1978 McLaren M24B Monopoto

McLaren M24B chassis number 001 was the backup car for Johnny Rutherford's 1979 Indianapolis 500 run. During the 1979 CART season, Rutherford drove both M24Bs (chassis 001 and 002) and finished 4th in the Indy Car Series standings. In the sister car, McLaren and Rutherford won both races of the Gould Twin Dixie 125 in Atlanta, along with an 18th at Indianapolis after gear trouble took him out of contention.

Chassis 001 placed 15th at the Trenton Speedway race (Trenton Twin Indy) in June of 1979, followed by a 3rd place finish at the second race. It was the backup car for the Michigan International Speedway race in July and finished 5th at the Ditzler 150 at the Trenton Speedway in August. It placed 4th in September at the Gould Grand Prix at the Michigan International Speedway, its last competitive outing. It was the backup car at Rich's Atlanta Classic and the Miller High Life 150.

At the end of the 1979 season, the car was painted in McLaren Orange and used for promotional material for the McLaren Mustang in 1981. It then entered private hands where it would remain for approximately two decades.

Steve Roby, Rutherford's Indy crew chief, later discovered the car, which was still finished in orange. Rutherford acquired his former car from the first private owner, a Huntington, Indiana collector. The car received mechanical attention and sorting and the car was repainted back to its Budweiser livery by A.J. Foyt.

Until recently, the car has remained in Mr. Rutherford's collection.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2017