1931 Duesenberg Cummins Diesel Indy Racer Boattail Racer

Taking advantage of revised rules which encouraged a return to racing of regular automobile manufacturers and production-based vehicles, the Cummings Engine Company of Columbus, Indiana, fielded a diesel-powered car in the 1931 Indianapolis 500. Housed in a specially-built, shortened Duesenberg Type A chassis, the 360 cubic-inch, four-cylinder Cummins Diesel was able to complete the entire 500 miles without making a single pit stop.

Driver Dave Evans (a veteran of three Indy 500s) and riding mechanic Thane Houser completed the marathon in five hours and 48 minutes at an average speed of 86.170 mph. It was the first car to run the entire Indianapolis 500 race nonstop; it started 17th on the grid and finished in 13th position with an average speed of 86.107 mph, consuming just over 30 gallons of diesel fuel. The man responsible for the project was Clessie Cummins, the founder of Cummins Diesel Engines of Columbus, Indiana; he commissioned August Duesenberg to modify the Model A passenger car chassis to accommodate the 85 horsepower, 4-cylinder Cummins Model U marine engine. The finished car weighed over 3,380 pounds and was the second heaviest on the grid, but it still managed a top speed of 96.871 mph.

In 1931, Chessie Cummins drove this car on Daytona Beach setting the record for a diesel-powered car of just over 100 mph.