High-Speed History

Gary Babineau’s Alfa-Powered Indy Roadsters

Babineau's stunning replica of Rodger Ward's Indy-winning Watson.

There was once a time when Indy cars were a lot more like, well, cars. The engine sat up front, the driver sat behind the engine and the challenge was to keep the back end from passing the front end long enough to become a hero. Those front-engined roadsters gradually faded into obsolescence after the "rear-engine revolution" of the early sixties, but stories of those cars and the men who drove them remain an indelible part of Indy racing lore.

Gary Babineau with the replica Novi he's building for Brock Yates.

When Gary Babineau was a child, he fell in love with open-wheel racing because of those cars. And now, he's helping to keep those memories alive with his extraordinary Indy roadster recreations. His race-ready cars, most powered by two-liter Alfa Romeo engines, are more than mere machines—they're high-speed history lessons.

Combining his own considerable design and fabrication skills with intensive research and lessons learned from legendary car builders like A.J. Watson, Babineau has completed and sold 14 roadsters so far. To Babineau, a retired engineer based in Auburn, Ind., the enduring beauty of these cars is their simplicity.

"What I like about roadsters is that I can relate to them," the 49 year-old explained. "I know these cars have kingpins, a straight front axle, a hood hinge, a transmission and a rear end. It's got the sophistication of a tractor, but it's a piece of Americana."

The Alfa two-liter fits neatly into this Watson roadster. Note the extreme left offset.

With that in mind, an Alfa engine may seem like an odd choice, but compared to the Offenhauser engines that powered the originals, Alfas are reasonably-priced, easy to find and much easier for vintage racers to maintain.

"Offys take three guys to start and they run on methanol, so at the end of the day, you’ve got to disconnect the lines, blow ‘em out with compressed air and spray 'em with WD-40, because that stuff will corrode everything," he explained. "And for a good-running Offy, you're looking at forty grand. With the Alfa, the bang for the buck is just awesome."

Top: Babineau stamps louvers on a special press. Lower: The finished product.

Babineau chose the Alfa engine for its physical resemblance to the Offy and because the exhaust came out of the left side—an essential on roadsters. But the more he looked, the more he liked.

"You can't help but fall in love with the Italian passion and engineering that's in the Alfa engine," said Babineau, a longtime IAP customer. "The light weight, the finish, the aluminum... They're like jewels, from the number of bolts on the oil pan to the way the cams are driven. I just love the design."

Because his customers are hobbyists, not full-time racers, Babineau’s cars are as user-friendly as possible. The typical package includes a mild set of cams, 10-1 pistons, a pair of 45 Webers with custom-made air horns and a point distributor. In a car that weighs less than 1500 pounds, that’s good for over 160 mph on a long straightaway. Plus, the engines run on pump gas, they're self-starting and they’re tractable enough to idle through the paddock on the way to the track. As Babineau says, it's the best of both worlds.

Roadster cockpits were all business back in the day.

Babineau builds his cars the same way the original constructors did – just better. Safety is a major concern, but with better parts, better steel and today's superior welding technology, Babineau can build a stronger, safer roadster that still feels like an original.

"The handling is really, really close," he said. "But I put on new brakes, a new steering box, new safety equipment. There are purists who would say it's not right, but if you’re going to risk your life, I think you're safer in one of my cars."

And no matter what the purists say, once the car is on the track and the engine is at full song, it's easy to imagine it's 1959 all over again—whether you're watching or driving. The Alfa screams at a slightly higher pitch than an Offy, but not so much that it spoils the mood. In fact, Babineau swears he's met people who refuse to believe it isn't an Offy.

Fuel filler caps are among the many parts Babineau fabricates himself.

Babineau thoroughly enjoys what he does and hopes to build a total of 23 Indy roadsters before he's done—just like his mentor, Watson. His latest project, a Maserati-powered Novi for esteemed motorsports journalist Brock Yates, is expected to debut at September's Alexandria Bay "Round the Houses" reenactment race in upstate New York.

Babineau has a lot on his plate, but he's always thinking about the next challenge. And he's also thinking about more ways to use those beautiful Alfa engines.

"I've thought about reproducing some of the early front-engine Grand Prix cars," he said. "The neat thing about that is that I can use the correct marque engine. If I recreate an Alfa, I can use an Alfa engine. I just think that would be a neat way to diversify and it would be great for the sports car guys."

At speed in a Babineau replica roadster.

If you were suddenly imagining how wonderful it would be to drive your very own brand-new Alfa 158, Babineau would be happy to hear from you. And, quite frankly, so would we!