The Can Am series benefited from an extremely liberal regulation at its creation, thanks to the will of its promoters, with a view to fielding powerful and spectacular cars that could compete with Formula 1. See by yourself. These regulations were derived from those of Group 7 established by the CSI (the forerunner of the FIA). The cars had to be two-seaters, have the wheels covered and have a roll bar above the driver's head. And that's it! No restrictions on dimensions, on the engine, in displacement or use of a turbo, no minimum weight.

This regulation gave birth to some magnificent cars, such as McLaren's M8 series or the Porsche 917/30, the ultimate version of the Stuttgart icon which developed more than 1000 horsepower. The dial of the CACC takes up the mythical colors of the M8. But these regulations gave the opportunity to see the most extravagant and unlikely competition cars ever built. Their names appear at the bottom of the dial of the HRAP. Here they are:

AVS SHADOW MK1

The first car produced by Don Nichols in 1969, he made a name for himself in the 70s in Formula 1 with his American team, Shadow. Nichols was an astonishing character: a former member of the American Air Force, who had worked for the CIA, he made his fortune after the war in Japan by importing tires and car accessories. But that's not the point.

The desire with the MK1 was to produce the smallest possible car, equipped with the largest possible engine, with the smallest possible frontal area.

This was followed by a kind of giant Go-Kart, equipped with a 7-liter Chevy V8 with 675 horsepower, whose chassis barely protected its driver, equipped with 10-inch wheels at the front and 12-inch at the rear. A monster (photo to be consulted in the CACC presentation carousel).

George Follmer and Vic Elford were the brave drivers who took the wheel. Follmer said of it: "It's the worst car I've ever driven. It's a rocket in a straight line but it's impossible to slow it down (Editor's note: not very surprising: imagine the size of its brakes with the ridiculous diameter of its wheels) or to make it stay on the road. It looks like it's equipped with the shock absorbers of the Ford T."

MAC’S IT SPECIAL

The Mac's IT is even more extravagant: this car is equipped with 4 engines, 775 cm3 and 110 horsepower 2-stroke ROTAX, each powering a wheel while being connected to the others with a complex transmission system! How could anyone believe for a second that this could work? The car was nevertheless on the road: it was presented at the Can Am race in Laguna Seca in 1970. In practice, the fastest lap was set by a Chaparral 2J in 59 seconds. The Mac's IT completed its best lap in 1 minute 32 seconds... It was his only appearance in the race... (photo to be consulted in the CACC presentation carousel).

CHAPARRAL 2D and 2H

Not all ideas that go beyond the framework are necessarily doomed to failure. A lot depends on who implements them. Jim Hall and his Chaparral are an illustration of this. Hall found in the Can Am the perfect playground to bring his avant-garde ideas to life. He was the very first, years before anyone else, to understand the importance of aerodynamics and introduced wings and then ground effect (10 years before Lotus and Colin Chapman).

In 1965, Jim Hall equipped his cars with a mobile wing. It entered the Can Am Championship from its creation in 1966 with a car, the 2C equipped with this appendage. The concept was pushed to its extreme in 1968 and 69 with the 2H, which, too radical, was not a success (photo to be consulted in the CACC presentation carousel). Accidents multiplied, especially in F1, in 1969 because of these wings. The 2H is an aircraft glued to the ground. At the slightest loss of downforce, it will fly away. Faced with the danger, regulators banned these mobile fins from all competition.

No matter. Jim Hall changed his mind while continuing to explore aerodynamics with the 2J model in 1970. A more than surprising car, looking like a shoebox to which a racing car front end has been grafted... Uglier is not possible. But effective, even if it will not be reliable.

The 2J is equipped in addition to its combustion engine, with 2 two-stroke engines that power 2 turbines that create a vacuum under the car, sticking it to the asphalt. And it works. The 2J outclassed the McLarens in cornering speed and in qualifying for the Riverside race, Vic Elford was two seconds a lap ahead of McLaren. But the problem is that the turbines suck in and eject behind the car at the speed of a rifle bullet any object or debris sucked up on the track. The cars following the Chaparral risk at any moment to burst their radiators, or worse, the drivers to take these projectiles in the face. Here again, the legislator cannot let this happen and prohibits suction turbines (photo to be consulted in the CACC's presentation carousel).

This was too much for Jim Hall who threw in the towel. He still had the satisfaction of winning 3 CAN AM victories with his cars We would not see him again until 10 years later, with the Chaparral 2K designed for the Indianapolis 500. Johnny Rutherford won there at the wheel in 1980.

Hats off to Mr. Hall!