This 1963 Watson Offenhauser Indy Car transports one back to a time when roadsters ruled the Indianapolis 500. Raced by former Indy Car Champion Chuck Stevenson in the 1964 Indianapolis 500, this car finished 28th, but that’s just scratching the surface of its storied history. This car was eliminated in the infamous second lap crash that claimed the lives of the “Clown Prince” of racing, two-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner Eddie Sachs, and sports car superstar Dave MacDonald. While eliminated from the race, this Watson was not seriously damaged in the accident. Originally entered in 1964 as a backup car for two- time Indianapolis 500 winner Rodger Ward, the car was campaigned by the top team of the day: Leader Card Racers. It was built and prepared for competition by legendary chief mechanic and chassis constructor A.J. Watson. Ward successfully qualified his new Watson rear-engine car, and 1952 AAA National Champion Chuck Stevenson was tabbed to drive this car. Chief mechanic for the entry would be Sonny Meyer, son of the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Louis Meyer. The car ran in the Indianapolis 500 with its distinctive blue and white Diet-Rite Cola Special No. 95 livery. While never a winning car, Watson Chassis No. 022-7—the final Watson roadster built that still exists today—enjoyed some real success on the USAC circuit, as Len Sutton finished sixth in this car at Milwaukee in 1963, Bobby Grim finished third at Trenton and eighth at Milwaukee in Chassis No. 022-7 in 1965, followed by seventh at Trenton in 1966, and Arnie Knepper scored an eighth-place finish in this racer at Atlanta in 1966. After its IndyCar career ended, Chassis No. 022-7 was fitted with a Chevrolet V-8 and roll cage, and Kenny Andrews drove it to the Oswego, New York, track championship in 1969. The car was retired from racing the following year. Years later, the car received a meticulous restoration by noted expert Bob McConnell, who owned the car at the time. In place of the normal 270 CI or 252 CI engine is now a 168 CI Offenhauser DOHC fuel-injected inline 4-cylinder engine. Engine No. 238 has a block stamping that shows it was run in turbocharged form at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by former Indianapolis 500 fastest qualifier Jim Hurtubise. Today, the turbocharger has been removed and the Offenhauser operates as a normally aspirated powerplant that was converted from methanol to racing gasoline, freshened and dynoed by Van Dyne Engineering. Since then, the car has hit the vintage circuit as a featured car at the 2007 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, a Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009 participant at the world famous British event, and a Millers at Milwaukee participant in 2022. The Watson roadster certainly looks stunning with an exterior finish by Steve Miller of Classic Craft Motorsport, a purposeful black racing seat, all-important Simpson safety belts and new Goodyear racing tires. The original Firestone white-letter racing tires mounted on Halibrand wheels are included in the sale, along with a RCD starter with stinger shaft and coupler, plus a long list of accessories and spare parts. The car comes well- documented with restoration receipts, historical information, vintage racing photos, papers for the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed, a dyno sheet for the Offenhauser engine and a copy of the 1964 USAC Technical Committee data sheet for Chassis No. 022-7. Seeing any Watson Offenhauser roadster in person is a treat, and this one certainly meets that criteria with its striking livery and star-studded history. Yet, it also offers the ability to be more than simply a museum piece with all the right equipment and tuning to contest the burgeoning scene of vintage motorsports events.
