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Chaparral 2E - Chevrolet 327 V8 Genie Mk.10 - Oldsmobile 271 V8 Lola T70 Mk. II - Chevrolet 333 V8 Lola T70 Mk. II - Chevrolet 359 V8 Lola T70 Mk. II - Ford 305 Weslake V8 Lola T70 Mk. II - Ford 427 V8 McLaren-Elva Mk. 1 - Chevrolet 327 V8 McLaren-Elva Mk. 2 - Chevrolet 333 V8 McLaren M1B - Chevrolet 361 V8 McLaren-Elva Mk. 2 - Ford 289 V8 ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Chaparral The first Chaparral, a conventional front engined vehicle, was built by Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes in 1961. In 1962 Jim Hall and Hap Sharp formed Chaparral Cars, Inc. and immediately began the design and construction of Chaparral 2, a mid-engined car with an aerospace inspired semi-monocoque fiberglass chassis. In it's first race at Riverside near the end of the 1963 season, Hall qualified Chaparral 2 on pole position with a new track record and after the first few laps of the race was a half mile ahead of the field when an electrical problem put him out of the race. Driving Chaparral 2, Jim Hall won the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) in 1964. With 25 starts in 15 events Chaparral 2 had scored seven overall wins, six seconds, and two thirds. In 1965 Chaparral 2 dominated United States road racing with 16 wins in 21 races, and its greatest win to date, the Sebring 12 hour race against top international competition. For 1966, Chaparral introduced the 2E, and it is arguably the most significant Chaparral design. It introduced driver controlled aerodynamic downforce to the world. Its large high mounted wing represented a dramatic change in the world of automobile racing. From that time forward, racing cars became aerodynamic ground vehicles. The Chaparral 2E was fast everywhere it raced in the 1966 Can-Am series, and once teething troubles were solved, Phil Hill and Jim Hall finished a memorable one-two at Laguna Seca. Sources: 1 2

Genie

The Huffaker Genie was the brainchild of Joe Huffaker, head of British Motor Car Distributors’ Competition Department under the ownership of Kjell Qvale (of De Tomaso Mangusta fame) during the early 1960’s. BMC, as it was known, was essentially the West Coast equivalent of Max Hoffman’s famous distributorship, and Qvale brought Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, MG, Austin Healey, Lotus, Jensen, De Tomaso, Maserati, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Land Rover Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and many other European marques to Americans living in the Western United States starting in the late 1940’s. Indeed, the Qvale dynasty is still very much alive today on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, and throughout their dealer network. During the early 60’s, working for Qvale, Huffaker designed, engineered, and constructed some of the earliest mid-engined racecars under the name Huffaker Genie, which was particularly impressive given that neither McLaren nor Lola had introduced any mid- engined cars. Consequently, for a brief period, Huffaker Genies were the car to have, and the company was at one point the largest dedicated racecar constructor in the United States. The facility was in San Rafael, California, and today, Mr. Huffaker is still at work not far away, restoring race cars at a shop located at the famous Sears Point racetrack. Joe Huffaker got his start in the automotive business creating racing specials and Formula Juniors, before moving into the competitive and exciting market of large displacement sports racing cars. The Formula Junior market had been a successful venture for Huffaker, but by the early 1960s it had become too competitive, with new makes and models appearing very frequently. Huffaker left the diluted scene, which was becoming plagued by high costs, for something with slightly more cubic capacity. The first Genie was the MK4; it was designed for the G-Modified category. It had an 1100CC BMC engine, disc brakes, spaceframe chassis, fiberglass body, and an independent suspension setup with coil springs. They had both form and function, with performance that made them competitive and an appearance that was similar to other sports- racers of the day, such as the King Cobra Cooper Monaco's. The second version of the Genie was the MK5 which was large enough to except a bigger Coventry-Climax FWA, Corvair, or Alfa Romeo engine. Many of these were used in G- Modified competition with much success; Harry Banta won the SCCA West Coast Amateur Championship in a MKV. Specifications varied as an assortment of setups and configurations were used. The final iteration of the small-displacement Genies was the MK6 created in 1965. Only one example was ever built. It featured a Hewland gearbox, OSCA engine, and a fiberglass body over a space frame chassis. The USRRC Series was growing in popularity attracting drivers, sponsors, and of course builders. For this series, Huffaker built the Genie MK8 with enough clearance to house a variety of V8 engines, including Ford, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Pontiac. The chassis was a space frame setup with the suspension similar in design to the MK5 but tuned to accept the additional weight and power of the engine. Disc brakes and Dunlop magnesium calipers were placed at all four corners in hopes of keeping the car in the drivers control. The design of the fiberglass bodies were similar to the prior Genie cars, which meant they too had form and function. The MK8's were sold as both a kit and turn- key setup, with an estimated eight being fully-built racers. One of the big issues with the V8 power was how to get it to the rear wheels without twisting, tearing, and braking the drivetrain. A suitable solution was found with a setup similar to the ones used by the Shelby King Cobras. The problem re-appeared when work began on the MK10 which featured heavier and more powerful Chevrolet engines. The MK10 was basically an stronger version of the MK8. It had bigger brakes, stronger chassis that was completely new, wider tires, open rear fenders, beefed up suspension, and an increased front and rear track. Some of the MK8's were upgraded to this specification; some MK10's left the factory in kit form; and only a few, around 2, left as new and complete vehicles. The cost of owning a new MK10 in 1965 was around $9,500. The Genie MK10s were competitive, winning a few races, and providing some competition for the very fast Chaparrals. The beginning of the following season went well for the Genie's, but after a few races the McLaren's and Lola's had matured and were tough to beat. One Genie Mark 10 was owned by Dan Blocker, perhaps better known as Hoss of TV's Bonanza fame. Nicknamed 'Vinegaroon' because of its coloring, the car was campaigned by the Nickey Chevrolet racing team starting in 1965. Driven by Canadian John Cannon (father of current IndyCar engineer Michael Cannon), the 'Vinegaroon' took second in the 1965 Nassau Tourist Trophy race and won the April 1965 USRRC race at Stardust Raceways in Las Vegas. In mid-1966, Bob Harris, a noted Hollywood stunt man, took over the Vinegaroon driving duties. The car was campaigned in the remaining USRRC races that year and participated in the inaugural 1966 Can-Am season. Sources: 1 2

Lola

During the mid-1960s, Eric Broadley struck upon an idea. Broadley was an outsider. He was by no means an automotive engineer and this helped him to think outside the box more often than not. This would attract Ford for what would become the GT40 project. However, in a short amount of time, the negotiations and meetings about the build of the car would turn Broadley off to building cars for others. Broadley had already established Lola Cars in 1958 and would become rather successful designing and building single-seaters for Formula Junior, Formula 3 and Formula 2. This would lead to the contract to work with Ford on its ambitious GT40 project. However, the staunch, established ways of doing things discouraged Broadley who was willing to push the edges of the envelope in search of an advantage. Therefore, by the mid-1960s, Broadley was free from his efforts with Ford and was on his own again. He again was free to build the cars he desired to build, and his way. Not all from the GT40 project would be lost, however. In fact, it would lead to Broadley developing what would become the fastest sportscar in the world at the time. Broadley came to see the advantages of the raw American V-8 powerplant offered by Ford and Chevrolet. He then realized that combining that power with a light, mid- engined design could prove to be incredibly successful. Broadley would turn to an expert to help develop his idea. The World Champion, John Surtees, would come on board and would work hand-in-hand with Broadley to develop the idea into one of the most successful sportscars in Lola's history. The result of the work between Broadley and Surtees would be a wonderfully aggressive- looking car weighing just over 1700 pounds and boasting of 500hp. The design and layout of the car would lend itself to being stable and predictable for the driver. And, when combined with jaw-dropping acceleration and performance, the T70 would become an instant success. But the two men weren't done. They would continue to work on making the car lighter. Outwardly, what would become known as the MKII would be very similar to the original T70. However, Broadley would go down a road he had come across in his discussions with Ford on the GT40 project. In one of the meetings, Broadley had expressed a desire to use a combination of steel and aluminum in the chassis of the car. This combination would further help to lighten the car without severely hindering its rigidity. Ford, however, balked at this idea and wanted to stick with steel construction for the chassis. This would be one of the final straws for Broadley who would soon leave the project. Well, not long after debuting the T70, Broadley would be faced with the same issue that was plaguing his own sportscar design. Broadley and Surtees had agreed on the mix of steel and aluminum in the construction of the T70. However, the decision would plague the two men who believed the car needed to be lightened even further. Therefore, Broadley would take the leap and would decide to construct the cross bracing of the MKII almost entirely out of aluminum. Furthermore, riveting, instead of welding, would be used in other areas in order to maintain strength but to shed even more weight. After a little more than 100 pounds and other detail changes, the new MKII would be unveiled. In the hands of Surtees, the MKII would make an immediate impression by beating Bruce McLaren in the Guards International Trophy race at Silverstone by more than a minute and a half. The extra weight savings would help the T70 MKII dominate sportscar racing in Europe and in North America, distribution aided by the involvement of John Mecom. It was John Mecom who introduced the first Big-Block engine to Can-Am. He arranged for one of his Lola T70 Mk II's to be fitted with a Ford 427 cui. engine, coupled to an experimental automatic two-speed gearbox. Driven by a very young Mario Andretti, this was a typical case of too much, too soon, the tires and transmission not yet being up to the job. Chaparral and Penske would have another try the following year. Sources: 1

McLaren

Bruce McLaren's employer Cooper Cars considered building two special cars specifically for Bruce McLaren to compete in the 1964 Tasman series. After Cooper decided it was too costly and too much work, Bruce and Mayer brothers, Timmy the driver and Teddy the manager, established Bruce McLaren Racing Ltd to build the Coopers and race them. The cars created in his shop were a tremendous success, earning him his first victory in the New Zealand Grand Prix and the series championship. The acquisition of Roger Penske's Zerex Special was the next step. The car was a modified F1 Cooper and powered by a 2.7- liter Climax four-cylinder unit. It was later fitted with a 215 cubic-inch Traco-modified Oldsmobile aluminum block V8. The first McLaren, called Mark 1 (M1), was built in time for the late season North American races. Power was from the Traco Olds which now displaced 4.5-liters. The competition was fierce, with strong teams from both Europe and North America. The McLaren car encountered a throttle linkage problem but rallied to finish third overall and established the lap record. cooling hose issues were responsible for the teams DNF's at Riverside and Laguna Seca. The McLaren M1 was a very competitive and capable car. Teddy Mayer soon realized that a customer version of the car could provide additional income for the team. Not wanting to over-work the Feltham McLaren shop, the team struck a deal with Frank Nichols who had joined Peter Agg's Trojan Group to re- estalish Elva cars. Elva would build customer cars for McLaren which were designated McLaren-Elvas. The Elva-built McLarens were called the McLaren-Elva Mark 1 in America, and McLaren M1A in the rest of the world, and were powered by a variety of powerplants. They had a simple and straightforward design with a frame based on three main tubes incorporating a multi-tubular space frame structured. At all four corners were an independent suspension with widely spaced pickups for the front upper wishbones. The rear had reversed lower wishbones, single upper links and parallel radius rods. Springing was by coil springs and tubular shocks. The gearbox was a Hewland transaxle. The body design was courtesy of Tony Hilder. Work, development and fine-tuning continued on the M1A, resulting in the M1B of 1965 and 1966. Michael Turner, Tyler Alexander, and Robin Herd were among the individuals responsible for many of the new changes. Improvements and changes included changes to the tail and to the nose section. McLaren engineer Robin Herd endowed the M1B with a frame that, despite weighing about the same as the M1A's, proved 20% stronger than its predecessor's chassis. The extra strength came from the use of larger diameter round and square tubing, with alloy sheet metal bonded and riveted to the tubular frame. The inaugural Group 7 racing debut for the M1B was at a non-championship St. Jovite race in June 1965. Sadly, the car retired prematurely due to problems with the Oldsmobile engine. When the car began competing in CanAm competition, it soon became apparent that the 5-liter Traco- Oldsmobile engine was unable to compete with the 6-liter Chevrolet powerplants. After a few races, Bruce McLaren switched the lightweight aluminum engine for the heavier, yet more powerful, 5.4-liter Chevrolet units. The result was an increase in weight by about 200 lbs but an increase in horsepower by 100. The Chevrolet mill's displacement eventually rose to 6.2-liters, with power output of 550 horsepower. Stronger and more powerful than the M1A, the McLaren M1B was a capable performer. The M1B represented the phenomenal success of Bruce McLaren, who not only built exceptional racing cars but also raced them with brilliance. Just a few years before his early death, Bruce McLaren drove the M1B to second place (behind only John Surtees) in the 1966 Can-Am season. Under the partnership with Elva 28 more examples of the M1B were produced. These cars were marketed as McLaren-Elva Mark 2s. Sources: 1 2