Chaparral
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Jim Hall and his partner Hap Sharp founded the Chaparral racing car company together, making them one of the most important drivers of innovation in the sixties. Not only did they install a plastic chassis, they also used an automatic transmission and did pioneering work in racing car aerodynamics, all shown on the Model 2 (A-E). This report from the Technik im Rennwagen series describes the development history of this special model.
In 1966, it was Chaparral, not Red Bull, that gave it wings. In that year, the Texan racing car manufacturer unleashed the Can-Am 2E onto North America's race tracks. The experimental team led by engineer and racing driver Jim Hall had already caused a stir with the predecessor models 2A to 2C, but the automotive alchemists literally went one better with the 2E. Episode 16 of the series "Technology in a racing car" deals with the Chaparral 2E and shows the winged racing car in many historic pictures.
A five-year-old design is no longer competitive in racing. However, the Chaparral 2F was still in contention for victories in its final season, but only won one because reliability was not on its side. Despite its modest success, the car has remained etched in the memories of motorsport enthusiasts thanks to its powerful rear wing. This article from the series "Technology in racing cars from 1958 to 1978" looks at the Chaparral 2F in detail and shows it in historical photos.
Considering that Jim Hall was constantly trying out new and daring ideas for his Chaparral racing cars, he had surprisingly few failures to his name. One project, however, was a complete flop: the Chaparral 2H, with its special body shape, was supposed to generate little drag on the straights and a lot of downforce in the corners. The result was almost exactly the opposite. This article from the series "Technology in racing cars" is dedicated to the clumsily shaped catamaran with the short wheelbase.
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.
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