Team Penske restores The Blue Hilton

[kscarbel2]

Truck News  /  February 21, 2017

After a long restoration process, Team Penske has unveiled a customized 1972 International Fleetstar truck known in the racing circles as “The Blue Hilton.” 

According to Penske, the truck was one of the first known enclosed transporters used for racing purposes.  It served the team in various capacities from 1972-1983. The restoration is complete down to the smallest detail, including authentic PPG paint and hand lettering just in time for Roger Penske’s 80^th birthday that was celebrated on Feb. 20. 

An iconic part of team history, The Blue Hilton transported the No. 66 McLaren that Mark Donohue drove to victory in the 1972 Indianapolis 500 – the first of Team Penske’s record 16 wins in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” In conjunction with its sister transporter, “The White Hilton,” it was used to transport the powerful, championship-winning Porsche 917s that dominated the landscape of the Can-Am Series in the early 1970s with George Follmer and Donohue before it was sold in 1983.

 “After we confirmed that it was, in fact, the Blue Hilton that was for sale, I called Brian Hard (president of Penske Truck Leasing) and we agreed that we had to find a way to bring her back to life,” said Team Penske president Tim Cindric. “This transporter was there when the foundation was laid for Team Penske and it is symbolic of the way in which we operate today.  Everyone at Penske Truck Leasing did an unbelievable job restoring this vehicle.  I can’t wait for Roger to see it in person, as it is something he will cherish.”

Penske says The Blue Hilton was the precursor to today’s closed transporters that carry cars, parts, and equipment to race tracks all over the globe. With his keen engineering mind, Donohue – a 2016 inaugural Team Penske Hall of Fame inductee and the organization’s first champion driver – designed the payload area of the truck based on efficiency and functionality. It was named the Blue Hilton based on its royal blue exterior and the sleeper area above the cab, which is a standard feature in today’s transporters.

The restoration was estimated to take more than 8,00 man hours to complete, thanks to the help from  Morgan Corporation and a dedicated group led by Penske Truck Leasing’s James Svaasand, Michael Klotz, and David Hall – along with Team Penske Historian Bernie King.

The truck was purchased from George Boyd of Urbana, Illinois, who had utilized it while competing in various racing series until retiring it to a spot on his property.  He was the only owner of the truck after its days at Team Penske. 

“When you talk with the crew members that drove and worked out of this transporter over those years, and you look at the photos from the many cars it carried, you see how the Blue Hilton was an integral part of our history,” said King. “It’s certainly very much a part of the Team Penske heritage. Everyone at Penske Truck Leasing that was involved did a fantastic job of restoring this truck to how it was when it ran and carried many of the team’s winning cars.”

Initially, the Blue Hilton will be on display at the Team Penske headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., where fans can view it from the Fan Walk that runs the length of the massive shop floor.

.

[mowerman]

Holy sh*t that thing is gorgeous...Thanks for sharing beautiful colors.....bob
 

[kscarbel2]

14 minutes ago, mowerman said:

Holy shit that thing is gorgeous...Thanks for sharing beautiful colors.....bob
 

I aim to please Bob.

[mowerman]

Boy you said it and yes I see that
 

[Freightrain]

Wow...wonder what it has for power?  Gaspot(392 or maybe a V6) or Diesel?  I think they offered diesels in those but it would be a small one, cummins?

I like how they are restoring all these old transporters.  Like the drag teams versions too.  Love to have something like that for my rig, but I'd miss my living quarters.

Edited February 22, 2017 by Freightrain

[General Ike]

There is a video of it getting getting yanked out of the woods prior to restoration on Penske's FaceBook Page....  i'm not on FB but maybe someone could search for it and post.

I suspect that this rig had a 53 series Detroit in it with a 5 speed main and two speed rear.

Edited February 22, 2017 by General Ike

[Freightrain]

http://www.firestoneracing.com/articles/indynews/2017/2/02-20-Penske-Blue-Hilton

 

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by Freightrain

[kscarbel2]

TEAM PENSKE RESTORES ICONIC TRANSPORTER

Team Penske Press Release  /  February 20, 2017

After an exhaustive restoration process, Team Penske has unveiled one of the most unique pieces of its history, a customized 1972 International Fleetstar truck known in the racing circles as “The Blue Hilton.”  The truck was one of the first known enclosed transporters used for racing purposes.  It served the team in various capacities from 1972-1983. The restoration is complete down to the smallest detail, including authentic PPG paint and hand lettering just in time for Roger Penske’s 80th birthday.

An iconic part of team history, the Blue Hilton transported the No. 66 McLaren that Mark Donohue drove to victory in the 1972 Indianapolis 500 – the first of Team Penske’s record 16 wins in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” In conjunction with its sister transporter, “The White Hilton,” it was used to transport the powerful, championship-winning Porsche 917s that dominated the landscape of the Can-Am Series in the early 1970s with George Follmer and Donohue before it was sold in 1983.

“After we confirmed that it was, in fact, the Blue Hilton that was for sale, I called Brian Hard (president of Penske Truck Leasing) and we agreed that we had to find a way to bring her back to life,” said Team Penske President Tim Cindric. “This transporter was there when the foundation was laid for Team Penske and it is symbolic of the way in which we operate today.  Everyone at PTL did an unbelievable job restoring this vehicle.  I can’t wait for Roger to see it in person, as it is something he will cherish.”

The Blue Hilton helped change the landscape of auto racing, as it was the precursor to today’s impressive closed transporters that carry cars, parts and equipment to race tracks all over the globe. With his keen engineering mind, Donohue – a 2016 inaugural Team Penske Hall of Fame inductee and the organization’s first champion driver – designed the payload area of the truck based on efficiency and functionality. It was aptly named the Blue Hilton based on its royal blue exterior and the sleeper area above the cab, which is a standard feature in today’s transporters.

With assistance from Morgan Corporation and a dedicated group led by Penske Truck Leasing’s James Svaasand, Michael Klotz, and David Hall - along with Team Penske Historian Bernie King - it took over 8,000 man-hours to complete the Blue Hilton restoration process. Until Jerry Breon, a long-time Penske team member, located the sales listing in an automotive trade magazine in the fall of 2015, this historic vehicle was thought to have been scrapped.  The truck was purchased from George Boyd of Urbana, Illinois, who had utilized it while competing in various racing series until retiring it to a spot on his property.  He was the only owner of the truck after its days at Team Penske. After verification and removal from the Boyd property, the Blue Hilton was towed to the Penske Truck Leasing (PTL) Collision Center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana where the restoration began with the help of Donohue’s original blueprints.

“When you talk with the crew members that drove and worked out of this transporter over those years, and you look at the photos from the many cars it carried, you see how the Blue Hilton was an integral part of our history,” said Bernie King. “It’s certainly very much a part of the Team Penske heritage. Everyone at Penske Truck Leasing that was involved did a fantastic job of restoring this truck to how it was when it ran and carried many of the team’s winning cars.”

Initially, the Blue Hilton will be on display at the Team Penske headquarters in Mooresville, NC, where fans can view it from the Fan Walk that runs the length of the massive shop floor.

[kscarbel2]

8 hours ago, Freightrain said:

Wow...wonder what it has for power?  Gaspot(392 or maybe a V6) or Diesel?  I think they offered diesels in those but it would be a small one, cummins?

I like how they are restoring all these old transporters.  Like the drag teams versions too.  Love to have something like that for my rig, but I'd miss my living quarters.

The question is, was it a Fleetstar A or D (2000, 2070). The D type, similar in many respects to the GMC Brigadier, was available with NTCs and Detroits.

[Freightrain]

Friend had one with a NTC in it.  Was an old ANR truck, with the red/blue stripe through the middle.  Short single axle, he put a dump bed on it.

[41chevy]

9 hours ago, General Ike said:

There is a video of it getting getting yanked out of the woods prior to restoration on Penske's FaceBook Page....  i'm not on FB but maybe someone could search for it and post.

I suspect that this rig had a 53 series Detroit in it with a 5 speed main and two speed rear.

Photos at the bottom. Gasser.

http://www.leblogauto.com/2017/02/penske-restaure-son-blue-hilton.html

 

[General Ike]

19 hours ago, 41chevy said:

Photos at the bottom. Gasser.
http://www.leblogauto.com/2017/02/penske-restaure-son-blue-hilton.html
 

Gasser it is. That's a shame. A 653 or 6v53 would sound so much better then the over muffled gas-lit V8. I really don't mind the sound of a 707, Hall-Scott or a Continental but the commercial big V8 gas mills that have no growl and all you hear is gear noise drive me nuts.

[Freightrain]

Likely a 392.   Yowza, I bet that is THIRSTY!!!!  My 345 in my '72 pickup was bad enough, can't imagine with that truck.

[RoadwayR]

Not a 392, it's a V series, probably a 478 or 549. 

[66dc75]

Could have had an NH220 too in those trucks the engine was laid over to the right.

 

[41chevy]

3 hours ago, 66dc75 said:

Could have had an NH220 too in those trucks the engine was laid over to the right.

 

Go to the block of photos on the bottom of the link. I.H. Gas V-8.

http://www.leblogauto.com/2017/02/penske-restaure-son-blue-hilton.html

 

[carlotpilot]

549  teapot on it

[carlotpilot]

On 2/22/2017 at 11:56 PM, General Ike said:

Gasser it is. That's a shame. A 653 or 6v53 would sound so much better then the over muffled gas-lit V8. I really don't mind the sound of a 707, Hall-Scott or a Continental but the commercial big V8 gas mills that have no growl and all you hear is gear noise drive me nuts.

an in tune 549 with dual exhaust will give you all the growl you can stand