CHASSIS 15

Michael Andretti began his 1991 season behind the wheel of chassis 15, successfully securing two pole positions while contesting the Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix at Surfers Paradise, Australia and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, California. Unfortunately, Andretti was unable to capitalize on these front row starts, which led to two retirements.

Later in the season, the car was rebuilt for Mario Andretti. In the legend’s hands, chassis 15 continued a successful run throughout the season, entering seven additional races. Three podium places were secured at Toronto, Road America, and Laguna Seca; remarkably, these podiums were all shared with Michael, who stood on the top step as the race winner. Additional point finishes were achieved at Cleveland, Nazareth, and Mid-Ohio.

Once the 1991 championship concluded, the car was adapted to house the Ford-Cosworth engine and ran over 1,000 test miles throughout the winter. In the spring of 1992, chassis 15 entered its final race at Phoenix and propelled Michael Andretti to yet another pole position.

THE LOLA T91/00

Lola’s dominance with the T90/00 in 1990, with 13 wins out of 16 events, meant the T91/00 for 1991 would refine the design which had led to so much success. While retaining the same dimensions and monocoque design as the T90/00, the latest model was believed to have a more consistent shape and stronger construction thanks to the newly installed climate-controlled autoclave installed at the Lola factory.

An aluminum honeycomb was again utilized for the “bathtub” extending from the driver’s hips to the pedals for protection in the event of a heavy accident. In addition, the pickup points for the suspension were revised. To meet the demands of the various disciplines, a high-downforce configuration specification was available for short ovals, road courses, or street circuits. For the superspeedways, alternative suspension geometry was utilized to extend the wheelbase, and low-drag wings worked to slice through the air.

The tried-and-tested Ilmor-Chevrolet-A 2.65-liter V-8 served as the heart of the Newman/Haas cars during the 1991 season. Featuring a turbocharger and 32 valves, this engine is reported to have produced well over 700 horsepower in period; an example of this impressive powerplant is currently fitted to this nicely presented chassis.