The Samuel B. Stevens Perpetual Trophy is housed in the Hall of Fame Museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To most automobile enthusiasts it’s been long since forgotten.

Established in 1927 by Samuel B. Stevens, one of those scions of wealthy families who embraced auto racing at the turn of the 20^th Century and thus helped to develop interest in auto racing. As an early member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and one of the original AAA Control Board members (the motorsports arm of the American Automobile Association). The Board sanctioned automobile races from 1904 through 1955 and was the predecessor to the United States Auto Club.

Pat O’Connor in one of his Indy Roadsters

Stevens was convinced that strictly stock car performance must continue to be promoted through competition and his trophy was set up as a challenge to that end. Shortly after the trophy was established Stutz claimed the trophy at a 24-hour endurance run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway just prior to the 1927 Indianapolis 500. Then in 1931, Stutz lost the trophy to Marmon when a Marmon 16 completed a 24-hour run at an average speed of 76.42mph for 1,834 miles.

The third winner of the trophy was Cord who claimed the trophy in 1937 when a Cord 812 supercharged model completed the 24-hour run at an average speed of 79.577 mph over 1909.851 miles. and was still the holder of the trophy in 1953 when Chrysler decide to make a challenge for the trophy.

Tony Bettenhausen 1951 National Champion

Chrysler’s challenge was another optimistic note in recent manufacturing development. The model chosen was a New Yorker Deluxe model and was a strictly stock Chrysler which AAA picked up from the factory and supervised in the break in run from Detroit to Indianapolis. Once the car arrived at the Speedway, the AAA officials headed by Jim Lamb kept the car under constant observation, making sure that no changes were made to the car.

The 24-hour run started on October 29, 1953, and ended 24-hours later. When the run at been completed, Chrysler had established a new record completing 2,157 miles at an average speed of 89.89 mph.

In making the run, the Chrysler Fire Power 235 horsepower V-8 New Yorker Deluxe ran continuously in a grueling run over the rough and abrasive hardtop racetrack in the work reaching speeds in excess of 120 mph and averaging with some laps of over 97 mph. Regular grade gasoline and stock tires were used during the run.

Although 42 planned pit stops were made to ensure driver safety, the car reached the previous record of 1,910 miles in approximately 21 hours. A crew of 6 white-uniformed pitman swarmed over the car every time one of the drivers pitted.

They used a method of hoisting the car for tire changes even faster than the “rocker jacks” used at the Indianapolis 500. This was a hydraulic lifter of the type used to move freight in warehouses. It picked up the whole car for tire changes. Pit stops ran less than a minute with two being timed in 45 and 47 seconds.

The car was piloted by a three-man team of Indianapolis drivers led by 1951 AAA National Champion Tony Bettenhausen of Tinley Park, Illinois, a Chrysler dealer himself. (Bettenhausen piloted the Belanger Special to his 1951 Championship posting eight wins and two seconds in 14 races). He was followed by Billy Taylor of Temple City, California and Pat O’Connor of North Vernon, Indiana. (O’Connor was tragically killed in the 15-car pile-up at the start of the 1958 Indy 500).

They drove in two and three-hour shifts to ensure safe driving during the run, which Chrysler regarded as an endurance test. Their expert driving undoubtedly helped in establishing the new record, but the car had no other Speedway aids.

1954 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe

A crew of AAA officials timed the run. A special tent was set up in the pit area to protect both the pit crews and the officials from the chill of the night air. Drivers sipped coffee during the pit stops and an ambulance stood by in case of a mishap.

After the official run was over Tony Bettenhausen and Speedway President Wilbur Shaw took the car out to see what it could really do on a short run.

After several warm-up laps Bettenhausen steered it around the 2½ mile oval at 107.2 mph. Then with Shaw (a former three-time winner of the Indy 500) behind the wheel he hit 104 mph.

Bettenhausen estimated they were hitting speeds of 125 mph on the straightaways during the run. The best lap caught during the official run was 97.2 miles an hour with O’Connor behind the wheel. Taylor said that the long runs went smoothly except for two things—the frost and the dogs.

The frost made the turns slippering during the night. The dogs, there were three of them, chose to conduct a social gathering on the backstretch, which forced the drivers to dodge them.

Chrysler officials said that only two pints of oil had to be added to the Chrysler during the 2,155 miles of the run. But they did not make any announcements about the number of tires used. It’s safe to say they used plenty with 42 pit stops.

Following the run the car was disassembled by AAA to establish its stock status and enable Chrysler engineers to inspect all parts for wear. The Fire Power engine, which produces 235 horsepower at 4,400 rpms and the fully automatic PowerFlite transmission performed perfectly without any mechanical failure or replacement parts.

After the conclusion of the endurance run, Speedway President Wilbur Shaw, who called the run “the greatest stock car test in the world” presented the trophy to Chrysler Division General Sales Manager EM Braden.

The contest board of the AAA which supervised the run, made it official as Colonel A. W. Herrington the AAA contest board chairman presented the Chrysler executives with documents certifying the run.

Braden credited the record to the performance characteristics of the FirePower hemispherical-head V-8 engine in combination with the PowerFlite transmission.

“This combination enabled the drivers to accelerate rapidly out of the turns, reach high speeds on the straightaways and save tires on the turns. The new, anti-roll front suspension contributed to high lap averages by allowing safe performance at high speeds through the turns,” said Braden.

“This run is significant in the meaning as to the safety and durability of today’s stock automobile, as the whole 2,157 miles was run in a continuous 24-hour grind rather than with overnight stops where repairs or even major overhauls can be made as in some road races,” stated Shaw.