Few Indianapolis cars were more controversial than Andy Granatelli’s turbines. The first of those remarkable machines appeared in 1967, and, driven by racing icon Parnelli Jones, nearly won the 500. Interestingly, as potent as that combination was, its coming together was quite unintended.   
“I took Andy’s Novi out during tire tests at the Speedway, and ran it faster than anyone ever had,” recalls Jones. “After that he was always after me to drive for him. One day he called me and asked me to come over to his Santa Monica shop, he had something he wanted to show me. There is this turbine powered, four-wheel drive car. Really unusual. But, I didn’t think it was going to work, and I told Andy so.”
Despite his negative critique, Granatelli kept after Jones to try it. Finally Jones told him that he would be testing at Phoenix, and if the turbine was there he would at least shake it down.  
Granatelli appeared with the turbine.
“After a few laps in the thing,” explains Jones, “and I got used to the three-second throttle delay, it actually started to feel pretty good. And, I ran some quick laps. Then Granatelli was really after me! But, Vel Melitech and I had our own team, building our own cars, and I felt committed to drive one of those. But, Granatelli kept on, asking me how much it would take to get me in the car.”
Finally, thinking he would shut Granatelli up, Jones countered with what was, at that time, an astronomical figure of $100,000. He was astounded when Granatelli agreed.
“I was supposed to get the money after I qualified, but by then Granatelli was holding out. I’ll be damned if I didn’t have to pay my manager, Chuck Barnes, $500 to finally collect it,” laughs Jones.
Financial disagreements aside, at Indy the turbine became a lightening rod of controversy, the target of scathing criticism by teams and drivers with conventional cars. Jones qualified seventh, and was immediately accused of sandbagging.
“I wasn’t,” insists Jones. “We practiced and qualified in race trim, and that’s all it had.”
At the start Jones, using a tactic his buddy Jim Hurtubise had used against him in 1963, pulled up and around the six cars in front of him, and led the first lap. Jones dominated, leading 171 laps before a transmission bearing broke, and the car coasted to a stop four laps short.
Had Parnelli Jones won, it would have been the most technologically unusual car to win Indianapolis, and could have dramatically changed the face of auto racing. Now, it remains as only a fascinating footnote in racing history.