At the start I was right beside a boy from the dirt tracks who had never driven Indianapolis before. I deliberately dropped behind on the first and second laps to see how he handled the car, and it was lucky I did because he went into a spin and hit the wall.

I had every confidence in my Studebaker…I’m 41 years old and no chicken, but my Studebaker handled so easily I could have driven it 1500 miles instead of 500. I had a little racing special a few years ago that wore me out at 200 miles. Like Cliff Bergere’s car (the #22 Studebaker Special), #37 used only two quarts of oil for the full distance.”

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I knew after the first few laps of the race that the terrific pace the leaders were setting would soon wear out most of the cars so I chose to hold my average speed within striking distance and made a definite bid for a formidable position later on.

In the 59th lap, the right rear tire blew out and I skidded in front of Billy Arnold who went over the fence, and out. Later one of my rear tires blew out and threw me into another skid. This is the time I came into the pits with the tire on fire, laying down a screen of smoke, which fortunately was quickly blown off the track.

I wasn’t in the money (top ten) until the 350 mile mark. At 450 miles, the records show that I had climbed to sixth place. Then, on the 192nd lap, with but twenty miles to the checkered ag, another tire failed as I was going into the south turn. My car skidded dangerously and smacked the wall. I felt darned bad about that, but it was just one of those things. I can’t say too much for that car – it was running perfectly when I crashed and I know I could have gone another 500 miles. And it only used two quarts of oil for the entire race. All during the race, I felt that if my tires
would stand the terrific wear, I could finish well up among the leaders, for that husky President motor never missed a tick.”

-Peter Kreis, on racing the #18 car in the 1932 ‘500. He finished 12th.

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Studebaker returned to the Indy 500 in 1933 with the same five-car team it had in 1932. Four of the five cars received new bodies that were developed with the aid of wind-tunnel testing at the University of Michigan. The engines received some minor tweaks and were relocated in the chassis for better weight distribution but little else was changed. The Studebaker team stuck to its conservative 1932 race strategy, summed up in a company publication as, “Bring ‘em home ahead, if you can, but bring ‘em home!”

The 1933 race was an accident-filled affair. Thankfully, the Studebaker team’s tire problems from 1932 had been solved and none of the Studebaker Specials experienced any mechanical calamities. In the end, only 14 of the 42 entrants completed the full 500 miles – five of those fourteen were the Studebakers. Tony Gulotta in the #34 car (on display) finished a team-best 7th, while the rest of the squad finished in places 9-12.

1933 was the Studebaker Corporation’s last foray into factory-backed competitive racing. The company entered receivership just two months prior to the race. The decision was made to go ahead with the 1933 campaign in large part to keep the Studebaker name in the public eye. Although the Studebaker factory team would not return for 1934, privately-entered Studebaker powered cars continued to compete at the 500 into the late 1930s. The last appearance of a Studebaker-powered entry at the Indianapolis 500 was 1939.

THE 1933 STUDEBAKER INDIANAPOLIS 500 RACING TEAM

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Buoyed by the success of the privately-entered Studebaker-powered racers at the 1931 Indianapolis 500, the Studebaker Corporation fielded a factory-backed five-car team for the 1932 Indy 500. The Studebaker cars were patterned after the Hunt Special and featured chassis and bodies built by Indianapolis race car builder Herman Rigling. Most of the remaining components came from Studebaker’s parts bins – the engine came from the President and the brakes came from the Studebaker Six. Studebaker claimed the cars were “85% stock” and internal memos show they cost just $3,500 each to build.

The Studebaker team’s race strategy emphasized finishing the race above going all-out for a victory. The company’s publicity emphasized the value of the race as an engineering exercise and touted Studebaker’s ruggedness and durability. Still, there was no denying the fact that the Studebaker team was very competitive – the cars and drivers were more than capable of winning the race. It was simply a matter of how the race would play out.

Tire difficulties plagued the team, as blowouts caused unscheduled stops and Luther Johnson and Tony Gulotta’s mounts each lost wheels during the race. The cumulative damage to Johnson’s and Gulotta’s cars eventually put them out of the contest. Peter Kreis and the #18 car (on display) retired due to an accident on the 192nd lap. Cliff Bergere finished the 500 miles in 3rd place, and Zeke Meyer in the #37 car finished 6th.

The 1932 Studebaker Indianapolis 500 Racing team

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Through much of the 1920s, the ‘500 was dominated by expensive purpose-built race cars. In fact,Studebaker sponsored one such entry in 1924. Increasing costs led to fewer and fewer entries as the 1920s progressed, leading race organizers to enact drastic rule changes for the 1930 contest.  The new rules outlawed superchargers, increased maximum engine displacement from 91 to 366 cubic inches, and reinstated the riding mechanic. The rule changes encouraged the use of production-based engines, such as the Studebaker President’s 336.7 cubic inch inline eight.

Two private parties entered the 1930 race with President-powered race cars. The “Russell 8” was constructed by Detroit-based Russell Snowberger, and the “ROMTHE Special” was built by a group of Studebaker engineers. The ROMTHE Special (named for the initials of its builders) retired on the 112 lap due to a ruptured fuel tank, but the Russell 8 finished an impressive 8th overall.

The two cars returned for the 1931 ‘500, this time joined by a third Studebaker-powered entry, the “Hunt Special.” The car was named for and built by Studebaker’s Supervisor of Testing George Hunt. The car was not officially sanctioned by Studebaker, but was built at Studebaker’s facilities as an “off books” project. The Hunt Special was very similar to the other two cars, but featured a chassis built by noted Indianapolis race car builder Herman Rigling and certain other detail differences. As for the race itself, The Russell 8 grabbed the pole position and finished 5th, the Hunt Special briefly held the lead before crashing late in the race, and the ROMTHE Special renamed the Richards Special for 1931, also crashed near the end of the race.

The success of the Studebaker-powered racers in 1930 and 1931 led to a full-fledged factory backed effort in 1932. Using the Hunt Special as a template, Studebaker built four additional racers for the 1932 race and fielded a five-car team. All five cars finished the race, with the #22 car driven by Cliff Bergere finishing a team best 3rd. The Studebaker team returned for 1933 with four of the cars featuring new streamlined bodies. The #34 car driven by Tony Gulotta finished a team best 7th, and the lowest finish was a mere 12th.

The 1933 race was the last Studebaker race at the Brickyard. The company entered receivership in March of that year, and its racing program was a casualty of its financial situation. The Studebaker team cars were sold off, although some continued to compete privately at the ‘500 into the late 1930s. All but one of the factory team cars is accounted for today.

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The 1929 race was paced by a 1929 President Roadster driven by Studebaker engineer George Hunt. The actual pace car was finished in special two-tone paint – black hood and fenders with an aluminum colored body. Following the race, Studebaker produced 30 replicas of the President pace car for sale to the general public. None are known to survive today. The 1940 Indianapolis 500 marked one of the few times a closed car was used for pace car duties. A 1940 Champion Club Sedan was selected. In accordance with a practice begun with the 1936 500, the race winner was awarded the pace car. In 1940, Wilbur Shaw took home the maroon Champion for his victorious effort.

In 1952, Studebaker marked its Centennial. Race weekend that year was a celebration of Studebaker’s 100th birthday. Studebaker brought most if its museum to the Speedway and hosted several special events throughout the weekend. The company paraded its museum vehicles around the track prior to the race. All of the operable vehicles were driven, while the horsedrawn vehicles were placed on floats. A Commander Convertible served as the pace car and was driven by Studebaker executive P. O. Petersen. Race winner Troy Ruttman earned the keys to the Commander.

Two different Studebakers served as pace cars for the 1962 contest. Studebaker’s new Avanti served as the “honorary” pace car while a Lark Daytona Convertible handled the actual pace car duties. The Daytona was driven by 500 veteran Sam Hanks. The Avanti, the 34th one produced, was awarded to winner Rodger Ward. As a special tribute, two of the original Studebaker Specials returned to the Speedway – the #22 car and the #34 car then owned by Brooks Stevens.

In addition to the pace cars, Studebaker supplied numerous “festival” cars to the 500 for the 1952 and 1962 races. In 1952, twenty-two Commanders, three Champions, three R5 1/2 tons, and one R10 were supplied for the race, and in 1962, thirty four Lark convertibles were sent for the race weekend, plus four identical Lark Daytona Convertibles equipped for pace car duty. The whereabouts of these cars today is unknown.

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Footage from the 1962 Indianapolis 500

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