Think out of the box

Here is Jim Hall’s magnificent Chaparral 2E-Chevrolet in its pit at Mosport in 1966 (photo above). Hall was forced to retire from the race with a broken engine, but his teammate Phil Hill, driving the second 2E entered, secured a fine second place, behind Mark Donohue and his Roger Penske Racing Enterprise Lola T70 MkII-Chevrolet.

In this category (Group 6) of Can-Am which left a lot of room for innovation, Jim Hall continued to think outside the box, first by using an adjustable wing, for more or less downforce if necessary, but also by developing the aerodynamics of the underside of the car, which had never been done before.

Jim Hall based his 2E on the 1965 Chaparral 2C, which had very rounded sidepods. For the second chassis, intended for his teammate Phil Hill, slightly flatter sidepods were designed (photo below)… and what a striking car it was!