Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
An unqualified motorsports legend, Harry A. Miller was an American race car designer and builder, most active in the 1920s and 1930s. Rightly called "...the greatest creative figure in the history of American car racing," his cars won the Indianapolis 500 nine times and his engines won three additional races. Between 1923 and 1928, Miller cars accounted for 83% of the entire Indy race fields!
Miller was a visionary and innovator. He is known for developing the first aluminum piston, the first front-wheel drive race car, and the first 4-wheel drive race car. Fred Offenhauser worked for Miller as Shop Foreman and Chief Machinist prior to Miller declaring bankruptcy in 1933, at which time Offenhauser took over Miller's business.
In 1935, Miller joined with Indy 500 enthusiast, Preston Tucker, to structure a new company: Miller and Tucker. The car you see here today is a true work of art from that final Miller era. It is a complete alloy-bodied recreation of Miller's arguably most beautiful, if not successful, race car, the GULF-MILLER SPECIAL. This car was painstakingly built from the ground up, with each part hand-machined and/or hand-formed. The entire design and build consumed approximately 4,000 man-hours, and the car was constructed by master craftsman, Gary Babineau, who has recreated more open-wheel Indianapolis race cars than anyone presently living. This was his 18th creation, but the first of this model.
Our Gulf-Miller features an aluminum Jaguar inline 6-cylinder engine, a ZF transmission, and a body that is entirely made of hand-formed alloy. This is a true one-of-a-kind. Originally three Gulf-Millers were built. Two were destroyed in fires; the only existing original is exhibited at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Visually, this car is an exact copy of the car on display at the Speedway Museum.
This is the closest one get to a real Gulf-Miller. Ready to enjoy, whether as a driver, in a collection, or as a competitor on the racetrack. To the latter end, the car has a valid and current SVRA logbook. The car is also titled as a 1938 Miller and is street-legal with easily-removable headlights and turn signals. Fresh build with only test miles.
