Parnelli VPJ4
The Parnelli VPJ4 was a monoposto racing car built by Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing in 1974.
In 1969 Parnelli Jones and Vel Miletich founded a racing team that was highly successful in the USAC championship. In 1974 he got into Formula 1 .
Jones had poached some top talent from Lotus , including the designer Maurice Philippe . Under his leadership, the VPJ4, originally planned for the USAC series, was created. Philippe designed a car based on the model of the Lotus 72 . The VPJ4 had an extreme wedge shape over the entire length, side radiators and torsion bar suspension. The brakes were placed inside at the front and rear. The gearbox came from Hewland and the engine was the proven DFV-V8 from Cosworth .
With Mario Andretti at the wheel, the car made its debut at the 1974 Canadian Grand Prix in Mosport . Andretti finished the race in seventh place. In 1975 the VPJ4 was the team's car for the entire season. The best place was Andretti's fourth place at the Swedish Grand Prix in Anderstorp .
In 1976 the car was improved and came to the first Grand Prix of the year as the VPJ4B . The car now had coil springs and external brakes. The body became rounder overall, but after the third round of the season the team withdrew from Formula 1 for financial reasons and the three VPJ4s were converted into USAC racing cars.
literature
- David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
