What better way to brighten up a dreary November than the sight of three day-glo orange Lotus Type 56’s in formation?
Brought to you with very kind permission from the good people at Classic Team Lotus, this was taken at this year’s Indy 500 and captures the moment when Indy legends Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones and Vince Granatelli delighted the 300,000 strong crowd with a parade lap in these revolutionary, gas turbine powered cars.
The story was covered by TLF here earlier in the year but this shot featuring three of the four cars that raced in the 1968 Indy 500 is the stuff of legend. You can find Classic Team Lotus’s article here plus a further video of the event here.
Mario Andretti, driving the 20 car, needs no introduction. In 1968, Parnelli Jones (seen here driving the 70 car) headed a super-roster of drivers signed by Andy Granatelli to drive STP branded Lotus 56 turbine cars in an unprecedented single-team assault on the Indy 500. Andy’s son Vince is driving the 60 car – which was put on pole by Joe Leonard who later retired from the lead on lap 190, just 9 laps from the end, in the 1968 race.
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If you’d like a picture considered for our PoTM features, details and an upload gallery can be found here and you can view the full Picture of The Month archive here.
Many thanks again to Classic Team Lotus for their permission.
