Post by 1961redlegs on Jul 12, 2021 20:48:04 GMT -5
I recently finished a replica of Pat Flaherty’s 1956 Indianapolis 500-winning Watson roadster. I would've posted it sooner, but I ran into technical difficulties with my laptop and I am now able to post my photos of a car I've wanted to build for quite some time!
The roadster had proven itself the fastest means to get around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by 1956. It was in that year that A.J. Watson introduced the first of a line of exceptional machines that won six 500s between 1956 and 1964. The car weighed 1,700 pounds dry and featured magnesium parts. The Watson was the apex of the front-engined Indianapolis racer.
Pat Flaherty-a veteran dirt track ace-won the first “500” for the Watson, winning the pole then the race itself in dominant fashion, leading 127 of 200 laps. By winning the 500, he also earned World Championship points, as the “500” counted towards the World Championship at the time. Flaherty won the next week at Milwaukee, but suffered a grievous arm injury later that season that sidelined him for two years. He returned to Indianapolis in 1959-but crashed out in his final run at the Speedway. He ran sporadically into the mid-1960s and died in 2002.
This is the Lance Sellers adaptation of the Chris Etzel Watson kit built straight from the box. I painted it Tamiya pure white and Tamiya pink and used Indycals decals. It turned out well and was a nice car to build. Thanks for looking.
The roadster had proven itself the fastest means to get around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by 1956. It was in that year that A.J. Watson introduced the first of a line of exceptional machines that won six 500s between 1956 and 1964. The car weighed 1,700 pounds dry and featured magnesium parts. The Watson was the apex of the front-engined Indianapolis racer.
Pat Flaherty-a veteran dirt track ace-won the first “500” for the Watson, winning the pole then the race itself in dominant fashion, leading 127 of 200 laps. By winning the 500, he also earned World Championship points, as the “500” counted towards the World Championship at the time. Flaherty won the next week at Milwaukee, but suffered a grievous arm injury later that season that sidelined him for two years. He returned to Indianapolis in 1959-but crashed out in his final run at the Speedway. He ran sporadically into the mid-1960s and died in 2002.
This is the Lance Sellers adaptation of the Chris Etzel Watson kit built straight from the box. I painted it Tamiya pure white and Tamiya pink and used Indycals decals. It turned out well and was a nice car to build. Thanks for looking.
