The Chaparral Cars
Photography by Pat Smith
CLICK THE PHOTOS TO SEE AN ENLARGEMENT
Monterey Historical Automobile Races
Laguna Seca 2005
Jim Hall and the Chaparrals.... as American as mom and apple pie. I was fortunate enough this year to be able to make the trip to Laguna Seca for the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. How could I miss an event where Jim Hall and the Chaparrals would be back on the track. And what a sight it was. The sound wasn't bad either. It was about 12:30 on Saturday when the announcement came over the loud speakers that "the Chaparrals have taken the track." I haven't witnessed fans rushing a fence like that since the first time I saw Linda Vaughn at the races atop the Hurst Oldsmobile. Smiling faces were everywhere, as fans reminisced about the days when the Chaparrals competed and won at Laguna Seca in the USRRC and Can-Am racing series. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up when they went by the first time.
Jim brought out all of the remaining Chaparrals (the 2G was destroyed in 1968 at Las Vegas) and enlisted his son Jim Hall II, Phil Hill, Vic Elford and Brian Redman to help him with the driving chores. The cars completed about 10 parade laps, at a pretty good clip. The Chaparral 2H was not driven on Saturday but I was able to get some photos of it in the Chaparral exhibit tent.
Chaparral 1
The first Chaparral was actually built by Scarab specialists Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes. Jim Hall bought two of the cars, modified them and raced them from 1961 - 1963. The cars were powered by a small block Chevrolet, were 300 lbs. lighter than the Scarabs, had 4-wheel independent suspension and 4-wheel disc brakes. The cars won the June Sprints and the Elkart 500, but was replaced by Hall's own rear engine design in 1966 to keep pace with the competition. Jim sold both of the Chaparral I cars to private owners.
This car did not run at the event but was displayed in one of the exhibit tents
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LS05V1A - 8x12
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LS05V1B - 8x12
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LS05V1D - 8x12
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LS05V1E - 8x12
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Chaparral 2
This car replaced the Chaparral I and was Hall's first design. The car had a monocoque chassis, aluminum small block Chevrolet and the first Chaparral to have the torque converter equipped manual transmission rather than the convention friction clutch design. This left the driver with the ability to use the left foot for other things, such as activating the foot operated moveable rear wing. The wing could be moved horizontal for low drag conditions, such as on the straightaways, by pushing the foot pedal. When the driver entered a corner and removed his foot to brake, the wing would return to the high drag/downforce position for additional traction.
The car won 22 of 39 races.
Jim Hall II drove the car during the Saturday event at Laguna Seca.
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LS05V2C1 - 8x10
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LS05V2C2 - 8x12
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LS05V2C3 - 8x12
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LS05V2C4 - 8x12
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Chaparral 2D
The 2D coupe was designed to compete against Ford and Ferrari at international endurance events. The car was actually the 2C chassis that was upgraded to the coupe design. The best finish was at Nurburgring in 1966 with Phil Hill and Joachim Bonnier getting the win.
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LS05V2D1 - 8x10
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LS05V2D2 - 8x10
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LS05V2D4 - 8x12
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LS05V2D5 - 8x10
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LS05V2D6 - 8x12
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LS05V2D7 - 8x12
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Chaparral 2E
The 2E was the next design. It was made to compete in the no-holds-barred Can-Am series that started in 1966. The most obvious part of the new design was the huge moveable rear wing. The wing was mounted on struts that attached directly to the rear wheel hubs, applying downforce directly to the rear wheels. This allowed the use of softer rear springs rather than the stiffer suspension that was utilized by previous designs with a body mounted wing. The car also had a second flipper that was installed inside the body, on the front of the car just forward of the front wheels. The flipper was also operated by the same foot pedal that actuated the rear wing. The theory was that the front wing would work in conjunction with the rear wing to help balance the car. The twin radiators were located on either side just forward of the rear wheels. Phil Hill and Jim Hall came home 1 -2 at the 1966 Laguna Seca Can-Am event. This car is the only 2E still in existence.
The car was driven by Jim Hall at the Laguna Seca 2005 event. Jim had to be lovin' it!!
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LS05V66A - 8x10
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LS05V66B - 8x10
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LS05V66C - 8x10
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LS05V66D - 8x12
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LS05V66E - 8x10
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LS05V66F - 8x10
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LS05V66G - 8x10
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LS05V66H - 8x12
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LS05V66I - 8x12
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LS05V66J - 8x12
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LS05V66K - 8x12
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L005V66L - 8x12
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LS05V66M - 8x10
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LS05V66N - 8x12
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LS05V66O - 8x12
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LS05V66P - 8x12
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Chaparral 2F
The 2F was a second design car built in 1967 to compete in international endurance events. The car was actually the 2A - 2D chassis that was upgraded with a tall rear wing that was attached to the rear wheel hubs, side mounted radiators and the front air valve system. The car was powered by a 427 Chevrolet and was very fast. The best finish was a win at Brands Hatch in 1967 with Phil Hill and Mike Spence sharing the driving.
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LS05V2F1 - 8x10
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LS05V2F2 - 8x12
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LS05V2F3 - 8x10
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LS05V2F4 - 8x12
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LS05V2F5 - 8x10
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LS05V2F6 - 8x12
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LS05V2F7 - 8x12
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Chaparral 2H
The 2H was the replacement for the 2G in 1969. Unfortunately it was not very successful. The car was narrower and lower than the previous designs and had the driver sitting very low in the car. It was originally designed as a coupe but driver John Surtees asked that the roof be removed so he could sit up higher in the car to improve visibility. The car went through numerous changes before Surtees left the team before the last race. The car was crashed by Tom Dutton during practice at the last race at College Station, Texas. Jim Hall thought the car's design was good but they didn't have the time to prove it's capabilities.
The car did not run at Laguna Seca but was featured in the Chaparral exhibit tent.
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LS05V2H1 - 8x12
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LS05V2H2 - 8x10
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LS05V2H3 - 8x12
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LS05V2H4 - 8x12
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LS05V2H5 - 8x12
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LS05V2H6 - 8x12
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Chaparral 2J
The 2J was probably one of the most radical car designs ever raced. Jim Hall, being the innovator that he was, came up with the 2J design for the 1970 season. It was formally known as the "Ground Effect Vehicle" but the car was known as the "Sucker Car". The car was designed for cornering speed. It had flat surfaces and a wide stance, but the main reason for the car's cornering ability was a 2-cycle snowmobile engine that powered two fans at the rear of the car. The fans would draw air from under the car and exhaust it out the rear. The car had Lexan skirts around the sides that would seal the car to the ground and help draw the car down by the vacuum created by the fans. They say that the car could have stuck to a surface while inverted. The car was driven by Jackie Stewart and Vic Elford in four races in 1970 before the competition had it outlawed.
The car was driven by Vic Elford at the Laguna Seca 2005 event.
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LS05V2J1 - 8x12
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LS05V2J2 - 8x12
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LS05V2J3 - 8x10
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LS05V2J4 - 8x12
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LS05V2J5 - 8x12
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LS05V2J6 - 8x12
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To see Jim Hall's Vintage Chaparral Page click here.
To see Phil Hill's 1966 Chaparral Page click here.
To see John Surtees' 1969 Chaparral Photos click here.