the Marmon "Yellow Jacket"?... [PIC]

Well, that was the first name of this race car that became better known as the Marmon "Wasp". This was the result of a collaboration between Ray Harroun and Howard Marmon and, historically, it won the first Indy 500 in 1911. This car had many innovations that made it a winner. It was the first single seater racer that disposed of the mechanic that would keep the engine oiled, thus saving weight. The rear view mirror was something new and it helped replace the mechanics other function as lookout. The wheels were suspended by shock absorbers to help stability on dirt roads and the surface vagaries of Indy'd brick track. The single seat configuration allowed a slimmer, more aerodynamic shape along with the 'wasp' tail. The aft vertical stabilizer was Harroun's idea as he was also flying monoplanes at that time. Harroun determined that keeping his speed below 80 mph would prevent tire failures. So, in the whole rave, he only had to change two tires. The runner up, for example, went through 14 tire changes. Harroun retired from racing after the Indy and with Marmon continued making high end passenger cars until 1933 when the Depression finally took its toll.