Ferrari 637

Ferrari 637

Category	IndyCar
Constructor	Ferrari
Designer	Gustav Brunner
Technical specifications
Chassis	Blend of moulded aluminium and composite carbon
Length	4,420 mm (174 in)
Width	1,990 mm (78 in)
Axle track	1,708 mm (67 in) (front) 1,610 mm (63 in) (rear)
Wheelbase	2,812 mm (111 in)
Engine	Ferrari 034 2.65 L (162 cu in) 90° V8 Single turbocharger Longitudinal mid/rear
Transmission	Emco six-speed sequential manual transmission
Power	690–710 hp (515–529 kW) at 11,500–12,000 rpm [1] [2] [3]
Fuel	Methanol (Agip oil)
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Truesports
Notable drivers	Michele Alboreto
Debut	n/a
Races Wins Poles F/Laps 0 0 0 0

The Ferrari 637 is a Ferrari racing car developed to run in the American CART series. It was designed by Gustav Brunner. Although unveiled to the press in 1986, it never raced. ^[4]

Background

Unhappy with the impending engine regulations in Formula One which stipulated that the engine must be a V8 configuration, Enzo Ferrari commissioned the design of an Indy car. While he made no secret of his desire to win the Indianapolis 500, many believe that his threat to leave F1 for CART was merely a bargaining tool to make the FIA rethink their engine regulations. Ferrari approached Goodyear about the possible CART program, and Goodyear recommended the Truesports CART team for a research and development partnership.

After the 1985 CART season, Truesports and driver Bobby Rahal traveled to Italy to demonstrate a March 85C-Cosworth. The car was tested by both Rahal and Ferrari driver Michele Alboreto at the Fiorano test track. Afterwards, the car was taken apart and studied by Ferrari. In 1986, Ferrari designed and built their own car, which was tested by Alboreto.

Ultimately, this car was never raced as a Ferrari, but was passed on to fellow FIAT subsidiary Alfa Romeo, who were looking to improve their market share in the US.

Technical

For a car that was supposedly only a bargaining tool, the 637 was well engineered and carefully thought out. The upper body was made of aluminium, mechanically bonded and glued to the lower carbon fibre frame. The Type 034 engine is a turbocharged 32-valve, 90° 2.65-litre V8, as per CART regulations, which used upward mounted exhausts.

When Alfa Romeo unveiled their unrelated 2.65-litre IndyCar engine, it was in the back of a March chassis; however it was seen testing at Fiorano Circuit in the 637 chassis.

See also

• Lotus 96T
• Alfa Romeo's IndyCar project
• Porsche's IndyCar activities

References

1. Greuter, Henri; de Roos, Arjan (May 22, 2013). "Ferrari at Indianapolis: mutual love unanswered 1986: projects 034 and 637, mere blackmail tools?". 8w.forix.com.
2. Stenquist, Paul (May 1989). "Motorsports — The Indytech 500". Popular Mechanics . Vol. 166, no. 5. The Hearst Corporation. pp. 128–131.
3. Benyon, Jack (July 25, 2020). "The inside story of Ferrari's legendary unraced IndyCar". the-race.com.
4. Brown, Ross (2021-09-23). "Introducing the Ferrari 637, built to win the Indy 500". Ferrari. Archived from the original on 2021-11-14. Retrieved 2026-01-07.

Further reading

• Shaffer, Rick (1999). CART: The First 20 Years (1979–1998). Hazleton Publishing. p. 112. ISBN   1-874557-14-4.

External links

• Jones, Mark Alan. "The F1 FAQ". atlasf1.autosport.com.
• Garton, Nick (November 30, 2001). "Enzo's American Dream Machine". grandprix.com.
• "Reportagens 2006 — Quando a Ferrari quase foi para a Champ Car" [2006 News Reports — When Ferrari almost went to Champ Car] (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
• Anderbegani, Nicolas (23 March 2020). "Elle n'a jamais couru, épisode 2 : Ferrari 637 Indycar" [She never raced, episode 2: Ferrari 637 Indycar]. leblogauto.com (in French).
• Belli, Milton (2019-01-31). "O Ferrari de Fórmula Indy" [The Ferrari of IndyCar]. autoentusiastas.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese).
• Sormani, Paolo (2020-05-21). "Indy 500: riprovaci, Ferrari!" [Indy 500: Try again, Ferrari!]. ruoteclassiche.quattroruote.it (in Italian).
• Elson, James (June 5, 2020). "Ferrari's IndyCar: Could unraced 637 have won Indy 500?". motorsportmagazine.com.
• Ruch, Peter (2018-05-28). "Ferrari und Indianapolis, alles nur Show?" [Ferrari and Indianapolis, is it all just a show?]. autorevue.at (in German).
• "American Surprise — The 637, Secret Project for Indy". ferrari.com. Ferrari.
• Smit, Dylan (25 January 2017). "High Stakes — 1986 Ferrari 637 Indycar". drivetribe.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-14.