1963 Watson Indy Roadster Roadster

A.J. Watson first came to Los Angeles during World War II as a navigator with the Eighth Army Air Force, and returned to California after the war. He went to work on the assembly line at Lockheed Aircraft, but after seeing his first race at Bonelli Stadium in nearby Saugus in 1947, his life changed forever. In 1950, he arrived at the track in Indianapolis as a mechanic, and, two years later, he had built a car for the big race. Eventually, his innovative designs would prove to be the dominant cars in the series, winning the Indy 500 in 1959-60, 1962 and 1963. When A.J. Foyt recorded the last 500 victory for a front-engined car in 1964, he too, was driving a Watson Roadster. This example was built by Watson in 1963, and was driven by Roger McCluskey. Built with a tube-frame chassis, the car has a net weight of 1,550 pounds, and is powered by a 450-horsepower Meyer-Drake Offenhauser engine. Watson eventually built a total of 23 Roadsters.

This roadster was built for the 1963 Indy 500, and was driven by Roger McCluskey who qualified the #14 in 14th position. McClusky led four laps during the first half of the '63 '500.' With just five miles to go McClusky had worked his way back to third place. But he spun on lap 198 (of 200) and was classified a disappointing 15th. Watson was the dominant species of roadster for the 1963 Indy 500; fourteen Watson's started the 46th '500.' But the new rear-engine cars had arrived in force. Indy's stylish and romantic 'Roadster Era' had just one more year to live.