Chaparral 2J aka the Vacuum Cleaner

[levensnevel]

CanAm series 34 years ago
a great story :
qte....
The first time I raced it was at Road Atlanta (in the Can-Am Championship) when I was about 2.5 seconds quicker than Denny (Hulme) for pole position. Then I drove it at Laguna Seca and again at Riverside.
It was a long, long, long fast 180-degree right-hander just before the pits. During practice I came up behind Denny (in the McLaren M8D-Chevrolet) on the way into that corner and it was a very fast corner. Not quite flat but for me very close to it, and I remember driving around the outside of Denny (laughing) and he just pulled off into the pit lane absolutely pissed off! He took his helmet off and sat on the pit wall and sulked for the rest of the practice session ...unqte

those were the days :mrgreen:

Full story can be read on

http://www.ashcom.homestead.com/Elford2J.html

All about a remarkable innovation which was effectievely killed by McLaren :cry:

http://www.oldirish.com/racing/ra/2j.JPG

http://www.chicagolandmgclub.com/photos/roadam01/cha2j.jpg

http://www.oldirish.com/racing/ra/2j2.JPG

http://users.pandora.be/aerogi/Racing/Weird/Weird_pics/Chaparal_04.jpg

[stradale]

I read the whole thing and loved it!

Thanks, levensnevel! I never knew much about that car, but thanks to you that's changed.

[sameerrao]

Jim Hall deserves to be put in the same pedestal as Ferdinand Porsche, Enzo Ferrari, Henry Royce .... all iconic car makers who were responsible for making cars that were beautiful and highly effective. The Canam 2 and 2E is one of my favourites.

Some pics (from an Exoto model version of the 2 and 2E

front Chaparall 2
http://www02.exoto.com/Collectibles/RacingLegends/Chaparral2/img/RLG19141_FrontQuarter.JPG

side
http://www02.exoto.com/Cashier/Catalog/img/RLG18141.JPG

rear
http://www02.exoto.com/Collectibles/RacingLegends/Chaparral2E/img/RLG18160_Exhaust.JPG

engine bay
http://www02.exoto.com/Collectibles/RacingLegends/Chaparral2E/img/RLG18160_Engine.JPG

[Tomerville]

haha, no wonder its called the vacuum cleaner

[ChrisAW11]

Well, those ground-sealing cars weren't exactly safe... immense cornering speeds, and the danger of the chassis being unsettled (=unsealed) suddenly, resulting in a dramatic loss of grip - now combine those two inside your mind.

Also, the technology had no potential at all to move away from a flat-as-flat-can-be racetrack.