Photo: Mecum
Car racing is one of the most challenging (and, at the same time, rewarding) activities humans can engage in. Many have given it a shot over the years, but very few have climbed to the top of this exciting world. For many, Mario Andretti is the driver that tops all others.
The American is known for many things, but perhaps the most important is the fact he is one of only three human beings to have competed and won races in the top four racing competitions: Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR, and the now-defunct World Sportscar Championship.
More importantly, he is the only racing driver in the world to have won Formula 1 and also snatched victory in the very coveted Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500.
It's the driver's IndyCar exploits that are of particular interest to us today because one of the cars he drove in the series, perhaps the most important, just popped up on the auction block.
Back in 1984 what was then the CART PPG Indy Car World Series was one of the most contested racing series in the world. And it couldn't have been any other way, given how names like Andretti, Tom Sneva, or Al Unser lined up on the starting grid.
The series was eventually claimed by Andretti by a difference of 13 points over Sneva, and the car that contributed to him climbing to the top of the standings was a Lola T800 Cosworth. And not any Lola, but the exact one you're staring at now.
The car was raced under the colors of Newman-Haas Racing. That was the team of the official Lola importer in the U.S., a business owned by Carl Haas and none other than actor Paul Newman.
A Lola was something to be feared on the race track back then. Designed by Nigel Bennett and Mark Williams over in the UK, it was powered by a mighty 2.65-liter Cosworth engine running a five-speed manual transmission.
This particular example, chassis number HU2, is one of just five ever made and raced Andretti to the win at the Meadowlands and Mid-Ohio tracks. It comes with all the original pieces of hardware, including the honeycomb aluminum tub hidden under a carbon fiber longtail body.
The car wears the 1984 no. 3 Budweiser red livery over a black interior with Willans racing harness, rocks driver-adjustable suspension bits, and moves over ground on Momo alloy wheels shod in Bridgestone Potenza white-letter tires the likes of which were offered back in the 2000s.
After it landed Andretti his fourth and final IndyCar championship in 1984, the Lola was sold, only to be repurchased by Carl Haas in 1995. It spent years since then and up until 2022 in the Haas Collection, and it's now offered on the open market.
Mecum has been tasked with finding a new owner for it, and the auction house will be selling it on May 16 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. The owner hopes to fetch anywhere between $400,000 and $450,000 for it.
More importantly, he is the only racing driver in the world to have won Formula 1 and also snatched victory in the very coveted Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500.
It's the driver's IndyCar exploits that are of particular interest to us today because one of the cars he drove in the series, perhaps the most important, just popped up on the auction block.
Back in 1984 what was then the CART PPG Indy Car World Series was one of the most contested racing series in the world. And it couldn't have been any other way, given how names like Andretti, Tom Sneva, or Al Unser lined up on the starting grid.
The series was eventually claimed by Andretti by a difference of 13 points over Sneva, and the car that contributed to him climbing to the top of the standings was a Lola T800 Cosworth. And not any Lola, but the exact one you're staring at now.
The car was raced under the colors of Newman-Haas Racing. That was the team of the official Lola importer in the U.S., a business owned by Carl Haas and none other than actor Paul Newman.
A Lola was something to be feared on the race track back then. Designed by Nigel Bennett and Mark Williams over in the UK, it was powered by a mighty 2.65-liter Cosworth engine running a five-speed manual transmission.
This particular example, chassis number HU2, is one of just five ever made and raced Andretti to the win at the Meadowlands and Mid-Ohio tracks. It comes with all the original pieces of hardware, including the honeycomb aluminum tub hidden under a carbon fiber longtail body.
The car wears the 1984 no. 3 Budweiser red livery over a black interior with Willans racing harness, rocks driver-adjustable suspension bits, and moves over ground on Momo alloy wheels shod in Bridgestone Potenza white-letter tires the likes of which were offered back in the 2000s.
After it landed Andretti his fourth and final IndyCar championship in 1984, the Lola was sold, only to be repurchased by Carl Haas in 1995. It spent years since then and up until 2022 in the Haas Collection, and it's now offered on the open market.
Mecum has been tasked with finding a new owner for it, and the auction house will be selling it on May 16 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. The owner hopes to fetch anywhere between $400,000 and $450,000 for it.
Google News