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Technology in race cars (32): Chaparral 2J - The vacuum cleaner

Name: Chaparral 2J 1970
Brand: Chaparral

Created on August 8, 2023

Text:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Archiv Gerhard Schütz

Chaparral 2J (1970) - Beauty doesn't win races: Rarely has the form of a racing car followed function so uncompromisingly

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - Technical free spirit in compact form: The three black capsules at the rear are the casing of the belt drive for the fans

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - The fans of the first version. The belt drive is still in front (in the direction of travel)

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - The front view reveals the almost rectangular cross-section

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - Hybrid of a different kind: Two-cylinder two-stroke piggyback behind the Chevrolet V8

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - The front cross apron grazes the floor to prevent air from entering the extracted space

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - Angular in cross-section. Air intake for the radiator at the front, combustion air at the side

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - X-ray drawing. The cable connecting the skirts to the suspension to keep them at a constant distance from the road is clearly visible

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - Exhaust snake's nest. Just visible on the left is the flat chamber for the intake air, sealed against the vacuum in the engine compartment

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - ILO two-stroke engine for fan drive

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - a vacuum cleaner without a bag

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - Superior to the competition: The vacuum cleaner makes a run for it

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - Undisguised rear. In front of the wheel, the adjustment mechanism for the skirts. Reliable operation was important to prevent a sudden collapse of the downforce

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - probably the boxiest rear end in racing car history

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Chaparral 2J (1970) - Vic Elford starts from pole position at Riverside. The auxiliary engine breaks down on lap 6

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Summary

The boxy, white racing car with the two large fans in the rear, which look like jet engines, is probably the best-known Chaparral today. With its revolutionary downforce concept, the 2J stirred up a lot of dust in the Can-Am series - literally. The rule makers didn't like that as much as the car's overwhelming superiority. After just three races, the "vacuum cleaner" was banned. This article from the series "Technology in racing cars" presents the Chaparral 2J in detail.

This article contains the following chapters

Skirt chaser
Aero even without dynamics
The only victory for the naturally aspirated concept

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The years 1958-1978 were the two most creative decades in the history of racing technology. This series portrays the most progressive, pioneering and exotic designs of Formula 1, Indy cars, sports cars and Can-Am, and at the same time traces the major lines of development that still have an impact today. The Caparral 2J is certainly one of the most radical designs. The legendary "vacuum cleaner" project was originally the idea of the small, conspiratorial engineering team at Chevrolet, which Jim Hall had been supporting semi-officially in his projects for some time. Hall got involved after the failure of the Type 2H, as he had no other new approach up his sleeve, especially as the sporting authorities had banned free-standing, movable wings after the wing breakage accidents in the 1969 Formula 1 season.

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