Rae was an American racing car constructor founded by engineer and chassis builder Johnny Rae. The marque made a single appearance in the Formula One World Championship at the 1950 Indianapolis 500, during the period when the famous American classic counted towards the inaugural FIA World Drivers’ Championship.
Although its World Championship involvement lasted only one race, Rae became one of the many specialist Indianapolis constructors to earn a place in Formula One history through the unique inclusion of the Indianapolis 500 on the championship calendar.
| Nationality | American |
| Years Active | 1950 |
| First Race | 1950 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last Race | 1950 Indianapolis 500 |
| Race Entries | 1 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Constructors’ Championships | 0 |
| Drivers’ Championships | 0 |
| Best Start | 29th |
| Best Finish | 22nd |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
| Retirements | 0 |
Origins
Johnny Rae built the Rae chassis specifically for Indianapolis competition, where independent constructors regularly produced bespoke cars for the world’s most prestigious oval race.
For the 1950 Indianapolis 500, the car was entered by Sampson Manufacturing under the name Sampson Special. Like many leading Indianapolis machines of the era, it was powered by the legendary 3.0-litre supercharged Offenhauser four-cylinder engine and ran on Firestone tyres.
Formula One
The Rae constructor made its only Formula One World Championship appearance at the 1950 Indianapolis 500, the first running of the event to count towards the newly created FIA World Drivers’ Championship.
American rookie Walt Ader drove car number 27 for the Sampson Manufacturing team. Ader qualified 29th on the starting grid with an average speed of 129.940 mph, securing a place in the 33-car field.
The race was shortened by heavy rain after 138 laps instead of its scheduled 200-lap distance. Ader completed 123 laps before the event was halted and was classified 22nd, finishing 15 laps behind the winner.
