And How! is a new regular feature in VeloceToday, just right for those stories which are too short or too little or news items that don’t qualify as full length articles.
Ferrari’s Bad Day at Indy
Photos courtesy of Dale LaFollette
Motor Racing June 1956: “The two most interesting entries for Indianapolis in 1956 are the Ferraris. Bardahl’s six cylinder experimental car, entered by Bardhal Lubricants, Florence, Italy, with Farina driving, and the 12 cylinder-engined Ferrari Special, entered by Mrs. Marion Chinetti, of New York, the driver of which has not been nominated.”
Farina must qualify and have to pass his Novice Driver’s test and his car will have to carry three stripes on its tail until he has successfully passed the test. Here Farina is seen in the old V12.
Motor Racing July 1956: “So, the foreign challenge came to nothing and Offenhauser Kurtis won the 1956 Indianapolis 500 mile race. This year there was some added interest in the prospects for this year’s race because it was thought there was at last a real threat from Europe. Hopes were high, as Bardhal had gone to a great deal of trouble and made a determined effort to produce a car, in conjunction with Ferrari and the Maserati brothers, using the Kurtis chassis.
Farina getting ready to try to qualify the Kurtis Ferrari Maserati OSCA.
“Farina, however, was not the wisest choice of drivers, however, he passed his rookie test with the old 4.5 liter V12 car that had failed to qualify in 1954. After Farina had completed the required number of laps at 125 mph, he was seen to be studying a large chart which several thought to be some sort of a lap table for the race. On closer inspection, we found it was sailing table for boats to Italy.”
The Bardahl car has an American Kurtis-Kraft chassis, and a 4.4 liter six cylinder Ferrari engine.
The Bardahl Kurtis Ferrari Maserati OSCA failed to qualify, as it could not muster up enough horsepower and was even slower than the old V12. “Too much spaghetti, not enough sauce,” it was said, and so ended the 1956 European Indy attempt.
Our thanks to Dale LaFollette at Vintage Motorphoto for the use of these images. To visit his site, click below.
