This 1965 Indy Car Just Sold For Over $2 Million Dollars. Here's What Makes It So Special
At the Mecum Indy 2022 auction, a 1965 Ford Brawner Hawk Indy Car fetched a whopping $2.2 million, riding high on the championship credentials of its famed driver. Driven by Mario Gabriele Andretti, one of the most successful American drivers to ever grace the track, the "Dean Van Lines Special" vehicle up for grabs at the auction event already had high odds of scoring a handsome sale price.
But what makes the car truly special is the fact that Andretti scored successive victories in this vehicle at the Indy Car Championships in 1965 and 1966. In total, the Ford machine powered by its 255 CI DOHC V-8 engine helped Andretti rake up a total of nine wins in the Indy Car competition, which included dual triumphs at Milwaukee and the Indianapolis Raceway Park, among others. It's also the car in which Andretti scored his first Indy Car victory at the Hoosier Grand Prix in 1965.
Built on the chassis of a 1964 Brabham, the Ford machine's core elements include 75-gallon fuel cells living inside aluminum sidepods, a 2-speed manual transmission, 15-inch magnesium wheels by Halibrand, and a Hilborn fuel injection system married to a white-and-blue exterior. The two-time championship-winning car was restored by none other than Ray Evernham, an avid car collector, who also featured it on his TV show AmeriCarna.
An iconic piece of racing history
The sleek Ford machine, which also put a Rookie-of-the-Year award in Andretti's bucket of accomplishments at the 1965 Indianapolis 500, is touted to be a valuable relic of American racing history. The lucky auction winner dropping $2.2 million on the Dean Van Lines Special car will also take home an original Clint Brawner trailer.
Aside from bringing home accolades on the live tracks, the 1965 Brawner Hawk Ford in question here also won a few honors decades after it said goodbye to active racing duty. For example, it won honors, including the Phil Hill Restorer's Award at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance show, the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours Best In Class-1960s Indianapolis 500 Revolution, and the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Best in Class Winner–Race Cars 1961-1967.
Tracing back the history of the machine, it was one of the first rear-engine cars designed by Clint Brawner and was also one of the finest racing machines of the era, both in terms of aerodynamics engineering and aesthetics, according to the National Museum of American History. Hailed among the most iconic speedsters of its generation, the 1965 Ford Brawner Hawk Indy Car up for grabs at Mecum Indy 2022 auction comes with documents such as 1965 USAC Owner and Driver License and registration papers in tow, alongside a binder loaded with restoration receipts, provenance verification letters, and some vintage photos, too.