The Petroleum Museum of Midland, Texas, has begun construction of a 19,000 sq.ft. Transportation Wing that, when completed in early 2003, will become the permament home for seven of Jim Hall’s innovative Chaparral racecars.
When completed, the Chaparral Gallery will display all seven Chapparal racecars including the 2J “Sucker Car” (foreground above) and the Pennzoil “Yellow Submarine” Indy car that ushered in the ground-effect era at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The racecars will be displayed around four main interactive areas that will feature: 1) The Chaparral story: a history of Chaparral racecars; 2) Chaparral technical innovations; 3) The Garage: an opportunity to observe routine maintenance on Chaparral racecars in an Indy-style garage area; and 4) The Transportation Connection: a presentation of the role of petroleum products in modern transportation. For a virtual tour of the new exhibit, go to www.petroleummuseum.com.
