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Miller Special
Gas powered scale model of the 1941 Gulf-Miller Indianapolis 500 race car
The Miller Special car shown in the photos was custom-built from plans that were included in an article published in the December 1951 issue of "Mechanix Illustrated" magazine. The car was designed as a scale model of a full-size race car, the Gulf-Miller race car which was entered in the 1941 Indianapolis 500 mile race.
The chassis of the Miller Special is 1/8 inch thick aluminum plate. The engine is an Ohlsson & Rice 29 race car engine. The wheels and tires are also from an Ohlsson & Rice Midget. The polished aluminum body was hand formed by David Wheeler based on photos of the full-size Gulf-Miller race car.
The Gulf-Miller car was one of several originally commissioned by the Gulf Oil Company and designed and built by Harry Miller. The radical design of the cars featured a rear mounted, supercharged 6-cylinder engine and four-wheel drive. The cars were designed to run on pump gasoline.
One of the Gulf-Miller cars driven by George Barringer which qualified for the 1941 race, was destroyed in a disastrous garage fire just prior to the start of the actual race. Barringer was fueling the car in the early morning before the race when gasoline fumes were ignited by a welding torch in a neighboring garage in Gasoline Alley.
