Within three years in Europe, he became F3 champion, won Formula 1 Grands Prix and, two years later, claimed the World Championship. His retirement from F1 at the age of 33 was therefore as early as it was unsuprising. However, his adaptation to IndyCar would prove to be a much longer challenge.
In 1984, he competed with March chassis for three teams, finishing 13th in the championship. The following year, now with Patrick Racing, he claimed his first victory and ended the season in sixth place, maintaining strong performances in the years that followed. The switch to Lola Chevrolet in 1988 brought two more wins, but no improvement in the standings.
Everything changed with the Penske PC18: in 1989, Fittipaldi won five races and secured the championship, beating the works team by ten points. Designed by Nigel Bennett, it featured a Chevrolet 265A V8t, a 2.65-litre turbo engine producing around 800bhp, also used by some Lola cars. Its minimalist design was defined by wing-shaped sidepods ahead of the rear wheels and distinctive closed wheels with small perforations for oval circuits.
The chassis with which Emerson won the Indianapolis 500 is currently part of Zak Brown’s collection, McLaren’s boss. Chassis #009, the one in Fittipaldi’s collection, was raced throughout the season by both Emerson and his legendary teammate for that year, Rick Mears.