I was there at the 100th running of the Indy 500 in 2016 and, with a seat near the first turn, was lucky enough to be able to walk across to Gasoline Alley before the race. There, in one of the near garages, was a group of the Cummins diesel race cars from the 50's with #28 shining in all her glory! The docent (might have been Mr. Watson!) was keeping a close eye on the crowd as I marveled at this vehicle. He saw me drooling and asked if I knew what I was looking at. I promptly replied, "The pole sitter for the 1952 Indy 500!" He sais, "I think you DO know." and kindly pulled the barrier away, allowing myself, my wife, and my daughter to come in for a closer look. What a beauty! This car was a true work of art, especially for the 1950's! Seeing #28 and seeing Jim Clark's #82 from 1965 were the highlights of the day...along with the race, of course!
This car is what INDY was , innovation, raw mechanical power. I sure wish there was still a racing series where you can run anything you build. This is a fabulous historical treasure. I bet driving her is just magical, sure put a smile on his face. Thank you for posting this.
The 1950 #61 Cummins Special was built by my Grandfather Boots Gressel and now sits in the Indy Museum I have a Picture of him standing in the museum by the car and I have it in my office to remind myself to work hard and dream big :)
This car is LEGEND in Columbus, IN. Used to see it in parades as a kid. There is also a famous Auburn sedan running a Cummins Diesel that is displayed from time to time.
yes the one from 1929? I was at the auburn acd museum this very day this fateful day that is the last of the 12 days of Christmas known as epiphany or three kings day for the magi, and also the year anniversary of that dark day when the capital was raided, anyway read about the Cummins special it finished 13th and had such high efficiency it finished the ENTIRE RACE 500 at indy on one tank of fuel. it really put their name out there, turns out yes It was gotten from Auggie Duisenberg in the auburn automotive company number 8 I belive it was its in the speedway museum and each of the four cylinders were individual, the guy at the front desk of the Museum was like Oh Wow for the fact it was one of the auburn automotive companies cars. I was there trying to see if maybe they had an old offy powered racecar on display or the marman meteor1 or 3 but not this time for the meteor they do have race cars though, was curious how high they rode off the ground as they of course also raced that style on big dirt tracks and was said the new mid engines that now rule indy are too low to run dirt anymore hence the slight height of the usac silver crowns which are the modern incarnations of the old small block long cowl racing roadsters and that hight in question was about 8 inches to a foot off the ground by the space of his hands I estimated. though about the only thing they have in common is they are both front engine and have the huge rear tank with the vane along the top, and they kind of have a similar side view from a distance they are square nosed though vs the cigar or rocket shape of the old origional champ cars. and they run a larger engine now though still not the huge 410 the sprints run, but they still have more power then the modern nascars and I bet if you ran them on the same track they would be just as fast though they have 750 ish hp now and are lighter then nascars and though huge on a big track thats over a mile can get up to 175 miles per hour though built for differant things then the nascars which do have models for super speedways champ car silver crowns do not though they toyed with the notion for a time. its ok though I like the gutteral throaty sound of the champ cars any day to nascar though I will still occasionally watch.
The dcar was pulled due to a broken suspension part, NOT due to tire debris in the intake. Chessie Cummins did not want to bad mouth Kurtis Kraft. It is in the Cumins news letter.I have a copy.
Fascinating. Wow, I'd heard that when they did the mechanical restoration that they found a crack in the crankshaft that would have side lined the car shortly thereafter.
I hear what you mean. If you didn’t know, you would think it was just another truck starting up. Kinda made it surreal hearing that noise out of that kind of car. Very cool!
It look like Indy came off very good this year 2019. Congratulations to all that made it happen. That said, I am still old school and liked the racing sport when it had diversity. At Indy. 255 cu. in. race engines, 170 cu. in. race engines supercharged. 300 cu. in. Stock block and 400 cu. in. diesel. All running together. What a show.
There was a trade-off for the diesel Cummins Curtiss Special, it didn't have to pit stop for fuel as often as it's gas powered rivals but because it's heavier it had to pit stop for tire changes more often.
Also the only Diesel powered car to qualify for a round of the F1 world championship - the Indy 500 was a qualifying round from 1950 to 1960, hence the appearance of Ferrari and Ascari (as mentioned in the vid).
and look at diesels now. making 3000HP and going 6's in the quarter mile. even conquering pikes peak. that shows a diesel(even power stroke. GMC detroit diesel, and duramax) are not to be sneezed at. these engines were always ahead of their time because of their thermal efficiency. even F1 and indy car engines struggle today because they are trying to match a diesel engine but be way higher revving
Weighed 900-1100 lbs more than most of the Indy cars of that era and ate those narrow tires for lunch. But having Freddy at the wheel was huge plus. He had a widespread rep for being the most mechanically articulate driver of his time and was often asked or hired to consult on cars other than the one's he drove in the race from the late '40s to the mid-'50s. George Salih later copied the layover engine scheme and won the 1957 and '58 500s with Sam Hanks and Jimmy Bryan at the wheel of the much smaller, Offy-propelled Belond Exhaust Special.
Better NYLON corded tires would have made a big difference in durability.... Cotton/Rayon cords were just not up to the power, torque & weight of this beast! J.C.
They really should have a nascar level that Diesel engines. I don’t think they realize how many folks would watch that. Diesel engines burn cleaner, I think they sound better, and they last longer than most gassers. That’s if it has proper services and if they’ve built the engine in anyway to substitute for adding the cold air intake, tuner, or studding the 6.0’s.
freddie agabashian was the driver. a very supersticious man, the prototype was green, and the story goes he refused to drive it until the green was washed away.
The design team really hit a homerun. Lower profile and offset C.G. allowed them to run with the other cars despite being 30% heavier which is why the tires were not holding up well and clogging up the turbo with debris.
After Setting the valve lash and ..."Adjusting the injectors???" How do you adjust injectors? That sounds like.... "And after putting air in the tires and making sure the air was rotated properly, she rolled smooth as silk"
@@drd1924 From what I have seen....The system is similar to the 2-Stroke Detroit Diesels...Mechanical Unit Injectors...Which on a 2-stroke, have the same injection frequency at 2250RPM as this Cummins does at 4500...The Detroit style, MUI injection system is "Fast Enough" to allow most 4-Stroke diesels to spin 6000+ RPM...Far faster than the average internals can handle.
Well i got off my lazy ass and discovered Cummins power had been used several times beginning in 1931-3 -5 and 1950. The early models were used in Duesenberg racing chassis 85 hp 4cyl. 251 cu. in. In 1950 /52 380hp 401 cu.in.
This was when Indy was exciting! Car owners were able to bring their innovations to the track and test them. Now it's a cookie cutter race....same chassis, two engines. Everybody get in line an go in circles!!! BORING! Thanks Indy Car League for making Indy another corporate shit sandwich !!
so if all the cars / engine are the same, and the are all flat out around the track, why are some faster, some slower and some not make the race at all?. To be a fan today, you just can't sit back, you have to look and understand the differences. And with all of that, the actual racing has never been better. The 2019 Indy race showed that a driver pushing to win, the entire race can indeed come home first.
@@johnt.randall9526 After sitting on the pole for the '52 Indy 500, Freddie only completed 71 of the 200 laps. On a side note, this wasn't the first diesel to drive the 500. In 1931, a guy named Dave Evans drove a Cummings Diesel machine all 200 laps without making a pitstop, the ONLY driver in speedway history to do that. Pretty remarkable when you think about it. He finished around 13th place. Bill Cummings would later win the 500 in 1934.
Cummins ran a 2-stroke diesel at Indy in 1934. It wore out completely during the race, and Clessie decided to concentrate on 4-strokes only from that time. To put that in perspective, recall that Detroit Diesel didn't get their 2-strokes to market until 1938. Then Detroit Diesel started making 4-strokes in 1987 with the Series 60. But Cummins has been working on a 2-stroke opposed-piston diesel partnered with Achates Power since 2019. Kinda makes your head spin, doesn't it?
I was there at the 100th running of the Indy 500 in 2016 and, with a seat near the first turn, was lucky enough to be able to walk across to Gasoline Alley before the race. There, in one of the near garages, was a group of the Cummins diesel race cars from the 50's with #28 shining in all her glory! The docent (might have been Mr. Watson!) was keeping a close eye on the crowd as I marveled at this vehicle. He saw me drooling and asked if I knew what I was looking at. I promptly replied, "The pole sitter for the 1952 Indy 500!" He sais, "I think you DO know." and kindly pulled the barrier away, allowing myself, my wife, and my daughter to come in for a closer look. What a beauty! This car was a true work of art, especially for the 1950's! Seeing #28 and seeing Jim Clark's #82 from 1965 were the highlights of the day...along with the race, of course!
This car is what INDY was , innovation, raw mechanical power. I sure wish there was still a racing series where you can run anything you build. This is a fabulous historical treasure. I bet driving her is just magical, sure put a smile on his face. Thank you for posting this.
I saw this car at the display at indy 500 several years ago, it stood out as how big it was, truly magnificent!
The 1950 #61 Cummins Special was built by my Grandfather Boots Gressel and now sits in the Indy Museum I have a Picture of him standing in the museum by the car and I have it in my office to remind myself to work hard and dream big :)
I don't remember ever reading anything about the 1950 Cummins car. Do you know any details about it?
@@andyharman3022 The Sponsor was Marquette Welding. It was the #61 entry and the first time a diesel qualified and finished i believe.
As the 1952 Indy 500 is in the 1952 Formula 1 calendar, it is considered the only Diesel powered F1 car ever raced
This car is LEGEND in Columbus, IN. Used to see it in parades as a kid. There is also a famous Auburn sedan running a Cummins Diesel that is displayed from time to time.
yes the one from 1929? I was at the auburn acd museum this very day this fateful day that is the last of the 12 days of Christmas known as epiphany or three kings day for the magi, and also the year anniversary of that dark day when the capital was raided, anyway read about the Cummins special it finished 13th and had such high efficiency it finished the ENTIRE RACE 500 at indy on one tank of fuel. it really put their name out there, turns out yes It was gotten from Auggie Duisenberg in the auburn automotive company number 8 I belive it was its in the speedway museum and each of the four cylinders were individual, the guy at the front desk of the Museum was like Oh Wow for the fact it was one of the auburn automotive companies cars.
I was there trying to see if maybe they had an old offy powered racecar on display or the marman meteor1 or 3 but not this time for the meteor they do have race cars though, was curious how high they rode off the ground as they of course also raced that style on big dirt tracks and was said the new mid engines that now rule indy are too low to run dirt anymore hence the slight height of the usac silver crowns which are the modern incarnations of the old small block long cowl racing roadsters and that hight in question was about 8 inches to a foot off the ground by the space of his hands I estimated. though about the only thing they have in common is they are both front engine and have the huge rear tank with the vane along the top, and they kind of have a similar side view from a distance they are square nosed though vs the cigar or rocket shape of the old origional champ cars. and they run a larger engine now though still not the huge 410 the sprints run, but they still have more power then the modern nascars and I bet if you ran them on the same track they would be just as fast though they have 750 ish hp now and are lighter then nascars and though huge on a big track thats over a mile can get up to 175 miles per hour though built for differant things then the nascars which do have models for super speedways champ car silver crowns do not though they toyed with the notion for a time. its ok though I like the gutteral throaty sound of the champ cars any day to nascar though I will still occasionally watch.
The dcar was pulled due to a broken suspension part, NOT due to tire debris in the intake. Chessie Cummins did not want to bad mouth Kurtis Kraft. It is in the Cumins news letter.I have a copy.
Fascinating. Wow, I'd heard that when they did the mechanical restoration that they found a crack in the crankshaft that would have side lined the car shortly thereafter.
4:04 When they started it up, I got a little misty-eyed. It sounded just like a big truck. It must have been sweet to hear it at 4500 rpm.
I hear what you mean. If you didn’t know, you would think it was just another truck starting up. Kinda made it surreal hearing that noise out of that kind of car. Very cool!
It look like Indy came off very good this year 2019. Congratulations to all that made it happen.
That said, I am still old school and liked the racing sport when it had diversity. At Indy.
255 cu. in. race engines, 170 cu. in. race engines supercharged. 300 cu. in. Stock block and 400 cu. in. diesel.
All running together. What a show.
I have to agree with you Rooster. It leads to some interesting innovations
Her nickname was "whistling rolin' thunder" if that sound from the clips are accurate, that machine must have been glorious on the track.
There was a trade-off for the diesel Cummins Curtiss Special, it didn't have to pit stop for fuel as often as it's gas powered rivals but because it's heavier it had to pit stop for tire changes more often.
look at those tires!
56 years before Audi at le msns
I didn't hear it mentioned here, but I think I read elsewhere that it carried enough fuel to complete the race start to finish.
The J series engines were used in Light and Medium Duty trucks and some construction equipment.
5 mph faster than Ferarri's entry for that year!
ferrari was pretty slow, actually.
Fast forward to 2021 Formula 1 season, Ferraris are still slow
Also the only Diesel powered car to qualify for a round of the F1 world championship - the Indy 500 was a qualifying round from 1950 to 1960, hence the appearance of Ferrari and Ascari (as mentioned in the vid).
and look at diesels now. making 3000HP and going 6's in the quarter mile. even conquering pikes peak. that shows a diesel(even power stroke. GMC detroit diesel, and duramax) are not to be sneezed at. these engines were always ahead of their time because of their thermal efficiency. even F1 and indy car engines struggle today because they are trying to match a diesel engine but be way higher revving
Great and nice looking car
Beautiful sound and car 👍⚒️
No. At 4:05 or so, it sounds like a truck. Ha,ha! Wasn't expecting that. How does a 139 Indy car sound like a truck!?!? Very funny.
Weighed 900-1100 lbs more than most of the Indy cars of that era and ate those narrow tires for lunch. But having Freddy at the wheel was huge plus. He had a widespread rep for being the most mechanically articulate driver of his time and was often asked or hired to consult on cars other than the one's he drove in the race from the late '40s to the mid-'50s. George Salih later copied the layover engine scheme and won the 1957 and '58 500s with Sam Hanks and Jimmy Bryan at the wheel of the much smaller, Offy-propelled Belond Exhaust Special.
"Road hugging weight"
Be nice to see it being DRIVEN
Today!
At Indy!
How about it?
With a NOVI
An Offy Kurtiss
The competition
Cars meant to be
DRIVEN!
J.C.
Better NYLON corded tires would have made a big difference in durability....
Cotton/Rayon cords were just not up to the power, torque & weight of this beast!
J.C.
They really should have a nascar level that Diesel engines. I don’t think they realize how many folks would watch that. Diesel engines burn cleaner, I think they sound better, and they last longer than most gassers. That’s if it has proper services and if they’ve built the engine in anyway to substitute for adding the cold air intake, tuner, or studding the 6.0’s.
The first Indy "roadster" from Kurtiss Kraft...
J.C.
freddie agabashian was the driver. a very supersticious man, the prototype was green, and the story goes he refused to drive it until the green was washed away.
The design team really hit a homerun. Lower profile and offset C.G. allowed them to run with the other cars despite being 30% heavier which is why the tires were not holding up well and clogging up the turbo with debris.
I have a promotional image of this car autographed by Agabashian and Chessie Cummins. I haven't found another example of Chessie's autograph anywhere.
nice looking car,
First turbo car
The J engine 🤗
After Setting the valve lash and ..."Adjusting the injectors???"
How do you adjust injectors?
That sounds like....
"And after putting air in the tires and making sure the air was rotated properly, she rolled smooth as silk"
The rocker arms that actuate the injectors have to be adjusted on Cummins pt fuel systems
@@chrisgauthier3428 Interesting, thanks for explaining, I'm familiar with cummins 6BT engines so this is new to me adjusting injectors rocker arms.
@@drd1924 From what I have seen....The system is similar to the 2-Stroke Detroit Diesels...Mechanical Unit Injectors...Which on a 2-stroke, have the same injection frequency at 2250RPM as this Cummins does at 4500...The Detroit style, MUI injection system is "Fast Enough" to allow most 4-Stroke diesels to spin 6000+ RPM...Far faster than the average internals can handle.
~ In 1987 A Roger Penske owned car driven by Al Unser won the race. ~ The New Cummins Special>>>>>>>>
If you can't beat it ban it.
Freaking Diesel man!!!!!
It's unfortunate they couldn't finish the race.
When are you going to upload X 15 part 2?
I can’t help but wonder if they moved the air intake to the turbo ?
How many cylinders? Size? Cubic inches? Is it a secret?
6 liters 6 cylinders
Thank you, Sir.
Well i got off my lazy ass and discovered Cummins power had been used several times beginning in 1931-3 -5 and 1950. The early models were used in Duesenberg racing chassis 85 hp 4cyl. 251 cu. in. In 1950 /52 380hp 401 cu.in.
6 cylinder 🤗
The specs are displayed in the video.
This was when Indy was exciting! Car owners were able to bring their innovations to the track and test them. Now it's a cookie cutter race....same chassis, two engines. Everybody get in line an go in circles!!! BORING! Thanks Indy Car League for making Indy another corporate shit sandwich !!
so if all the cars / engine are the same, and the are all flat out around the track, why are some faster, some slower and some not make the race at all?. To be a fan today, you just can't sit back, you have to look and understand the differences. And with all of that, the actual racing has never been better. The 2019 Indy race showed that a driver pushing to win, the entire race can indeed come home first.
How many laps at 1952 indy race did the Cummings diesel complete
@@johnt.randall9526 After sitting on the pole for the '52 Indy 500, Freddie only completed 71 of the 200 laps. On a side note, this wasn't the first diesel to drive the 500. In 1931, a guy named Dave Evans drove a Cummings Diesel machine all 200 laps without making a pitstop, the ONLY driver in speedway history to do that. Pretty remarkable when you think about it. He finished around 13th place. Bill Cummings would later win the 500 in 1934.
What is a "Cummings"?
Sorry Smokey didn't build it.
Why didn't they use a two stroke? They're lighter and produce more power per unit of weight.
Cummins ran a 2-stroke diesel at Indy in 1934. It wore out completely during the race, and Clessie decided to concentrate on 4-strokes only from that time. To put that in perspective, recall that Detroit Diesel didn't get their 2-strokes to market until 1938. Then Detroit Diesel started making 4-strokes in 1987 with the Series 60. But Cummins has been working on a 2-stroke opposed-piston diesel partnered with Achates Power since 2019. Kinda makes your head spin, doesn't it?
Torque.
ad for Cummins
Pffft. Guess they did not have technology to Roll Coal back then?
Naaa roll coal dnt always mean power
Just drop the number size on the button by like 5 numbers or so. Takes like 5 - 10 minutes. It'll roll plenty of coal
Rolling coal don't mean shit but overfueling.
Sure they did, but they were too smart for that.
Can't put an air cleaner on it which would NOT have hurt it's performance. Just. Stupid.
They should have put the air intake in a place further away from the track...and put a screen over it....