Builders

Following their military service in WWII, Californians Jim Travers and Frank Coon ran Howard Keck’s ultra-successful racing team. Already a powerhouse in West Coast midget racing, they arrived at Indianapolis in 1948 with an Emil Diedt-built front-drive car that used innovations such as magnesium wheels (Halibrand) and fuel injection (developed by crewmember Stu Hilborn). A few years later they collaborated with inductee Frank Kurtis on the first so-called “roadster,” a nickname given the low-slung creation with an offset engine by its driver, Bill Vukovich. After dropping out with steering failure while leading the 1952 Indianapolis 500 with nine laps to go, Vukovich bounced back to win in 1953 and 1954. They opened Traco Engineering, a contraction of their last names, in 1957. The company would become the engine builders of choice for many winning Can-Am, Trans-Am, Indy 500, sprint car and sports car racing teams and drivers, including Penske, McLaren, Scarab, Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt. They built the V12 for Penske’s Ferrari 512 that was faster than the factory Ferraris and Porsche 917s.