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Lotus Ford Type 34 – Chassis # 2 - History Lotus built three cars for the Indy 500 in 1964, all three were entered by the works team. All three cars were used in practice. Jim Clark raced Chassis #1 in the race that year, earning the pole with a speed 7 mph faster than the lap record. Gurney started 6th in Chassis #3. This car, chassis #2, was the team backup car and did not run the 1964 Indy 500 although both Clark and Gurney drove it in practice for that race. Clark had a mechanical failure and only completed 47 laps and Gurney only finished 110 laps. For the 1965 Indy 500 Parnelli Jones had 34/1 and A J Foyt had this car, 34/2. Foyt put this car on the pole with a track record speed of 161.9 mph edging out Jim Clark in the newer Lotus Type 38. After running first or second much of the race Foyt retired with gearbox problems on lap 115. Jim Clark went on to win the 1965 Indy 500. That type 38 is in the Henry Ford Museum. Parnelli still has his Type 34. Foyt went on to win 5 USAC races in 1965 and finish 2nd in the championship to Mario Andretti. He won the Trenton 150, the Trenton 200 and Phoenix in this chassis. He was on the pole in an amazing 10 of the 18 USAC events that year. He retired the car at the end of the year and it never raced again. He brought the car with a fresh Ford 4 Cam Indy motor to his famous “Garage Sale” at Indy in 1992 and sold it at auction to me. The car is exactly as it was on that day and it comes with several spare parts we purchased at that same auction. |