By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. Beginning in the late 50s and running through the mid-70s, sports car racing - particularly here in the U.S. - was captivated and dominated by V8-powered machines that barked their intent at race tracks all over the country. Sure, back in those days, SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) events were heavily populated by small-bore sports cars like Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, MGs, Minis, 356 Porsches and many other brands. And there was no question that they provided the backbone of SCCA racing back then. But starting in the late 50s with race-prepared Corvettes, and then fueled by the emergence of the Shelby American Cobra, and on to the USRRC, Trans-Am and Can-Am days, the real action was with the big-bore machines.
I vividly remember seeing the crowds gravitate to the fences when those V8s fired-up on the false grid. They couldn't really help it, because the sound was guttural, menacing and mesmerizing all at once. Standing among those cars on false grids all over the Midwest with our "A" Production Corvettes - Waterford Hills, Grattan, Mid-Ohio, Nelson Ledges, Milwaukee, Blackhawk Farms and, of course, Road America - was an in-period treat that I couldn't get enough of and will never forget. And besides the spectacular noise coming from those machines, the sheer speed was awesome to behold as they devoured every race track they visited.
And the legendary names that wheeled these machines were a mix of Hall of Famers and hard-scrabble drivers who wouldn't settle for anything less than the fastest, baddest V8s available. The legends were present and accounted for: Ken Miles, Dan Gurney, Roger Penske, Mario Andretti, Jim Hall, Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, Peter Revson, John Surtees, Parnelli Jones, George Follmer, Mark Donohue, Swede Savage, Sam Posey, Milt Minter, Ed Leslie, Dr. Dick Thompson ("The Flying Dentist"), Allen Grant, Jerry Grant, et al. And, of course, my brother Tony and his teammate Jerry Thompson. This list of drivers - which I have affectionately dubbed "The Muscle Boys" - were just the tip of the iceberg. There were countless others who wheeled and manhandled their brutal machines at tracks all across the country. They were visceral, no-compromise machines that captivated the hearts and minds of racing enthusiasts, and if you've ever been to a vintage racing event, the same is true today, if not more so. I hope you enjoy the following images and recollections as much as I do.
And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.
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Riverside International Raceway, October 11, 1964. A.J. Foyt (No. 23 John Mecom Jr. Racing Cooper Hussein 1 Dodge) qualified sixth for the 200-mile L.A.Times Grand Prix for Sports Cars in his Cooper-based sports racer, but did not finish. Parnelli Jones (No. 94 Shelby American Cooper King Cobra Ford) won that day, followed by Roger Penske (No. 6 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet) and Jim Clark (No. 15 Team Lotus 30 Ford).
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Riverside International Raceway, October 11, 1964. Jim Clark raced in a lot of different machines over his career. Here he wheels Colin Chapman's Lotus 30 Ford in the 200-mile L.A.Times Grand Prix for Sports Cars. Clark finished third behind Parnelli Jones (No. 94 Shelby American Cooper King Cobra Ford) and Roger Penske (No. 6 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet).
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Riverside International Raceway, October 31, 1965. Jim Hall in his beautiful No. 66 Chaparral 2C Chevrolet during the 200-mile L.A.Times Grand Prix for Sports Cars. Hall finished second in the qualifying heat to Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren Elva Mark II Oldsmobile), but didn't make the start due to suspension issues with the brand-new Chaparral 2C.
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Watkins Glen, New York, July, 1970. Jim Hall and Jackie Stewart discuss the performance of the Chaparral 2J Chevrolet during Can-Am practice. Stewart qualified a very close third behind Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8D Chevrolet) and Dan Gurney (No. 48 Gulf Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8D Chevrolet) in the radical ground-effects Chaparral, but didn't finish. Hulme won that day, but since the Watkins Glen 6-Hour for FIA cars ran the day before, some FIA cars entered the Can-Am the next day. Jo SIffert (No. 1 J.W. Automotive Engineering Ltd Gulf Porsche 917 K) finished second, and Richard Attwood (No. 32 Porsche Audi Porsche 817 K) finished third. The Chaparral 2J was entirely conceived and designed by Chevrolet engineers to explore ground-effects technology. It was jointly developed by Chevrolet engineers and Hall during the 1970 Can-Am season. The dual snowmobile engines on the back of the car were designed to suck the 2J down to the pavement, with its GE Lexan skirts actually scraping the pavement as they sealed the underside of the 2J off for better suction. The cornering speeds of the 2J were incredible, and when it ran right - which wasn't often - it was 2-3 seconds per lap faster than the state-of-the-art McLarens. The technology was so intriguing that Gordon Murray designed his own version of the technology for the 1978 Brabham BT46B F1 "fan" car. The fan in the Brabham BT 46B was driven by the engine itself. The car was quickly banned by the FIA for having a "movable aerodynamic device." It's a shame that the Chevrolet engineers responsible for the concept of the 2J never got the credit they deserved.
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Riverside International Raceway, October, 1966. The Chaparral Cars team in the paddock during the Can-Am weekend. The No. 65 Chaparral 2E Chevrolet was driven by Phil Hill, and the No. 66 Chaparral 2E Chevrolet was driven by Jim Hall. John Surtees (No. 7 Team Surtees Ltd Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet) won that weekend, followed by Hall and Graham Hill (No. 3 Team Surtees Ltd Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet). Phil Hill didn't finish.
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Sebring International Raceway, March 24, 1973. Tony DeLorenzo (No. 11 Troy Promotions Inc./Budd Chevrolet Corvette) captured the pole for the all-GT event by three full seconds. Tony and co-driver Steve Durst encountered overheating issues and didn't finish. Peter Gregg/Hurley Haywood/Dave Helmick won that day driving the No. 59 Garrard Porsche 911 RSR.
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Las Vegas, Nevada, November 10, 1968. Jim Hall (No. 66 Chaparral 2G Chevrolet) early in the Stardust Grand Prix Can-Am race at Stardust International Raceway. Hall suffered a terrible crash in the race when he attempted to overtake Lothar Motschenbacher (No. 11 McLaren M6B Ford). When Motschenbacher's McLaren suddenly broke a suspension upright and all but stopped on the track in front of Hall. Hall's Chaparral rode up over the left rear of the McLaren, flew high into the air, then rolled and tumbled to the outside of the turn and came to rest upside down. Hall suffered devastating injuries - breaking both of his legs - which curtailed his career as a driver and forced him to spend months in a wheelchair. He would continue on as a racing car designer and team owner - winning the Indy 500 with Johnny Rutherford - and he even drove in a few Trans-Am races in the 1970 season for his own Camaro team.
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Las Vegas, Nevada, November 10, 1968. Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf McLaren M8A Chevrolet) on his way to winning the Stardust Grand Prix Can-Am. George Follmer (No. 16 Lola T70 Mk.3B 427 Ford) was second, and Jerry Titus (No. 17 McLaren M6B Chevrolet) finished third.
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Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 31, 1968. Mark Donohue studies the exposed rear brake/suspension on the No. 5 Gulf McLaren M8A Chevrolet in the pit lane at Road America during the Can-Am weekend. The McLaren domination had well and truly begun in the Can-Am by then. Bruce McLaren (No. 4 Gulf McLaren M8A Chevrolet) and Hulme qualified 1-2, two full seconds clear of Donohue in the No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Special McLaren M6A Chevrolet. Hulme and McLaren ran 1-2 in the race as well, with Donohue finishing third.