspension components were well placed,
consisting of upper and lower tubing wishbones coupled
to aluminum dampeners and coil over springs attached
to magnesium uprights. At the rear there was an upper
and lower link system with radius rods acting as trailing
links, all connected to magnesium uprights. The steering
utilized a rack and pinion set up with links extending
from the rack to the front uprights. The Lockheed
brake calipers and rotors were the largest that could
fit inside its wheels. The choice in wheel widths could
SPECIFICATIONS
1974 Lola T-332 Formula 5000
OVERALL LENGTH183.0”
OVERALL WIDTH83.0”
OVERALL HEIGHT50.0”
DRY WEIGHT
1470 lbs.
WHEELBASE102.0”
FRONT TRACK64.0”
REAR TRACK64.0”
ENGINE
Chevrolet rocker arm V8
DISPLACEMENT
305 cu. in.
TURBOCHARGERna
FUEL INJECTIONKinsler
IGNITION
Mallory or Vertex
HORSEPOWER
520 @ 8000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-spd. Hewland DGA
FUEL CAPACITY
30 US gals.
FUEL TYPE
High octane racing fuel
CONSTRUCTION
Aluminum alloy monocoque
BODYWORK
Fiberglass and aluminum
MIDDLE RIGHT Fast qualifiers and
teammates, Mario Andretti (right) and
Al Unser (left) lead the field at the start
of the F-5000 feature at Laguna Seca
Raceway in Monterey CA in 1975.
RIGHT Former World Champion and
VPJ Driver Mario Andretti in his Lola
T-332 No. 5 Viceroy Special leads
teammate Al Unser in the No. 51
Viceroy Lola.
the Formula 5000 series in 1976 to concentrate strictly
on Formula One, Unser carried on alone and won one
feature out of five events, four of his five heat races, was
fastest qualifier three times and had four feature podium
finishes.
Mario Andretti’s successful Number 5 Lola T-332
Viceroy special pictured here was sold to a vintage
racecar driver who completely restored it, and who now
garages it in Indiana.
A happy Mario Andretti walks in
front of teammate Al Unser’s
No. 51 Viceroy Lola.
the construction parameters of Firestone racing tires.
Converting to Goodyears – especially while away from
home base, and keeping the cars competitive – would
be difficult, if not impossible. The poor results shown in
those first three races made it plainly evident that much
more development work was needed. With Firestone out
of the picture, there was little or no budget to do so.
But the VPJ team was determined to persevere. In
spite of the lack of testing, they were largely able to
compensate for the change to Goodyear Tires. Better
than expected results evolved during the 1975 summer
racing season. Overall, the team participated in 17
Formula One events. Chassis 4/002 ended up being the
workhorse of the three cars, racing in 10 events. Chassis
4/001 raced in five events, and chassis 4/003 in two
events. At most races, two different chassis participated
in practice and qualifying, and the one that felt best – or
was faster – ended up being the car that raced. With
Andretti’s deft touch at the controls, the team was able to
finish in the points in several races, the best being a fine
third place at a rainy International Trophy Race at the
Brands Hatch in England. More high finishes included
a fourth place in Sweden – after a horrific practice crash
– and a hard-earned fifth at the French Grand Prix.
Enough points were scored, enabling the team to join
the exclusive Formula One Constructors Association
(FOCA), a feat in itself.
During their short careers, the cars competed at
the highest level of motorsports, undergoing many
modifications – some subtle, some dramatic. For
example, the cars were initially designed with a
streamlined, low air box just behind and above the
driver’s head. This design proved to be inefficient,
because the air flowing over and around the driver’s
helmet disturbed the air that was being directed into
184
the engine’s fuel injectors through the box. The solution
was to build and install a much higher air box, which
“rammed” air into the injectors, producing the desired
results: increased engine RPM’s and horsepower. Much
later, the torsion bar suspension was also replaced
with conventional coil over springs. From the outset,
the inboard front braking system, which reduced the
unsprung weight of the suspension, had numerous
failures which resulted in at least three retirements from
races, and ultimately caused Andretti to have concerns
regarding his safety. In Sweden, with during a practice
run, chassis 4/003 experienced front inboard brake
failure at the end of the fastest straightaway and crashed
heavily. The car was destroyed, but Andretti was not
injured. It was clear that the inboard braking system
had to be removed and replaced by a more conventional
setup. Prior to the next event in France, both remaining
chassis received a revised front brake system and no
further braking problems were encountered.
During the off-season, several modifications were made
to improve the team’s competitiveness, but to one car
only, due to budget constraints. So many more changes
and improvements were made (some due to new rules)
that chassis 4/002 was re-designated as chassis 4B/002,
painted blue and white, and used in VPJ’s final two
Formula One races. The lack of sponsorship resulted
in an aborted American effort to capture a world title.
If another sponsor could have been found, the results
might have been different.
Eventually, the crash damaged chassis 4/003 was sold
to a vintage racer, rebuilt, and raced again in vintage
events. Chassis 4B/002 was restored to perfection by
the Phil Reilly Company, and chassis 4/001, fully
restored, rests in the Indianapolis Speedway Hall of
Fame Museum.
Powering through a high
speed chicane is World
Champion Mario Andretti
driving a 1974-75 Parnelli
VPJ-4 Formula One car.
Italian Vittorio Brambilla in the
orange March, gives chase.
Ace American driver Mario
Andretti deftly approaches a
corner in the 1974-75 Parnelli
VPJ-4 Formula One car,
one of the few from the U.S.
to race on world
Grand Prix circuits.
Negotiating a corner in
the 1974-75 Parnelli VPJ4 is Mario Andretti, one of
America’s best-known and
talented drivers. Andretti
would later go on to win the
World Driving Championship
in a Lotus 78.
1975-79 Parnelli VPJ-6, 6B, C, CT and
VPJ Turbo Engine
I
n 1975, the Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing team – known for
developing cutting edge engineering technologies every
year, and in every racing series in which they participated –
produced a break-through in engine design.
For the past few seasons, the VPJ team had been using the
only engine available for Indy cars: the twin-cam, four-cylinder
Offenhauser, now outdated and unreliable. Additionally, USAC
had just ruled that all cars must achieve 1.8 miles per gallon
in a race, and to police this rule, teams would receive only a
certain amount of fuel for each race, depending on the length
of the race. A solution to the fuel mileage edict, as well as
the inconsistent quality and poor workmanship of even a new
Offenhauser engine, had to be found.
The project began with a casual “what if” conversation between
VPJ co-owners Vel Miletich and Parnelli Jones. The two took
their ideas to ace engine builder, Takeo “Chickie” Hirashima
at their team headquarters in Torrance shortly after the 1975
Indy 500. Their discussion led to the feasibility of converting
the super lightweight Cosworth Formula One engine into a
turbocharged Indy engine. Serious considerations were given to
how best to reduce the delicate 180 cu. in., Cosworth, normallyaspirated engine into a 159 cu. in. turbocharged powerhouse that
would last for 500 miles.
The Cars of
VEL MILETICH and
PARNELLI JONES
F
rom the original sponsorship of Parnelli Jones’ humble
early racing career, to the pinnacle of motorsports – backto-back Indianapolis 500 race wins and three consecutive
United States Auto Club National Championships – Vel Miletich
and Parnelli Jones and their Vel’s Parnelli Jones (VPJ) Racing
team of drivers, engineers, designers, fabricators and mechanics
dominated American automobile racing in the 1970s.
Dean Kirkland and Auto Effigies were commissioned to
photograph and produce this superb photographic history of the
VPJ team.
ISBN PUBLICATION DATE PAGE SIZE
PHOTOGRAPHS
PRICE
978-1-85443-262-9
May 2013
345mm x 230mm 204 pages
Hard cover with dust jacket
361 photographs
US$ /£
www.daltonwatson.com
[email protected]
+1 847 945 0568
Dalton Watson Fine Books
Photography by Dean Kirkland
Designed by Dean Kirkland and Ren Wicks, Jr.
Written by Jimmy Dilamarter and Ren Wicks, Jr.