- An incredible old-school tribute to A.J. Foyt's 1972 Championship car
- Fully street-legal with automatic transmission and power disc brakes
- 350-HP, all-aluminum V-8 engine capable of 180 MPH
- Known in racing history as the ITT-Thompson Special
LOT 633
Addendum: PLEASE NOTE: This vehicle is titled as a 1970 and the make on the title is BACA.
Selling on Saturday Evening
1972 BACA A.J. Foyt Tribute Sprint Car
OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE
A.J. Foyt has always been recognized by his peers as the unchallenged "King of Dirt Track Racing" and, in 1972, he claimed that title in spectacular fashion. The USAC Championship Dirt Division consisted of a four-race series, all 100 milers. The day after the 1972 Indy 500, during a fuel stop at the dirt track opener in Du Quoin, Illinois, he was leading but had an incident where the fuel hose was not fully disengaged as he pulled away, and his car burst into flames. Scrambling to get out and roll on the ground, the ITT-Thompson Special Sprint car ran over his ankle and broke it. A week later, he literally hobbled to his car for Race #2 and finished second to Al Unser. For race #3 back in Illinois, he started third and held the lead until rain called the race on lap 52. That was a big win; combined with a second place in the Hoosier Hundred on September 9, Foyt's 550 points were good enough to take the title.
In 2015, Gary Babineau from Auburn, Indiana, saw the opportunity to recreate the ITT-Thompson Special, using a sprint car chassis he had purchased earlier. He decided to do a tribute car with just a little extra - one that was fully street-legal yet authentic to the Foyt car. He was also determined to do it in old-school style, with many authentic parts and a lot of skilled labor. Gary is a fine metallurgist and actually stretched the frame of the car 11" and created all new body panels with hammers and wooden bucks. He chose a four-cam all-aluminum V-8 engine for a power plant, just like they raced in the day. But this time, he used a 727 automatic transmission and a chromed quick-change Jaguar rear end, with internally mounted Wilwood racing disc brakes. Up front, the chromed axle with torsion bar suspension matches nicely, with an aluminum radiator and handcrafted bumpers and trim.
The all-steel body is meticulously finished, with authentic hand-painted lettering, race numbers and period-correct stickers highlighting the incredible Coyote Red paint job - traditional on all of A.J.'s cars. Even the valve covers were machined to include Ford emblems, all in the interest of accuracy - but with a few modern performance upgrades. The two-year process of designing and building this tribute was not taken lightly, as this is a roadworthy collector car capable of 180 MPH with nearly 400 miles of street use in the past few years. So, if you are fortunate enough to win the bidding, and you are out enjoying this car, it is completely street-legal, with lights, turn signals, and horn - but rest assured you will most likely get pulled over because it looks exactly like the authentic A.J. Foyt Sprint car. No worries - just keep your registration and insurance in the cleverly concealed container out of the old gas cap.
A.J. Foyt remains as one of the few race car drivers to win the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in his career and is one of just four 4-time winners at Indy. His impressive record of 67 Indy Car wins and 7 Indy Car Championships is still being chased today, so it was no surprise he was voted "Driver of the Century" in 2000. This is an exciting chance to own an amazing tribute to Foyt's legendary 1972 season, and one that can be enjoyed at shows or on the street - all in a car that is both street-legal and show quality.
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