1962 Mickey Thompson Harvey Aluminum Special

Mickey Thompson brought three cars to Indianapolis in 1962, all powered by rear-mounted stock block Buick V8 engines. The main car, number 35, failed to qualify, but the number 34 driven by Dan Gurney, did. After qualifying, the colors of the car were changed from white with a dark blue nose to 'The Mickey Thompson Harvey Aluminum Special' blue with white front style of the 35 car. Although Gurney was just a rookie, he qualified with the seventh-fastest time at 147.886 MPH.

Marian Lee 'Mickey' Thompson was an innovative designer, car builder, and successful race car driver. He held several acceleration records and won numerous Off Road races.

After building up his business - which included rod and custom shows, and high-performance components for American passenger and racing cars - Thompson made several appearances at the Indianapolis 500 in cars of his own creation. His list of vehicles included the Harvey Aluminum Special and the Sears Thompson Allstate Special. The best outcome for the team was by rookie Al Miller with a ninth-place finish in 1963.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2011