CHASSIS 05 Prior to the start of the 1996 CART PPG IndyCar World Series, Lola-Ford Cosworth T96/00 chassis 05 served as a test vehicle for Michael Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi, turning hundreds of miles around Portland International Raceway, Firebird East, and Sebring.

The car would see its first competitive run at the Australian Indy Car Grand Prix in Surfers Paradise.

After qualifying 5th, Michael Andretti navigated the challenging street circuit—notorious for its high rate of attrition—and on lap 36, the champion fell victim to an electrical failure.

Chassis 05 would contest one additional event during the season with greater success.

At the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix in Nazareth Pennsylvania, hometown hero Michael Andretti converted a 5th-place starting position into an authoritative win after leading over half the race distance.

His first victory of the season, the subsequent momentum helped to secured two more victories in the following three events.

While lacking an ...