Granatelli's Dilemma

After battling against all the odds (in the form of U.S.A.C.’s constantly changing rules), Granatelli has temporarily given up on turbine-powered cars and has signed an agreement with Plymouth to use 5.25-litre stock block Plymouth engines in two new four-wheel-drive cars he is preparing for this year’s Indianapolis 500. The cars will use the suspension system from the Lotus turbine cars he ran last year, but the monocoque chassis, body and transmission will be new. Asked why he had chosen Plymouth engines, Granatelli took a good humoured crack at U.S.A.C. when he explained: “If I bought an Offy, they’d ban them. If I bought a Ford, they’d ban them. If I bought both an Offy and a Ford, I’d end auto racing!”