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1964
Indianapolis 500®
Car# 86 Johnny Rutherford "Bardahl Special"
Item# 4407
Everyone at
the 1964 Indianapolis 500® was talking about the rear-engine
"funny cars," thirteen of which started the race, along
with twenty roadsters.
Johnny Rutherford was at Indy for the second time, driving for Ebb
Rose, with legend-in-the-making Herb Porter as chief mechanic.
Rutherford qualified his unsponsored Watson Roadster in 15th
spot at 151.400 mph. After the second weekend of qualifying, the
team was approached by a representative of Bardahl. Two Bardahl-sponsored
cars  had failed to make the field. A deal was struck to sponsor
Rutherford's car, and the car's Fontana Rose and Black was
repainted Bardahl Yellow.
This Carousel 1 model
(Item# 4407) continues our dedication to meticulous design and
attention to detail. Check out the "elephant's
trunk" ram air scoop and the fighter-plane-like bubble
windscreen, features unique to this car.
Click on
image to enlarge and view details.
Carousel 1 models are
1:18 scale die-cast metal assembled models with plastic parts.
When the
race began, Eddie Sachs, starting from the sixth row, passed
Rutherford on the first lap, and Rutherford tucked in behind
Sachs. On the second lap Dave MacDonald charged past both of them
between Turn One and Turn Two. Exiting Turn Four for the second
time, MacDonald lost control of his car, hit the inside wall, and
bounced into the path of oncoming cars. Although Rutherford stood
on the brakes, he could not slow enough to avoid the melee.
Rutherford's car went beneath one wrecked car and over a second
before being hit by a third. But Rutherford kept going, with
yellow flags waving. Going through Turn Two, another driver
gestured to Rutherford to pull off the track, and Rutherford
pulled into the Turn Three infield. Once out of the car, he
discovered that his fuel tank had been ruptured, and although it
did not catch fire, Rutherford suffered burns on his neck from the
crash. Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald both lost their lives. The
race was red flagged. After the restart, A.J.
Foyt won the 1964 Indy 500® with a record speed of
147.350 mph.
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