Description
Lot #1104 - The legendary team of actor Paul Newman and automotive racing icon Carl Haas (Newman/Hass Racing) began testing the Cosworth-powered Lola T8600 early in January 1986 in preparation for the 1986 CART Series. With all-time great Mario Andretti at the wheel, it looked to be a promising season after Mario put the new T8600 (body #04) on the pole at Phoenix International Raceway. That pole position in this car broke the tie with A.J. Foyt for all time number of pole positions in an Indy/Champ Car. After a 7th-place finish at Phoenix, this car was the secondary car for the Long Beach Grand Prix and heading into the Indy 500. Andretti was a favorite heading into qualifying but had a small handling issue and managed to qualify 5th. A few days later in practice, the "Andretti Indy Curse" showed its ugly face once again as the qualified car (body #11) crashed due to a part failure. Body #11 was unable to be repaired in time, so the pole-sitting car from Phoenix (body #04) was pressed into service. This car also was unable to escape the curse, being forced to start 32nd. An electrical problem forced the T8600 to retire early in the 1986 Indianapolis 500. In 1986 Newman/Hass Racing and Mario Andretti used a combination of four team cars to take two victories and 12 top-10 finishes to place 5th in the series. In 2016 this car (body #04) was purchased by the current owner and immediately sent to 40-year racing veteran Kevin Doran at Doran Racing for a complete mechanical sorting. This car since has made laps at Phoenix, Pocono and, of course, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This Indy Car does not come with the Gerhardt starter set up, which is necessary to start the vehicle. A new windshield will be shipped to the buyer.
**SOLD ON BILL OF SALE**