Roger Penske was given a unique 80th birthday present when his team restored the transporter which delivered his first Indianapolis 500 victory to its former glory.
Brought back to life down to the smallest detail, the International Fleetstar truck transported the #66 McLaren which Mark Donohue drove to victory in the 1972 Indianapolis 500.
Widely known in the racing community as ‘The Blue Hilton’, the truck was one of the first fully enclosed racing transporters which served the team from 1972 to 1983.
It was so named based on its royal blue exterior and the sleeper area above the cab, which is a standard feature in today’s transporters.
In conjunction with its sister transporter, “The White Hilton,” it was used to transport the mind-blowingly powerful, championship-winning Porsche 917s that dominated the landscape of the Can-Am Series in the early 1970s with George Follmer and Donohue before it was sold in 1983.
Until Jerry Breon, a long-time Penske team member, located the sales listing in an automotive trade magazine in the fall of 2015, this historic vehicle was thought to have been scrapped.
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“After we confirmed that it was, in fact, the Blue Hilton that was for sale, I called Brian Hard (president of Penske Truck Leasing) and we agreed that we had to find a way to bring her back to life,” said Team Penske president Tim Cindric.
With assistance from Morgan Corporation and a dedicated group led by Penske Truck Leasing’s James Svaasand, Michael Klotz, and David Hall – along with Team Penske Historian Bernie King – it took over 8,000 man-hours to complete the Blue Hilton restoration process.
The truck was purchased from George Boyd of Urbana, Illinois, who had utilised it while competing in various racing series until retiring it to a spot on his property.
He was the only owner of the truck after its days at Team Penske.
“This transporter was there when the foundation was laid for Team Penske and it is symbolic of the way in which we operate today,” Cindric said.
“Everyone at PTL did an unbelievable job restoring this vehicle. I can’t wait for Roger to see it in person, as it is something he will cherish.”
The late Donohue was the squad’s first champion driver who delivered the first of 16 Indy 500 wins for Penske. He was inducted in the inaugural Team Penske Hall of Fame last year.
VIDEO: ‘The Blue Hilton’ being recovered ahead of its restoration
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