The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum will display the beautiful white and blue tub of Dan Gurney’s 1963 Lotus 29/1 Indianapolis 500 car at the IMS Museum from July 13-19, following a painstaking restoration process and application of historically-correct paint.
The IMS Museum’s Restoration department received the car from auto restoration expert George Lyons, owner of Contemporary Motorcar in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 9 after Lyons’ team carefully applied the same white-with-blue trim livery, along with replica decals, that Gurney carried in the 1963 “500.”
For a preview of the Lotus 29/1’s restored tub and bodywork, visit our YouTube channel by clicking here. To see the full IMS Museum Restoration video collection on YouTube, which captures the two-year restoration of the car, click here.
IMS Museum’s Restoration department has invested thousands of man-hours to restore the engine and transmission, chassis, and other key components on the Lotus 29/1, but relied on Lyons’ painting expertise.
The three Lotus 29’s that Chapman brought to IMS in 1963 – one for Gurney, another for teammate Jim Clark (an Indy 500 rookie that year) – represent a pivotal moment in oval racing history. Jack Brabham drove a rear-engine Cooper in the 1961 race and Gurney drove a rear-engine car for team owner Mickey Thompson in 1962, but it was Gurney’s No. 93 and Clark’s No. 92 Lotuses of 1963 that initiated the “rear-engine revolution” at IMS, sparking technological breakthroughs that drive IndyCar design to this day.
Clark started fifth with Lotus chassis 29/3 and finished second. Gurney crashed his primary car, the Lotus 29/2, in practice. He switched to the 29/1 and qualified 12th (with the car still painted in British Racing Green), then finished the race seventh after white and blue colors were quickly applied race week.
Future Restoration Projects: The IMS Museum soon will announce new restoration projects. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operated separately from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, support from donors is essential for the IMS Museum Restoration team to complete thorough and truly impactful restoration projects. For information on how to support our ongoing restoration efforts, please visit the “Join and Give” page on our website: http://www.indyracingmuseum.
IMS Museum PR
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