Jim Rathmann's 1960 Indianapolis 500 winning
Roadster on Display, Center Stage at the IMS Museum, circa 2011. (The Tomaso
Collection)
In case Y'all haven't
noticed, I'm pullin' right once again... Using a recently posted story 'bout
Americres' Sports Car to Slingshot Yuhs here, not to mention the brief inference
'bout Astronaut Scott Kelly and his Stingray, Roger Mission Control, copy That?
As how many of Y'all
know 'bout the 1960 Indianapolis 500 Winner's second career? When Jim Rathmann,
then the owner of a Cadillac & Chevrolet Dealership in Melbourne, Florida,
near Cape Canaveral, Not Bloody Oz' Mates!
Very astutely
convinced General Motors to "lease" Corvettes to fellow Astronauts
for the absurdly low price of One George Washington ($1.00) per year!
As it was Mercury Seven and Apollo Astronaut
Alan B. Sheppard who initially got the Spacemen racing round Florida in
Corvette's, with Rathmann's Chevy Dealership providing brand new rides up to
Apollo 15, before NASA cancelled this unique arrangement.
Having learned about this when recently
perusing my NFB Newsline for The Blind's Telephone Service's access to the June
2019 issue of Air & Space Magazine. ARSE-Sumedly' revolving round some 'lil
'Ol Anniversary occuring shortly; Hmm?
And while Rathmann is best known for winning at
Indy in 1960 in an epic Duel with Rodger Ward, with the astounding record of
then 29 lead changes. How many know that Rathmann also triumphed at Monza, Italy's
very short lived Two Worlds Races, circa 1957-58, Which I scribbled 'bout
previously here on No Fenders.
While my original Rathmann obituary here in
Nofendersville circa 2011 is now out of date, since it utilized an old Robin
Miller article from that Defunct entity simply known as Speed. So I'll leave Yuhs
with another Obituary still accessible on Zed Internetz' instead.
(Photo c/o No Fenders ‘Offical Photographer
CARPETS')