By Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

The Conely Race Team, headed by Brighton businessman John Conely, participated in the recent 2022 Eyes on Design at Ford House, Design for Speed. The event was held the weekend of June 19th at the Ford estate on Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores.

Conely’s team from Brighton submitted a 1964 rear-engine Indy car built by Don Edmunds. It was one of the very first American-built, rear-engine Indy cars and was awarded the "Automotive Design of Exceptional Merit Calty Design Research Award”.

The Eyes on Design show has been run for three decades, raising money for the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology for education and research toward treatments and new technology for blinding diseases. Currently researchers are focusing on bionic vision with visual neuro-prosthetic devices and research on macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.”

The car has four-wheel, independent suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, and a twin overhead cam engine that can reach speeds in excess of 170 miles per hour. The storied race car has been driven by Bobby and Al Unser, Dempsey Wilson and Jack Conely of Brighton, the late father of John Conely. It was last driven at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2019 by Sean Conely during a vintage, pre-Indy 500 event.
research on macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Conely told WHMI the family, in his words, was “deeply honored to have our car awarded the Automotive Design of Exceptional Merit Calty Design Research Award by the Toyota Design Network."