Vic Elford at work

Vic Elford was keen to quench his thirst, and rightly so, before taking to the track for the 1970 Can-Am round at Mid-Ohio (photo above). However, the Englishman and his Shadow MK1-Chevrolet, entered by AVS (Advanced Vehicle Systems), were unlucky during the race, as a loose wheel forced him to retire.

Once again, it was a McLaren M8D-Chevrolet, this time driven by New Zealander Denny Hulme, that took the win, ahead of Peter Revson’s Lola T220-Chevrolet.

The Shadow MK1, which competed in Can-Am during the 1970 season, was an unconventional car, being extremely small and low, designed by Trevor Harris. With its “Batmobile” look, it was powered by the enormous 8.0L-8.1L Chevrolet Big-Block V8 that produced up to 740 horsepower!

With its power-to-weight ratio and go-kart-like stature, it was extremely fast in a straight line, but tended to overheat and its drivers, Vic Elford (photo here-under) and George Follmer, had great difficulty controlling it in corners, and even found it dangerous.