1968 Lotus 56
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney ST6N-74 gas turbine, ~500 bhp, single-speed direct-drive planetary gearbox, four-wheel drive
The Lotus 56 (chassis 56-3) is one of four gas-turbine, four-wheel-drive wedge-shaped racers built for the 1968 Indianapolis 500, representing a brief but influential moment when turbine power nearly transformed top-level motorsport. Driven by Graham Hill, the car qualified on the front row and set a speed record before retiring after 110 laps with a wheel failure. Never raced again after that event, it passed through STP corporate display and then Richard Petty's personal collection before undergoing a supervised ground-up restoration, after which it reunited with the other surviving Lotus 56s at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$900,000 – US$1,200,000
- 1968 → 1968Factory deliveryAndy Granatelli / Paxton Products Companypartial documentation
Car was commissioned and entered at Indianapolis under STP sponsorship; following the race it was retained and displayed at STP corporate headquarters for some years.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownRichard Pettypartial documentation
The NASCAR champion held the car in his private collection for approximately fifteen years before selling it to the current vendor.
- Date unknownPrivate saleCurrent consignorpartial documentation
Commissioned a comprehensive restoration overseen by Clive Chapman of Classic Team Lotus and Vince Granatelli, returning the car to its original 1968 race appearance.
Competition
- 1967USAC Championship Trail1967 Indianapolis 500Driver: Parnelli JonesRtd — gearbox failure on lap 197
Jones led 171 laps in the STP-sponsored turbine car before mechanical failure ended the run; this earlier car (not chassis 56-3) prompted USAC to restrict turbine specifications for the following season.
- 1968USAC Championship Trail1968 Indianapolis 500Driver: Graham Hill19th — retired after wheel loss, lap 110
Hill set a qualifying speed record of 171.208 mph and started from the front row; the car struck the wall after shedding a wheel at lap 110. The other two Lotus 56 entries also retired with broken fuel shafts.
- 20142014 International Historic Motoring AwardsNominated for Car of the Year
- 2014Indianapolis Motor Speedway reunion demonstrationDriver: Parnelli Jones
All three surviving 1968 Lotus turbine cars were reunited; Jones drove chassis 56-3 in a demonstration run before a large crowd, while Mario Andretti and Vince Granatelli piloted the other two cars.
- 20142014 Quail Motorsports GatheringOctane magazine Editor's Choice Award
Event held in Carmel Valley, California; the car received the editorial award from Octane magazine.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2014RestorationClassic Team Lotus
Complete ground-up restoration returning the car to its 1968 race livery, encompassing both mechanical rebuilding and cosmetic refurbishment.
Work was jointly supervised by Clive Chapman of Classic Team Lotus and Vince Granatelli, son of Andy Granatelli, and was commissioned by the consignor.
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