Yellow Jacket or Wasp?... [PIC]

Howard Marmon, chief engineer and part owner of Marmon Motors, believed that a Marmon branded  race built for speed would help sell his passenger cars. Along with Ray Harroun, race driver and constructor (oddly, he's feted for the invention of the rear view mirror), they built this 6 cylinder racer a good year before the Indianapolis Motor Speedway laid down the 3.2 million bricks to be known as the "brickyard". The 2200 lb car was given the aerodynamic features that would prove to be a winner. To narrow the body, it was limited to a single seat eliminating the mechanic/ oiler /lookout's seat (replacing him with the rear view mirror). A tapered "stinger" tail with vertical was fabricated again for aerodynamics. . In 1910, it achieved multiple prestigious victories including the Vanderbuilt Cup. The press, looking at the car's shape and yellow and black colors referred to the Marmon as the "Yellow Jacket" or the "Wasp". It seems the "Wasp" moniker stuck. Entering the inaugural 1911 500 with Ray Harroun the main driver, it won the race in 6 hrs 42 min and 8 seconds. The car exists today in the Indy museum.

Model by Replicarz.