It was often said that one of the biggest wishes of Enzo Ferrari was to build a car capable of winning the Indianapolis 500, but aside from a futile effort with Alberto Ascari in 1952 (one we discussed at an earlier date in this project) the Prancing Horse remained a high-profile absentee from the Brickyard for nearly 40 years. That very nearly changed however in 1986, when commercial interests and political upheaval in Formula One led to the construction of one of the most intriguing Indycar projects of all time.

By the early 1980’s, Ferrari’s Commendatore Enzo Ferrari had began to grow disillusioned with what he saw in Formula One, his cars weren’t winning as often as he wanted, whilst the political upheaval stemming from the FISA/ FOCA war of 1982 was still being felt around an increasingly uncertain paddock. At the same time, sales of Ferrari production cars had began to slow in North America, and Enzo soon came to believe that his F1 team’s involvement in a sole US Grand Prix did not provide the necessary level of promotion of his company across the Atlantic. This, added with Ferrari’s passion for the Indianapolis 500, led to the 86 year old to commission the construction of a new single-seater machine designed to compete at the Indianapolis 500.

On paper, construction of such a machine would serve Ferrari on two fronts; a presence in the CART series would give Ferrari a much needed increase in exposure over in America, but more importantly would also serve as a political tool within the Formula One paddock; where the input of Ferrari into the future of the sport would be taken further into account due to the threat of them leaving the sport being seen as increasingly legitimate.

In early 1985, Gustav Brunner was hired as a designer for the Ferrari team to work on the Indy project, visiting that year’s Indy 500 with then Ferrari president Vittorio Ghidella. Murmurings surrounding the presence of Ferrari at the Brickyard began to spread around the paddock, and Goodyear president Leo Mehl recommended the Truesports CART team for a research and development partnership, the stories surrounding the project began to gain significant momentum. In the fall of 1985, Truesports driver Bobby Rahal demonstrated a March 85C for Ferrari at the Fiorano test track for 40 laps, where Rahal was impressed with the kindness and respect he received from the Italian marque during his spell with the team. Further testing on the March took place in the hands of Michele Alboreto over the winter, and soon emerged as the basis for a fully working Ferrari Indycar machine which came to be known by those within the team as Project 637. By the summer of 1986, the Ferrari Indycar was available to begin testing, with Alboreto setting laps times in the new machine comparative to those that he managed in the March nine months previously. Rumours soon began to spread over a link-up with Truesports for 1987, until rule changes in the world of Formula One soon brought an abrupt end to the Ferrari Indycar dream.

Shortly after Ferrari unveiled their Indycar machine for the first time; it was announced by the FIA that Formula 1 would return to a 3.5 litre normally aspirated, eight cylinder formula in time for the 1989 season. The news over the engine regulations didn’t sit well with Ferrari, who had long been an advocate of a 12 cylinder layout for his machines and felt that the new rules would hinder Ferrari’s competitiveness within the sport.

During a meeting with FIA officials at Maranello, It was reported that Enzo stated that if V12’s were not allowed as part of the new regulations then he would pursue other options within his team. At that moment, everyone in the room heard an engine being started, which could be identified as a turbocharged V8 of about 3 litres, with Ferrari pointing out to the people in the room what they were hearing. The attendants supposedly all of a sudden realized that Ferrari was indeed in an advanced state with its Indy project. At that moment, the deal was struck that V12 engines would be allowed in F1, under the condition that Ferrari wouldn’t further pursue its Indycar plans, and in the process bringing an end to Project 637 once and for all.

Sadly, the Ferrari 637 never turned a wheel in competition and has become just a footnote in history, but the aura and intrigue surrounding it’s conception makes it one of the most compelling what if stories in the history of the Brickyard. And one worthy of still be discussed in years to come.