1968 Lotus Type 56

Before high-horsepower jet turbine engines were banned, a short run of race cars were built and showcased the tremendous potential of the platform. Among these cars were the 1968 Lotus 56 which was built specifically for the Indianapolis 500 before being briefly modified for use in Formula 1 competition.

Andy Granatelli, a former racer turned businessman, saw the potential of the turbine engines, which offered nearly 900 pound-feet of torque from a dead stop. Using a Pratt & Whitney ST-6 turbine engine, Granatelli and his brothers built race car under the Paxton Products Company banner, with sponsorship from STP. It raced at the 1967 Indy 500, where Parnelli Jones led the race for 171 laps with the car before a gearbox failure forced his retirement during lap 197. With traditional internal-combustion engines on the verge of being obsolete, the USAC officials reacted predictably, and limited the amount of horsepower a turbine engine coupe produce for the 1968 season.

Not dismayed, Granatelli collaborated with Team Lotus, with backing from STP Oil Treatment, for a 1968 turbine car. Again, PT-6 engines were sourced, this time they were de-tuned to product about 500 horsepower. New bodywork was developed by Lotus designer Maurice Phillippe. It was a wedge-shaped open-wheel design that would introduce a new wave of design for future race cars, including the majority of Formula 1 designs.

Lotus built four examples of the 56, with three cars entered in the 1968 Indianapolis 500 and one serving as a back-up car. As the date of the Indy 500 approached, both Jim Clark and Mike Spence perished behind the wheel within a month of each other. American drivers Joe Leonard and Art Pollard were recruited as late substitutes for Team Lotus. They joined the 1966 Indy 500 winner, Graham Hill, who was to drive car number 70, chassis number 56-3.

During Hill's qualifying run, he set a new speed record in 56-3, with an average speed of 171.208 (only to be outdone by Leonard's average of 171.559 mph). The times run by the two Lotus cars earned them pole-position starts, the first for a turbine powered car at the Indianapolis 500.

On lap number 110, this car - chassis number 56-3 - lost a wheel and backed into the wall during a turn. This left the two other Lotus cars to contest the race. Both cars were eventually side-lined due to broken fuel shafts, a result of overheated gases that accumulated in the turbines during the extended low-speed caution flag. Even though all three cars failed to complete the race, the car driven by Leonard had led for 31 laps and was vying for the lead when his car #60 failed after 1919 laps, just nine laps from the finish.

After the 1968 Indy 500, chassis number 56-3 was never raced again. It was put on display at the STP headquarters for several years before given to NASCAR legend Richard Petty. It remained in his collection for 15 years before it was sold to the current caretaker, who commissioned a ground-up restoration by Clive Chapman of Classic Team Lotus (the son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman), and Vince Granatelli, the son of Andy Granatelli.

After the work was completed, it appeared at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a reunion with the two other Lotus turbine cars from the 1968 Indy 500. Mario Andretti and Vince Granatelli drove the other two cars on demonstration laps, while Parnelli Jones drove chassis number 56-3. After the demonstration, the Lotus was put on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

Also in 2014, at the International Historic Motoring Awards, the car was nominated for Car of the year.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2016

This Gas Turbine was one of three Turbine cars that came about in 1968, when the flamboyant STP entrepreneur Andy Grantelli received so much publicity for the 'Silent Sam' Turbine that Parnelli Jones drove in 1967. These cars were built more conventional, with the engine behind the driver in the center of the chassis. These were the first cars with the aerodynamic wedge shape, rather than the tube shape of most mid-engine cars.

In 1968, Graham Hill qualified at 171.208 which started him in 2nd place on the line. He was in 4th place when the right rear suspension broke causing him to spin into the wall out of the 2nd turn. He finished in 19th place with 110 laps completed. This was the last race for the Lotus #70 Turbine.