“Joisus! Bite your tongue young man!” I showed a far younger bloke a shot of a Chaparral 2F and he offered up, “It doesn’t look that special.” FFS!
But context is everything, one needs to see Chaparrals surrounded by the paradigm set of the day to observe just how edgy their aerrodynamics and technology was/is. GM contribution duly noted.
The photograph above shows the Bruce Jennings/Bob Johnson Chaparral 2F Chev (DNF battery) leading the Jochen Neerpasch/Rolf Stommelen Porsche 910/6 (sixth) – with another 910 up ahead at Le Mans in 1967. The team-leading 2F of Phil Hill and Mike Spence was out after 225 laps with transmission failure, the cars Achilles heel. The winning Shelby Ford GT40 MkIV piloted by Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt completed 388 laps. See here for a feature on Le Mans 1967; https://primotipo.com/2015/09/24/le-mans-1967/
On the hunt, the Mike Spence/Jim Hall 2F (DNF diff) closes on the West/Osborn/Allison Shelby GT350 (disq outside assistance) under brakes at Sebring in 1967. The Bruce McLaren/Mario Andretti Ford GT40 MkIV won. More on the Chaparral 2F here; https://primotipo.com/2014/06/26/67-spa-1000km-chaparral-2f/
Simply superb. Aluminium monocoque chassis, steering rack and period typical outboard front wishbone suspension. Look at the emphasis on brake rotor and caliper cooling.
Vic Elford’s Chaparral 2J Chev at Riverside during the final 1970 Can-Am Challenge round. Bonus points for the names of the crew. Q1 by only a little over two-seconds! from Denny Hulme’s championship winning McLaren M8D Chev and DNF auxiliary engine after only two laps. Denny won.
Chaparral 2J-001 at rest during the Watkins Glen Can-Am/Six Hour July 11 1970 weekend, with one of the Porsche Salzburg 917Ks behind. Jackie Stewart raced the 2J, Q3 and DNF brake failure, see here for more; https://primotipo.com/2022/09/17/chaparral-2j-chev/
Either Hap Sharp was a very big unit or the interviewer is a tiny-tot? Looking happy, he has just won the Governor’s Trophy & Nassau Tourist Trophy race aboard a 2E Chev during the 1966 Nassau Speed Week; none of that nancy-boy Nomex crap for Hap.
It still looks radical even if you can’t properly see it! The Spence/Hill 2F up the pointy end at the start of the May 1967 Spa 1000km.
#6 is the first placed Jacky Ickx/Dick Thompson Mirage Mk1 Ford, the Willy Mairesse/Beurlys Ferrari 330P4/412P follows and then the works-Ferrari P4 crewed by Mike Parkes/Phil Hill. Sadly another gearbox failure for the Chaparral boys.
Credits…
MotorSport Images
Tailpiece…
Franz Weis was a key member of the Rattlesnake Raceway crew from the outset, and all the way through. More than a few Aussies used 5-litre Chaparral Chevs built by him in the Formula 5000 era. Here he is with Jim Hall’s Chaparral 2A Chev at Corry Field Pensacola, Florida before the USRRC round in April 1964.
Jim Hall won the race from Roger Penske’s Cooper T61 Monaco Chev and Ed Hugus’ Lotus 23B Lotus-Ford. Hall won the 10 round championship with victories in four rounds, Sharp took one win. See here for a feature on the 2A; https://primotipo.com/2020/01/25/chaparral-2a-chev/
Finito…
primotipo... 