Chaparral Cars

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This article is about the auto company. For other uses, see Chaparral (disambiguation)

Joakim Bonnier 1966 in the Chaparral
during practice at the Nürburgring

Mike Spence 1967 in the Chaparral 2F
during practice at the Nürburgring

Chaparral Cars was a United States automotive company which built prototype race cars from the 1960s through the early 1980s. Chaparral was founded by Jim Hall, a Texas oil magnate with an impressive combination of skills in engineering and race car driving. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Chaparral's distinctive race cars experienced strong success in both American and European racing circuits. Despite winning the Indy 500 in 1980, the Chaparrals left motor racing in 1982. Chaparral cars also featured in the SCCA/CASC CanAm series and in the European FIA Group 7. It is also said in popular culture that the Chaparral race cars were barred from events because of them being too effective and fast, especially the 2J.

Chaparral was the first to introduce effectively designed air dams and spoilers ranging from the tabs attached to the earliest 2C model to the driver-controlled high wing 'flipper' on the astoundingly different looking 2E, all the way through to Hall's most idealistically inspired creation, the 2J, the car that would forever be known as the 'vacuum cleaner'. Chaparral also used a semi-automatic transmission.

1 1
2 2
3 2D
4 2E
5 2F
6 2G
7 2H
8 2J
9 2K
10 Culture
11 External Links

[edit] 1

The Chaparral 1 was Jim Hall's first attempt at designing and building his own race cars. A development of the Scarab built for Lance Reventlow by Troutman and Barnes, it was a conventional front-engined car. It was the only Chaparral to be raced by someone other than Chaparral cars.

[edit] 2

The 2 was a rear-engined race car, built to compete in the United States Road Racing Championship. It was the dominant car in the series in 1964 and 1965, and it also won the 1965 12 Hours of Sebring.

With this series of cars, Jim Hall explored the impact of aerodynamic changes to the car as well as increasing rear wheel weight bias. A two article series in Car and Driver magazine featured Jim Hall's design theories.

[edit] 2D

The 2D was a variant of the 2, designed for endurance racing in 1966. It won at Nürburgring in 1966 with Phil Hill and Joakim Bonnier. This car is one of 2 Chaparral race cars to appear in Gran Turismo 4.

[edit] 2E

The 2E was Based on an updated 2 Series fiberglass chassis and presented Jim Hall's most advanced aerodynamic theories to the racing world in the 1965 Can Am championships. Its highly advanced design suffered from lack of testing. It scored only one win in Laguna Seca with Phil Hill driving.

The ultimate (for its day) in high downforce race cars, it influenced race car design for the next decade. It was responsible for the introduction of high mounted wings in Formula 1, and along with the 2J, the eventual introduction of ground effects in all forms of racing. This was truly Jim Hall's landmark car design.

[edit] 2F

The replacement for the 2D in endurance racing, the car scored its only win on 30th July 1967 in the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch with Phil Hill and Mike Spence driving.

[edit] 2G

The 1967 2G was a development of the 2E. It featured wider tires and a 427 aluminum Chevy engine.

Jim Hall's racing career was effectively ended when he crashed at the Stardust Grand Prix.

[edit] 2H

The 2H was built in 1969 as the replacement for the 2G. This design sought to minimize drag rather than maximize downforce. Generally deemed a failure, it eventually sprouted a huge wing.

[edit] 2J

The most unique Chaparral was the 2J. In addition to a powerful 700hp engine, the back of the 2J housed two large 17-inch fans driven by a 45hp snowmobile engine. The purpose of the fans was to 'suck' air from under the car and propel it out the back. This gave the car tremendous gripping power and enabled greater maneuverability at all speeds, which cannot be achieved by simpler aerodynamic devices such as diffusers and wings. Since it 'sucked' a fixed amount of air out from under the car at all speeds, downforce did not decrease at lower speeds. With other aerodynamic devices, down-force decreases as the car slows down or achieves too much of a slip angle, both of which were not problems for the 'sucker car'. It also had ground effect skirts to keep air from leaking out, a technology that would appear in Formula One several years later. The 2J was not a success, despite qualifying from the front at each rounds, the car was plagued with mechanical problems and ran for only one racing season in 1970 as its technology was quickly outlawed by the SCCA after driver's complaints of stones being thrown at them from the rear. It was also adopted in Formula 1 for the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix, used by Brabham BT46B which it was banned soon after. The 2J is the other Chapparal to appear in Gran Turismo 4.

[edit] 2K

The 2K was a USAC ground effect car which was designed by Briton John Barnard winning the 1980 Indy 500 with Johnny Rutherford.

[edit] Culture

Speed Racer's Mach 5 appears to be inspired by the Chaparral 2C, by the pointed nose, open cockpit, and bulging fenders.

In 2005 a wing of the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas was dedicated to the permanent display of the remaining Chaparral cars and the history of their development by Midland native Jim Hall.