We’ve already told you that you can never tell what kind of wonderful stuff comes into our offices courtesy of the Hemmings Nation. Here’s another example, which further goes to prove that you never know what you’ll find buried in the files and other debris on my desk.  Early this year, we were planning a two-part series on pace cars of the Indianapolis 500, which ran in the June and July 2010 issues of Hemmings Classic Car. Completely coincidentally, we already had this photograph, which was sitting on my desk, unbeknownst to me, when the series what being assembled. So it got left out. That’s my fault, and for that, I apologize.

This photograph came to us from Jim Crozier of Townshend, Vermont. He told us he picked it up at an estate auction. The photo is personally signed by the guy in the image, Ralph De Palma, winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500, and one of the first true stars of American auto racing, having arrived here from his native Italy as a child. De Palma was selected to drive this pace car, a La Salle, for the the 1937 race. Run your fingers along the inscription on the photo and you can still detect the imprint of his fountain pen: “To Jr. Scott, Compliments of Ralph De Palma, July 2nd, 1937.” Jim told us that the photo had been attached to a hardboard liner that read, “Autographed to Ulysses Grant Scott by his boss.” Can anyone add to that?