Like no other year at the Speedway, the 1965 Indy 500 signaled a changing of the guard. Here’s the story in a well-produced 1965 film.

Produced for the Autolite division of Ford Motor Company, this fine old flim is a treasure for fans of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its history. Tittled A Revolution at Indy and narrated by Sid Collins, the movie opens with a series of priceless glimpses of the Speedway just as it was in 1965: the old wooden garages of Gasoline Alley, the 1956-1999 timing tower, an earlier generation of grandstands. Oh, the memories. But just as the movie’s title suggests, 1965 was a year of seismic change at the Speedway, especially in the race cars.

For the ’65 race, 17 of the 33 starters were powered not by the familiar four-banger Offies, but by Ford DOHC Indy V8s. (See our feature on the Indy Ford here.) What’s more, 27 were mid-engine, European formula-type cars (“rear-engine” in the Indy lingo of the time). The first two rows were lined with mid-engine cars, leaving room for only six traditional front-engine roadsters scattered through the field.

JIm Clark set a qualfying record in a new Lotus 38-Ford, but A.J. Foyt edged him out for the pole driving a year-old Lotus 34, a former Clark’ backup chassis. On race day, Foyt fell out with gearbox troubles just past halfway and Clark took an easy victory, averaging more than 150 mph over the 500 miles. In their third try, Clark, Lotus, and car builder Colin Chapman had conquered the Speedway, and they had indeed fomented a revolution in Indy car racing. Video below.