CHAPARRAL'S DAY.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Lost in the huge excitement of Ford winning the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans was the fact that Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars racing team delivered a stunning triumph of its own a couple of weeks before at the A.D.A.C. Nurburgring 1000 km at the famous Nordschleife circuit in Germany on June 5, 1966. Phil Hill and Jo Bonnier wheeled the No. 7 Chaparral 2D Chevrolet to a convincing win over the factory Ferrari team in Round 6 of the World Sportscar Championship. Ludovico Scarfiotti and Lorenzo Bandini (No. 11 Ferrari Dino 206 S) finished second, and Pedro Rodriguez and Richie Ginther came in third in their No. 12 Ferrari Dino 206 S.

The prevailing conventional wisdom at the time suggested that the lone American entry from Jim Hall's Midland, Texas-based racing outfit didn't have a chance in their first visit at what was then Europe's toughest racing circuit. In fact, they were dismissed as inconsequential amateurs before the race weekend. But that changed when Phil Hill served notice in qualifying by putting the beautiful 5.3-liter Chevrolet V8-powered coupe on the front row next to the factory-entered Ferrari 330P/3 driven by John Surtees and factory Ferrari test driver Mike Parkes. Though Surtees raced out into a huge lead at the start, the 330P/3 had a right rear suspension failure a few laps into the race, which required a replacement, and that repair would come undone later in the race so the car ended up not being a factor. The Chaparral, on the other hand, ran like clockwork with the only problem being a malfunctioning windscreen wiper when a heavy rainstorm hit the circuit in the waning laps with Phil Hill at the wheel after the final pit stop. 

Hill persevered for the impressive win in what was a momentous day for Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars team. And, according to a report in Motor Sport magazine at the time, the first competitors to congratulate the Chaparral team members were Surtees, Parkes and Ferrari team leader Mauro Forghieri, because they understood the significance of the accomplishment.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

Phil Hill wheels the No. 7 Chaparral 2D Chevrolet coupe through the famous Karussell turn on his way to the win in the 1000 km of Nurburgring.
Jo Bonnier at the wheel of the No. 7 Chaparral 2D Chevrolet.
A rear view of the No. Chaparral 2D Chevrolet in the Karussell. Jim Hall always ran his cars with Texas license plates in Europe.
(GM Design)
GM designer Larry Shinoda's original sketch of the Chaparral 2D. Jim Hall's working relationship with Chevrolet Engineering and GM Styling (now Design) has been well documented. Shinoda's design for the Chaparral 2D Coupe was heavily influenced by Shinoda's designs for the 1962 Corvair Monza GT coupe and the 1963 Corvair Monza SS spyder concepts.
Phil Hill and Jo Bonnier after winning the Nurburgring 1000 km race. Dismissed as an inconsequential entry from an amateurish team from America, the victory by the Chaparral team was hugely significant and newsworthy at the time.