1946 Winner

The winner of the first “500” held after WWII in 1946 was a modernistic-appearing car that was actually eight years old. In 1938, designer/engineer Art Sparks commissioned Clyde Adams to build two cars for eccentric millionaire sportsman Joel Thorne. Although Chicago’s Jimmy Snyder set several records with one of the cars and was the “500” runner-up in 1939, it was English-born George Robson in 1946 who recorded the Thorne Engineering team’s only win in Indy. The unique design featured a cockpit far to the left and the upright six-cylinder supercharged Sparks engine mounted at an angle that ran the driveshaft past the driver’s right hip on its way to the transmission, located at the right rear.

Owner: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum