1960 Epperly Special

Sold for $385,000 at 2020 RM Sothebys : Auburn Fall Auction.
Built in 1960 for W.R. Braund by Quin Epperly, this 'layover' roadster should have run at the 1960 Indianapolis 500 driven by Bill Cheesbourg, but the car's late arrival and extremely bad weather prevented a qualifying attempt. In August of that same year, the car was driven at Milwaukee by Parnelli Jones. Mechanical failure ended the day with Parnelli in the lead. Parnelli was invited to a tire test at Indy. His speeds in the 145 MPH range caused him to be black-flagged as he had not yet completed his rookie test. Tony Bettenhausen saw the speeds and insisted on trying the car himself. After several laps, he convinced Lindsey Hopkins to purchase the car for the 1961 season.

As the #5 Autolite Special, Bettenhausen practiced at near speeds and was the odds-on favorite to win the pole. His death while testing for his friend Paul Russo ended his hopes for the 1961 500. Lloyd Ruby qualified his car on the last day and at 146.909 mph was the 2nd fastest of the entire field. He started 23rd but spun and killed the engine on lap 54 and ended up finishing in 8th place.

Don Branson was the assigned driver for the 1962 Indy 500. He qualified 11th and ran as high as 3rd before a failed magneto dropped him from contention. Bobby Marshman drove in the 1963 race where he qualified 10th and ended up in 16th position when the rear gears failed on the 196th lap.