1967 Road America Can-Am

[Steve Holmes]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtRRaVxJbP4

1967 was the second year of the Sports Car Club of Americas new Canadian-American Challenge Cup for big bore sports cars. The series found immediate success with the SCCA offering lucrative prize money that guaranteed big name stars and full factory participation.

There were 6 rounds in the 1966 season, and seven races, with the Laguna Seca round being split into two heats. Of those seven races, a Lola T70 reached the finish line first on six occasions, with Phil Hill taking Chaparrals one and only Can-Am victory in heat one at Laguna Seca. Lola works driver John Surtees won the ’66 Can-Am Championship, claiming three race victories along the way. Dan Gurney Lola/Ford, Mark Donohue Lola/Chevrolet, and Parnelli Jones Lola/Chevrolet were the other race winners.

Due to its overwhelming success during 1966, Lola was flooded with orders, and the ’67 season saw the T70 being the weapon of choice for most teams. McLaren, by comparison, had been less successful, even though the works M1Bs of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon finished inside the top three at several events, and McLaren himself finished 3rd in the championship.

For 1967, most of the championship favourites were once again armed with Lola T70s, including Surtees, Jones, Donohue, Gurney, George Follmer, who would be driving a second Penske car, and Peter Revson. Jim Hall returned, this time with just a single high-winged big block Chaparral 2G, while Ford announced they would enter the Can-Am with a twin-pronged factory effort that included a Shelby American King Cobra, and Hollman-Moody Ford Honker.

However, the McLaren team arrived at round 1 of the ’67 championship, at Road America, best prepared, with their new M6A. The new McLaren featured a wedge-shaped body, and fuel-injected small block Chevy fitted into a rigid magnesium/aluminium riveted and bonded box chassis. And best of all, the McLaren had several months extensive testing under its belt, and was both fast and reliable by the time the new season arrived.

The sheer pace of the new McLarens shocked everyone at Road America, and those chasing the orange machines knew they were in for a long season. And so it proved, Bruce McLaren took two race victories, and two runner-up positions behind team mate Hulme over the six races to be crowned champion. Hulme won three times, and finished second in the championship. Surtees, having played catch-up all season in the works Lola, won the final race, after most of his rivals dropped out.

Like Lola, McLaren made a good portion of its income through selling chassis’ to customers, and success in the 1967 Can-Am set the still young company up for the future.

Here is that opening Can-Am race at Road America.

[Steve Holmes]

Part 2


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2mdNT0JsRo&feature=related

[Ellis]

This DVD has some very good stuff in it.......

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y128/falcongtho/Untitled-1-1.jpg

What a great series it was where the rule books were virtually thrown away .
Unlimited horse power , experimentation , innovation and some great builders thinking outside the square and daring drivers ruled the tracks. Times like these will never be seen again.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Ellis. I think I need to get a copy. Any footage of the Can-Am is guaranteed spectacular. I personally enjoyed the 1969 season the most, the last year in which the cars were allowed to run that tall rear suspension mounted aerofoils.

[Steve Holmes]

The news that Ford would enter the Can-Am for the '67 season was pretty exciting, as there was very little front line Ford involvement, other than the unit in the back of Dan Gurneys Lola.

The Ford effort was supposed to be big; three teams and six cars. But at Road America, only one car showed up, the swoopy purple 'Honker II', run by Holman-Moody, driven by Mario Andretti, and with Paul Newmans name on the nose. But it didn't even make it as far as qualifying. The Honker II entered four of the remaining five races, its best qualifying effort being 5th at Riverside, but it never looked like a race winner, even with the talent of Andretti behind the wheel.

3571

Jerry Titus appeared at Riverside in a Shelby run King-Cobra, qualifying 13th, and retiring after 4 laps. And that was the extent of Fords effort in the '67 Can-Am.

They returned late in the '69 season with their beautiful Open Sports Ford (see discussion here: http://www.theroaringseason.com/showthread.php?53-The-Open-Sports-Ford ), but the best Ford results in the Can-Am were those of Ford backed drivers running McLaren or Lola customer cars with Ford engines in the back.

[Steve Holmes]

Chris Amon was teamed with Bruce McLaren in 1966, but left at seasons end to join Ferrari, a move which probably made more sense for his F1 aspirations than those of Can-Am. He and team mate Jonathan Williams were given a pair of outdated P4s with the roofs cut off, and each fitted with a V12 stretched to 4.2 litres. But the venture wasn't at all successful, and Ferrari didn't seem to be taking it too seriously.

3572

They debuted at round 4 (of 6) and qualified mid-pack, with a best result being 5th for Amon at Laguna Seca.

[bry3500]

http://www.canamfilm.com/trailer.html

[bry3500]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFVOooG5yeo&feature=relmfu

[bry3500]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM56wSPgaWY&feature=related

[Steve Holmes]

Jim Hall ran his amazing series of Chaparral cars in the Can-Am from 1966 through 1970, but only took one race victory. But Halls contribution to the Can-Am was way bigger than his single victory. As an engineer, Hall was years ahead of his time. His Chaparral 2E of 1966 featured an automatic transmission which allowed him to develop an incredible adjustable tall aerofoil over the back wheels and mounted to the rear suspension struts. The wing sat way up high, out of the turbulent air created by the vehicles body.

3590

The wing was driver actuated, flatten it out on the straight, then flip it up to increase rear downforce in the corners. So clever. And because it was mounted on the rear hubs, and not the bodywork, it applied its downforce to the rear wheels, not the bodywork.

There were two 2E's built for 1966, and driven by Hall and Phil Hill. And it was Hill who took the one and only Chaparral victory in heat 1 at Laguna Seca. At the end of the season at a non-championship race at Nassau, the rear wing failed on one of the cars with Hap Sharp at the wheel, and wrote itself off against a tree.

Hall ran just a single car in the '67 Can-Am. It was based on the 2E, but featured enough changes, including an alloy big block 427, but be given a new designation, the 2G. The 2G was raced by Hall throughout '67 and into 1968, until he collided with the rear of Lothar Motschenbachers McLaren M8A at the final round at Las Vegas, and went skywards, ending his career as a driver.

The rear hub mounted aerofoil was a design masterpiece. By 1968, other Can-Am teams were trying it, as were teams in F1, where there were multiple failures, forcing the FIA to ban the concept. Fortunately for Can-Am, their decision came too late for the wings to be banned for the '69 season, as several teams had developed them into their cars, and removing them could be even more dangerous. And so the '69 Can-Am would be the last in which these were used. By this stage most cars had them, and rolling start images from '69 produce the amazing sight of a field of low-slung big bore sports cars fitted with tall aerofoils mounted on spindly struts.

The concept was a good one, its just that some teams took it to its extreme, and didn't make the structure strong enough to withstand the forces places upon it.

[bry3500]

http://www.canamfilm.com/trailer.html
Jim Hall ran his amazing series of Chaparral cars in the Can-Am from 1966 through 1970, but only took one race victory. But Halls contribution to the Can-Am was way bigger than his single victory. As an engineer, Hall was years ahead of his time. His Chaparral 2E of 1966 featured an automatic transmission which allowed him to develop an incredible adjustable tall aerofoil over the back wheels and mounted to the rear suspension struts. The wing sat way up high, out of the turbulent air created by the vehicles body.

3590

The wing was driver actuated, flatten it out on the straight, then flip it up to increase rear downforce in the corners. So clever. And because it was mounted on the rear hubs, and not the bodywork, it applied its downforce to the rear wheels, not the bodywork.

There were two 2E's built for 1966, and driven by Hall and Phil Hill. And it was Hill who took the one and only Chaparral victory in heat 1 at Laguna Seca. At the end of the season at a non-championship race at Nassau, the rear wing failed on one of the cars with Hap Sharp at the wheel, and wrote itself off against a tree.

Hall ran just a single car in the '67 Can-Am. It was based on the 2E, but featured enough changes, including an alloy big block 427, but be given a new designation, the 2G. The 2G was raced by Hall throughout '67 and into 1968, until he collided with the rear of Lothar Motschenbachers McLaren M8A at the final round at Las Vegas, and went skywards, ending his career as a driver.

The rear hub mounted aerofoil was a design masterpiece. By 1968, other Can-Am teams were trying it, as were teams in F1, where there were multiple failures, forcing the FIA to ban the concept. Fortunately for Can-Am, their decision came too late for the wings to be banned for the '69 season, as several teams had developed them into their cars, and removing them could be even more dangerous. And so the '69 Can-Am would be the last in which these were used. By this stage most cars had them, and rolling start images from '69 produce the amazing sight of a field of low-slung big bore sports cars fitted with tall aerofoils mounted on spindly struts.

The concept was a good one, its just that some teams took it to its extreme, and didn't make the structure strong enough to withstand the forces places upon it.

[Steve Holmes]

Oh yeah! Fantastic!

[Rod Grimwood]

Steve, I will endeavor to put some bits together on this guy. His name is Skip Scott (Robert Livingston Scott) and he did a heap of racing in Can Am and Le Mans Etc back in the 60/70's. He was actually a personal friend of Mr Ford. Any way in his later years he shifted over to NZ and up to the Bay of Islands and had a big charter boat. I got to know him very well and unfortunatly Skip passed on about 5 years ago from a illness which was caused by his previous life and his fancy of Vodka. This started when his best friend Peter Revson was killed basically in front of him It was very sad actually to see a person who had done so much go down hill so badly. We spent alot of time fishing before Skip became ill and we spent alot of time talking/discussing the days of racing and how it was then and how it is now. Skip was here on his own and we became kind of family to him as he would spend xmas day with us and spoilt my daughters. My wife and myself spent the last 2 years of Skips life doing our best to look after him. His family (children) are very nice people and gave me some videos of Skip racing but I sent them back to them when Skip passed, i wish i had copied them. I will try and make contact and see what i can get. He was a bit of a hard case and charmer when we could keep him away from the Vody with an amazing history of racing in all sorts. He co-drove with Denny Hulme and all sorts, so i will try and put some bits together.
I still think of him and wonder what a waste of great career, and not many people even knew of his past he just told me one day he used to race and was a mate of Mr Ford.

[Murray Maunder]

Sad story Rod, had no idea Skip who was pretty well known as a racer in the USA 60s and 70s as you said, moved to NZ. Revson was a popular guy and as I recall the McLaren guys (for whom Revvie previously drove) were shook up by his death and some say it made Denny's mind up about retiring. CanAm for it's liberal rules proved far less dangerous than F1 and I don't recall any deaths in the heyday when I was following the orange cars.

[Rod Grimwood]

I will endeavour to put a bit more together Murray, As Skip became pretty close to us over the time we knew him and he told me some great bits about different things that happened, he was kind of sheltered and would only talk about the "old days" as he called them to me on occassion. he was flatting with Revson when he had his accident and he also mentioned the influence on himself and Denny at the time, it knocked them around.
I have never spoken to anybody about our association, but I feel this is a good place to mention some of it. Skip was a nice sincere guy, but unfortunatly he had some problems which would take a toll on him in later life.
If people look up "Skip Scott" on Google there is some information on there and also a list of cars and drivers he drove with. He did a bit and told me that after one Le Mans his mate Mr Ford gave him the GT40 and he had it years in storage.
I must admit we were pretty upset when Skip passed but were lucky to have spent a few years with him.

[Steve Holmes]

Steve, I will endeavor to put some bits together on this guy. His name is Skip Scott (Robert Livingston Scott) and he did a heap of racing in Can Am and Le Mans Etc back in the 60/70's. He was actually a personal friend of Mr Ford. Any way in his later years he shifted over to NZ and up to the Bay of Islands and had a big charter boat. I got to know him very well and unfortunatly Skip passed on about 5 years ago from a illness which was caused by his previous life and his fancy of Vodka. This started when his best friend Peter Revson was killed basically in front of him It was very sad actually to see a person who had done so much go down hill so badly. We spent alot of time fishing before Skip became ill and we spent alot of time talking/discussing the days of racing and how it was then and how it is now. Skip was here on his own and we became kind of family to him as he would spend xmas day with us and spoilt my daughters. My wife and myself spent the last 2 years of Skips life doing our best to look after him. His family (children) are very nice people and gave me some videos of Skip racing but I sent them back to them when Skip passed, i wish i had copied them. I will try and make contact and see what i can get. He was a bit of a hard case and charmer when we could keep him away from the Vody with an amazing history of racing in all sorts. He co-drove with Denny Hulme and all sorts, so i will try and put some bits together.
I still think of him and wonder what a waste of great career, and not many people even knew of his past he just told me one day he used to race and was a mate of Mr Ford.

Rod, many thanks. I would love to hear of anything you can share about Skip Scott. He was one of a small number of prominent "go-to" guys during the 1960s and early '70s that was very adaptable in road racing, and could be plugged into any type of car and drive it very well. Really sad to hear of his later years in life. That is tragic. I often wondered why he seemed to have vanished from the racing scene.

[Tom Grannis]

Found your terrific web site while looking for information about the 1967 Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. I was there and took many photos, including one of Skip Scott, which I'd like to share. Can't figure out how to get it from My Photos to here. Looks like a nice forum to be in.

[Steve Holmes]

Hi there Tom, thanks for your kind words. Its great to have you here. Welcome to the site. I would really love to see your Can-Am photos, as I'm sure other forum members would too. I have sent you a personal mail with regards to posting images on here. If you get stuck, just let me know.

[Tom Grannis]

4436

I took this one of Skip Scott at Laguna Seca in 1967 prior to the Can Am race.
Unfortunately, I did not get to meet or chat with him. Wish that I had.

[Michael Clark]

In the book produced for the Festival of Motor Racing earlier this year called 'Chris Amon - A celebration of a Kiwi Icon', Chris talks about the relative merits of those early Can-Am cars - plus some interesting comparisons between the Ferrari and the McLaren M8B - both of which he raced in 1969.

In fact Howden Ganley has made a wider comparison - the M8B/something, the March 707, and the BRM Can-Am car. He tested them all and raced the BRM which he described as "easily the best"

[Steve Holmes]

4436

I took this one of Skip Scott at Laguna Seca in 1967 prior to the Can Am race.
Unfortunately, I did not get to meet or chat with him. Wish that I had.

Tom, that is a fabulous photo! Thanks so much for posting. I'd love to see any others you have.

[Steve Holmes]

In the book produced for the Festival of Motor Racing earlier this year called 'Chris Amon - A celebration of a Kiwi Icon', Chris talks about the relative merits of those early Can-Am cars - plus some interesting comparisons between the Ferrari and the McLaren M8B - both of which he raced in 1969.

In fact Howden Ganley has made a wider comparison - the M8B/something, the March 707, and the BRM Can-Am car. He tested them all and raced the BRM which he described as "easily the best"

Thats interesting Michael. I assume that must have been for the 1970 season? The March actually arrived very late in the season. Typical of the Can-Am. A new car turns up late in the season, does the last few races and shows some potential, then vanishes.

[bry3500]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXZfaQpt3M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yL4_tnqc-g&feature=related

[Rod Grimwood]

Tom, that is a fabulous photo! Thanks so much for posting. I'd love to see any others you have.

Tom, I would love to see any photos you have of Skip if possible.
And any other motorsport photos you may have, cheers.

[Rod Grimwood]

Bit of back ground on Skip i have found.


Skip Scott (Robert L. Scott)
Theres no question about the Europeans being tougher. American drivers could be just as good but the overseas guys get a 5-year jump on us. Take McLaren. He's been racing since he was 16." The speaker is Robert L. "Skip" Scott, youngest of the nine Americans on the 1967 international graded drivers list.
A tall, casual 25-year-old Philadelphian, Skip has not let his considerable worldly goods stop him from becoming a formidable hunter in racing's car-sponsor, accessory-money jungle. Skip's great-grandfather Scott was a president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and you can't get much more Main Line than that. "Taking that first in class and third overall at the 1000 k's at Spa last year gave me the biggest charge I've had out of racing. I was a driver and team manager so when Peter Revson and I cinched the Sports Car Manufacturers Championship for Ford and my sponsor Essex Wire, who is a major Ford supplier, I felt I had done what I was responsible for.
Skip's plans for 1967 are all Ford-Cougars, Ford GTs and McLaren-Ford. In the Trans-American sedan series, he joins his 1966 partner Peter Revson in a factory Cougar. Le Mans will see him in a Ford Mark II. The young Scottish sportsman George Drummond, who sponsored Skip's 1966 Group 7 efforts, is supplying two new McLarens for the USRRC and Can-Am. "I like driving for Ford but I sometimes feel like a tube in one of their computers. With George, a lot of what we do is based on our close friendship."
Skip is married to the former Katherine Gates, daughter of Morgan Trust board chairman and one-time Secretary of the Navy and Defence, Thomas S. Gates. Kathy, Skip, and their two small children live in Devon, Pa., on Philadelphia's Main Line. Of his pretty wife, Skip says, "With two little kids, I'm sure my being away so much is rough on her but she wants me to do what I want. Kathy helps by never putting any pressure on to keep me home."
Skip first raced a Lotus Elite a little less than five years ago while attending the University of Denver. In 1964, his Elva was first in Northeastern Division points and with Hal Keck he drove a 289 Cobra to eighth overall and first among the pri¬vate entries in the 1964 Sebring 12-hr. Skip worked for Ford briefly, then went to the West Coast as an instructor in Carroll Shelby's driving school. "I had the best possible break; Ken Miles devoted a hell of a lot of time to me. We were testing new cars and tires and I learned more from Miles in those three months than in the last 10 years. Ken was instrumental in getting me a ride with him in the 1964 Road Amer¬ica 500."
Frank Blunk named Skip as the New York Times' Driver of the Year for 1966 but Skip left his winning ways overseas and in the Can-Am series succeeded in looking good with Ford power while losing to Chevy-powered cars.
For 1967, Skip turned down a top works Formula 2 ride. "It's largely a question of economics," he said. "I think I'll do better staying over here and I'll get just as much experience in the USRRC and Can-Am. Sure, I'd like a chance at Formula 1 and I've been offered a couple of rides for Indy but I don't think I'm ready. I'm 25 and when I do it, I want to do it right.

[John B]

I know this Forum isn't designed for members to promote their own businesses, however, if you are interested in CanAm and early American Sportscar racing, check out the Spark range of 1:43rd resin models. The reason I mention this, is because Spark have produced models of many of the cars mentioned on this thread.

Spark has modelled numerous versions of the McLaren M6A (B. McLaren), M6B & M20 (D. Hulme); the McLeagle; Lola T70, T260, T220, T222, T310 & T333CS; Porsche 917PA & 917/10; BRM P154; March 707 (C. Amon); Shadow MkII, AVS & DN4; Ferrari 612 (C. Amon) plus models of the Honker, Cheetah & Scarab. They are even going to produce a 1:43rd model of a CanAm transporter.

I better not say any more, otherwise this will sound too much like "self promotion" rather than the intended "public awareness bulletin"!

Cheers, John

[John B]

http://www.canamfilm.com/trailer.html

The 95 minute DVD "CANAM - The Speed Odyssey" is available at Techbooks / Octane Books in Newmarket, Auckland for NZ$65.00

[Jeffry]

I will endeavour to put a bit more together Murray, As Skip became pretty close to us over the time we knew him and he told me some great bits about different things that happened, he was kind of sheltered and would only talk about the "old days" as he called them to me on occassion. he was flatting with Revson when he had his accident and he also mentioned the influence on himself and Denny at the time, it knocked them around.
I have never spoken to anybody about our association, but I feel this is a good place to mention some of it. Skip was a nice sincere guy, but unfortunatly he had some problems which would take a toll on him in later life.
If people look up "Skip Scott" on Google there is some information on there and also a list of cars and drivers he drove with. He did a bit and told me that after one Le Mans his mate Mr Ford gave him the GT40 and he had it years in storage.
I must admit we were pretty upset when Skip passed but were lucky to have spent a few years with him.

Dear Rod, it was a pleasure to read your posts about your friendship with Skip Scott. How wonderful for him to find friends like you, wish more people could reach out to strangers near or far. It can be a lonely world sometimes.

i found your post while researching your friend Skip Scott. I stumbled upon his name while researching an old mustang he evidently raced and perhaps owned. I knew nothing of him until reading your posts. I grew up like so many of us in our 50's, during the 60's and the Ford Heyday. My father was a Ford man from the 40's till the end. He worked for ford in the assembly division in San Jose where all the Shelby GT 350's were built. The mustangs made a huge impression on me as too, which led me to chase old stories due to my strong interest in history as well i suppose. i am interested in seeing if you could help me in an history or contacts you might have, family if possibly or others. i am interested in constructing his connection to the mustang he drove, what races they were in and who he got it from. Can you help me? Jeffry

[Jerry Entin]

5559
Skip Scott in his Carl Haas entered Lola T-70 3B in Mexico City 1968
Skip Scott is leading eventual winner Moises Solana in his McLaren Mk 6. Skip would finish 2nd in this race
Here is a site that I have posted some Skip Scott stories and photos on. I raced against Skip in 1967 and 1968. His daughter and others have lent me photos for this site.
http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=931&hl=skip+scott


above photo: Solana Family collection

[Murray Maunder]

Jerry, great to see you here at the Roaring Season, this place is really starting to get traction!
Nice photo and thanks to Skip's family.

Rod, did you manage to make contact and see if you may be able to retrieve copy of some of Skip's footage?

[Jerry Entin]

5564
Jerry Entin in his McLaren Mk 2 in 1967
These cars were called Mk1B's by some. This is an ex Skip Scott team car from Drummond Racing from 1966. Both Peter Revson and Skip Scott had driven it. When they ran it they had special Ford engines. When I bought it it had a fresh Traco 333 cu in Chevy engine.

Murray: Thank you for the welcome. Skip Scott was different to say the least. Drinking did him in. It alienated him from his friends and family. As Rod has told us, Skip could be a good friend and father, when he wasn't drinking. He was a loving father and grandfather. He just over did his drinking and that was his undoing.

I was in the 1967 Elkhart Lake CanAm. I talked to Denis Hulme before the race and he said if I just kept running I would finish in the top 10. He was wrong, I finished 11th. Racing against the Formula One drivers in the day was lots of fun. They always were willing to help the field as we were. If it weren't for the field who would they have had to run against?

photo: John Wilson

[Steve Holmes]

Jerry, thanks for posting those beautiful photos. The Can-Am is one of my great passions, as it is many members on here. I'll be looking forward to your posts about your time in the series. How many Can-Am events did you enter in 1967? Also, did you race the USRRC?

[Jerry Entin]

Steve: I did run in the USRRC races. I raced mostly on the westcoast and Elkhart Lake in 1967 and 1968. I lived in California, and I enjoyed Elkhart Lake.

In 1966 I went to Bridgehampton and Mosport and St Jovite. I brought my Mk 1 McLaren with Olds power. The cam kept going flat in the engine every 15 laps and I couldn't run any of those races. Traco was making a mistake on their rebuilds and couldn't figure out what they were doing wrong. I then switched to the Mk 2 McLaren for 1967 and that ended my troubles. In 1968 I switched to a Lola T-70 and ran the westcoast CanAm's and the USRRC races.

[John B]

Steve: I did run in the USRRC races. I raced mostly on the westcoast and Elkhart Lake in 1967 and 1968. I lived in California, and I enjoyed Elkhart Lake.

In 1966 I went to Bridgehampton and Mosport and St Jovite. I brought my Mk 1 McLaren with Olds power. The cam kept going flat in the engine every 15 laps and I couldn't run any of those races. Traco was making a mistake on their rebuilds and couldn't figure out what they were doing wrong. I then switched to the Mk 2 McLaren for 1967 and that ended my troubles. In 1968 I swiotched to a Lola T-70 and ran the westcoast CanAm's and the USRRC races.

Hi Jerry,

Thanks for posting the images of your McLaren Mk2. Some of us here in New Zealand are huge fans of 1960's CanAm racing, but unfortunately never got a chance to see it back in its heyday. We have to rely on revival meetings to see these cars in action!

The McLaren must have been a joy to drive after your experiences in the Cheetah. I hear that it was a hard car to master? Maybe that's why it "spun out" in the Elvis movie! I believe your old Cheetah, now painted blue, is still owned by the guy in New Jersey.

I'm currently building a Cheetah to race in classic events here in NZ. Most of the parts were brought over from the US about 25 years ago, but we don't have the original Bill Thomas dual air meter injection system, or brakes for the car. My research tells me that all the racing Cheetahs ran 11" Chevrolet Nascar drum brakes, but one car (I believe it was the Clarance Dixon Cadillac sponsored car) was converted to run Corvette disc brakes. Do you recall anything about this?

Any information would be really appreciated, as this is a difficult project to undertake here is NZ where there is little information about the Cheetah, and obviously no other cars to look at. Thank goodness for the internet!

Regards, John

[Steve Holmes]

Steve: I did run in the USRRC races. I raced mostly on the westcoast and Elkhart Lake in 1967 and 1968. I lived in California, and I enjoyed Elkhart Lake.

In 1966 I went to Bridgehampton and Mosport and St Jovite. I brought my Mk 1 McLaren with Olds power. The cam kept going flat in the engine every 15 laps and I couldn't run any of those races. Traco was making a mistake on their rebuilds and couldn't figure out what they were doing wrong. I then switched to the Mk 2 McLaren for 1967 and that ended my troubles. In 1968 I switched to a Lola T-70 and ran the westcoast CanAm's and the USRRC races.

Thanks Jerry. So what motor was in the Mk2 McLaren? Was it a small block Chevy?

[Jerry Entin]

Yes Steve: When I got the McLaren Mk 2 it had an engine called a Traco 332 cu in. It had about 420 hp. I then put an engine made by Al Bartz in it that was called a 365 cu in engine and that had about 515 hp with Weber 58 mm side draft carbs. These were considered small block engines.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Jerry, were your McLarens brand new when you bought them?

[Jerry Entin]

My McLaren Mk 1 was brought to Riverside in 1965 for Graham Hill to drive. It was owned by John Coombs and I bought it after the Riverside Grand Prix of 1965. My McLaren Mk 2 was raced by Skip Scott and Peter Revson in 1966 and was traded to Carl Haas for what they thought would be the latest McLaren's. They were sold Mk 3's in 1967 and McLaren and Hulme ran Mk 6's. These weren't avaliable to customers until 1968.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Jerry, do you know where your McLarens are now? Yes McLaren really helped secure its future from racing in the Can-Am, and having Trojan build customer cars. Unfortunately for privateer teams, they were always last years designs, always keeping one year behind what the factory team was racing, although it did provide a good way for privateer teams to race without having to build their own cars, and as an alternative to Lola.

[Jerry Entin]

My McLaren Mk1 was in the Harry Mathews collection for many years and has recently been sold. My McLaren Mk 2 is being readied for the coming Vintage season by Ike or Henry Smith of Pacific Grove, California. Ike was on the Chuck Parsons crew in the day. Recently he has been helping Dan and Harry Lipetz with their Vintage racing Lola CanAm cars and their 1970 TransAm Ford Mustang.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Jerry, thats great both cars have survived.