Big Car
Chassis #: 75
After World War I, the Marchese brothers operated an auto repair shop and, over time, continually added machine tools, eventually resulting in a race car shop. By the 1930s, they had become a racing dynasty in the Milwaukee area. Along with building racers, they also raced them. Carl proved his abilities by winning at local tracks. In 1929 he drove a Miller to a fourth-place finish in his inaugural appearance at the Indianapolis 500. Tudy was a skilled machinist and Tom was equally as skilled as a promoter. Their shop became famous for its creativity and innovation, including being one of the first to take advantage of tubing for frame rails. They also developed lightweight center-lock magnesium wheels.In 1938, Carl and Tudy Marchese built their first 'Big Car' as their entrant to the Indianapolis 500 that year. It was powered by an eight-cylinder Miller engine cooled by two radiators mounted in side pods and sitting in a chassis created from round tubes. By positioning the radiators in the side pods, the frontal area was able to be made narrow, giving them an aerodynamic advantage at top speeds. The car was driven by Harry McQuinn who qualified the car in the 25th position and finished the race in 7th.By 1940 a number of changes and improvements had been made to the car. It was now fitted with a supercharger. It was brought to Indianapolis driven by both Tony Willman and Harry McQuinn but did not make the race. The following year Paul Russo qualified the car in 18th position and finished 9th overall.
Racing was halted during the Second World War, but when it came to an end, racing resumed. The car was brought to the first post-War Indy 500 and was joined by many prewar cars. The field was mixed, with a variety of styles and configurations, one even sporting a V16 engine. The Marchese still had its 8-cylinder Miller engine but featured a restyled nose and grille. The car was driven by Tony Bettenhausen who qualified the car at 121.860 mph but not started the race as the car was withdrawn.
By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007
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