Novi, The Legendary Indianapolis Race Car, Vols 1 + 2
Volume One: The Welch Years (1941–1960)
Volume Two: The Granatelli Years (1961–1966)
by George Peters and Henri Greuter
Vol. 1: Paul Russo in 1956 behind the wheel of #29 Novi Vespa Special. Vol. 2: Driver Jim Hurtubise in 1963 in #56 Hotel Tropicana Special.
“While it never won the 500, the high-pitched, supercharged Novi screamer was so fast, so powerful and so dangerous it drew fans to Indianapolis by the truck load. Speedway records reveal attendance zoomed whenever the 2-ton car was scheduled to qualify.”
—National Speed Sport News, May 11, 1994
With the recent passing of George Peters (1931–2025), the lead author and publisher of these two volumes, we take a trip back in time—literally and figuratively. Both volumes were published before the millennium and cover in detail an even earlier time in Champ/Indy car racing. Although both volumes are out of print, as an internet search quickly shows, copies of each can still be found. Today both are considered seminal studies.
The early years Novi engine mounted on a stand in the same plane as in the racers
The unlikely pairing of Peters and co-author Henri Greuter is itself a testament to the degree of enthusiasm for racing—particularly the Indy 500—of each. Greuter was attracted to motorsports while but a lad in his native Netherlands.
The day he discovered that his Jean Graton comic books were about a real race in America changed his life. As his English improved so too did his collection of books and magazines on the Indy 500. Finally in 1988 his dream trip to attend the 500 in person happened and since is repeated as often as possible. And he discovered his articles were welcomed—and published—by various journals. Collaboration with Peters followed.
Engine building whiz Jean Marcenac was commissioned by Welch to create the rear-wheel drive Novi.
The multiple-degreed George Peters started following racing once it resumed postwar and he witnessed his first 500 in 1948, fully forty years prior to Greuter. It didn’t take him long to put his BA and MA in history to work outside of his regular teaching career as he moved from spectator to chronicler. He’s attended no fewer than sixty-three 500s and says, “Having been around the sport for many years, I consider myself fortunate to have enjoyed the friendship of numerous individuals in the racing fraternity.”
For those not already conversant in Indy 500 lore, let’s first define a Novi. It was the brainchild of a man named Lew Welch. In 1940 he came up with the idea of supercharging the V8 specified by the then rules to be of three liters. He took his idea to hot rod whiz Ed Winfield’s younger brother Bud and ultra accomplished design engineer Leo Goossen to design and build that engine for him. The engine was first referred to as a Winfield until Welch specified it would be called Novi for that was where his various businesses were located and the first word in the name of each. Little did they know at the time, Novi was about to become the stuff of legend for its crowd-loving unmistakable sound, its having an engine identifiable with that in their own everyday car. And then, too, there was the horsepower it generated.
A photo gallery of some of the Novi pilots. (l–r top row) Herb Ardinger, Duke Nalon, Paul Russo, Tony Bettenhausen. (l–r bottom Rex Mays, Chet Miller, Bill Cheesbourg, Jim Hurtubise.
Novi was developed to be raced at Indianapolis and only Indy. It would compete, sometimes powering multiple entries, and nearly always with name drivers in the cockpit, in twenty 500s. Yet no Novi-engined racer—despite some years being not just a fan favorite but anticipated winner—ever carried its driver into the winner’s circle. That’s the sorta stuff that’s legend making.
Welch, a successful businessman, put Novi power predominately in front-wheel drive racers. In 1956 he gave the go-ahead to develop rear-wheel drive cars in order to keep pace with ever improving racecar technology. Fielding a race entry is expensive in its own right. When, on top of that, one considers the costs of developing, building and testing a new car . . .
As the car’s profiles changed the engine was layed over by Granatelli.
Lew Welch’s first business, Novi Equipment Company, made and supplied various components to Ford. It wasn’t overlong before this energetic and ambitious man also invested in another existing supplier out west with locations in California, Nevada and Arizona. Meantime he’d formed Novi Racing Corporation, invested in cattle ranching and oil. But that proverbial straw apparently came when Welch decided to become a retailer forming Novi Sales & Service Company, Inc targeting opening stores coast-to-coast. That simply took more cash than he could consistently supply. As the cash flow reversed and loans dwindled capital, he eventually placed his entire racing program and Novi Racing Corporation up for sale.
“Eventually a purchase was made with the cars moving into the hands of Andy Granatelli and his brothers Vince and Joe” thus setting the stage for an equally engaging and compelling second volume. There were few more colorful racing personalities than Andy Granatelli who would one day pen his own book titled “They Call Me Mr. 500.”
The Granatellis took delivery of their Novi cars and parts at their Paxton facility where they made superchargers. Yet, despite all of their prior race and engineering experience and all the changes they made to the Novi, including outfitting two cars with four-wheel drive, they faired no better running them in 500s. Telling of it all does make for interesting, engaging reading though.
Peters and Greuter bring the story full circle with a synopsis of Granatelli’s career including “The Birth and Early Years of STP.” They also try to explain “The Magical Draw of the Novi” even as they summarize the careers of each car in the appendices along with noting changes to each over time to try and find the key to winning.
Rest assured, the books themselves are indeed winners.
Pajama-like coveralls for the team uniform and a tailored suit cut from the same cloth for the boss.
Copyright 2025 Helen V Hutchings (speedreaders.info)
Novi, The Legendary Indianapolis Race Car, Volume One: The Welch Years (1941–1960)
by George Peters and Henri Greuter
Bar Jean Enterprises, 1991
230 pages, 174 b/w images, softcover
bibliography, appendices, index
List price: oup
ISBN-13: 978-0963022707
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My Dutch friend Henri, has written together with the late Mr Peters a very good story on these famous Indy racers!
Paul Hooft,
Dutch Formula One and Indy 500 Racing Historian.