By Hans Falk

Porsche’s attempts to win the Indianapolis 500 were ultimately unsuccessful, though not entirely due to their own shortcomings. In the 1970s, Porsche initially designed a dominant Indy car. However, a feud between racing organizations (USAC and CART) led to USAC changing boost pressure rules right before the 1980 race. Porsche, feeling this was unfair, withdrew in protest.

This wasn’t Porsche’s first open-wheel racing endeavor, but the company had historically prioritized building cars for the consumer market. Despite their technological prowess, Porsche faced an uphill battle when they returned to Indy in 1987. Their engine was less competitive, and after several years of struggle, Porsche left the IndyCar series for good. Their failure at the Indy 500 was a mix of bad luck and the challenges of adapting to a highly specialized racing environment.

Key Points:

• Porsche built a potentially dominant Indy car but withdrew due to rule changes.
• Internal racing politics played a major role in their failure.
• Porsche’s later Indy attempts were less successful due to increased competition.

For more details, see the “In Hindsight” article in the Spring 2023 issue of Horizons.