Penske wins in his Xerex Special

Roger Penske, driving his Xerex Special, finished ahead of Dan Gurney in a Lotus 19, during the first heat of the Laguna Seca round held on October 21, 1962, a round of the USAC Road Racing Championship. The man who would later become known as “The Captain” went on to win the title.

The Xerex Special was originally based on the Cooper T53 and built for the 1961 United States Grand Prix, but was later modified to race as a two-seater sports prototype. Initially powered by a 2.75-liter Coventry Climax FPF four-cylinder engine, it later used a 3.5-liter Traco-Oldsmobile V8. 

This car won a large number of races during its four-year career, with drivers like Bruce McLaren and Roger Penske, who in the photo below seems to be saying: “But yes, this car does have two seats!”