21 replies to this topic

[Richard Jenkins]

Nick Slade, who as many of you know is/was building and selling all of Don's remaining cars and parts left from the days of running his team in Can Am and Formula One, informed oldracingcars.com that Don died yesterday in a nursing home. This follows a period of failing health.

 

A long life, shadily lived. 

 

But Don leaves a wonderful legacy of cars and memories in Formula 1 and Can-Am. He also overcame numerous hardships to make something of himself, a tough breed of man.

 

RIP. 

 

 

[Allen Brown]

Really sad news.

[cpbell]

R.I.P.

[DN5]

Yes, RIP & thank you for helping me to have the memories I hold dear

[Dave Ware]

Don Nichols gave us a lot.  That first Can-Am car, perhaps a little bigger than a go-kart.  Then conventional Can-Am cars that had us wondering if this next weekend would be the one when they actually beat the McLarens.  A Formula 5000 car with a Dodge engine, of all things!  Jackie Oliver, who often drove as though he were seeking the outer limits of the car's ability.  An American F1 team and a podium for our own George Follmer.  Those black cars with the cloaked-man shadow insignia.  Team stickers galore; they did not ask money for them like a certain English lord whose cars were painted white.  And champagne, given freely, in champagne flutes no less, to underage teenagers like myself.  Thank you, Don Nichols, for all of that, for doing it your way, for following your own drummer. 

[E1pix]

Perfectly stated re: Oliver!

RIP Don, very sad indeed.

Thank You for always being nice to me as a kid, for buying my photo prints, and for suitably enlarging said Kid's eyes and passions.

Edited by E1pix, 22 August 2017 - 20:37.

[JacnGille]

Sad news.

Thank you Sir for so many memorable cars over the years.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

Awww, geeezzz...  This news hits hard.  I always admired the Shadows.  Don will be well remembered.  RIP.

[sblick]

My favorite cars.  So black and menacing in Can Am.  A life well lived it seems.

[Michael Ferner]

Yes, Shadow was a very special team! I missed it when it was gone, and I'll miss DN even though I never met him!

[Nemo1965]

93... not a bad age to get to when you had a life as both - allegedly - a CIA-spy AND the teamboss of a F1-team!

 

RIP.

[kayemod]

My favorite cars.  So black and menacing in Can Am.  A life well lived it seems.

 

A fairly tenuous link to this topic, but we used to do all Shadow's body panels when I worked at Specialised Mouldings. They looked magnificent when they came out of the mould and were finished and polished. Our resin supplier sent some special gelcoat specially formulated to be particularly hard-wearing on production mould surfaces, the the department responsible were instructed to use it for the next set of moulds they made. You've guessed, it was for Shadow, black mouldings in a black mould? Almost impossible! I can't remember how it was sorted out, not my department, but I imagine that the test of the new material was probably postponed.

 

Don was a tall and very imposing figure, though not in the least intimidating, we called him "the Shadow", but not to his face of course.

[wildman]

 

A long life, shadily lived.

 

I like the implication, and the intended pun. I still have the 1969 issue of Road & Track with a cover feature about the formation of the Shadow team, and the gestation of its original tiny-tired Can-Am car. The story alludes to some of shady measures that Nichols went to in order to get the team off the ground. One of our most cherished pieces of memorabilia is an old Paul Oxman poster of Jackie Oliver in the Shadow Mk III at Riverside – a car that many years later my wife was lucky enough to sit in at the invitation of its gracious owner, the late Fred Cziska, also greatly missed.

 

It's worth noting that Nichols employed some of the era's most innovative designers: Trevor Harris, Peter Bryant and Tony Southgate. In hindsight, it's surprising the Shadows didn't score more wins against the McLaren steamroller in Can-Am. Still, Nichols was one of the very few who put together a serious challenge to the the Bruce 'n Denny 'n Revvie Show, rather than simply fielding a customer McLaren (or 917-10) like virtually everyone else. Thanks DN, for writing one of the more memorable chapters in racing history.

 

[Jack-the-Lad]

Don Nichols, R.I.P.

[B Squared]

I was fortunate to see Shadow Formula 1 and Can-Am cars run at Watkins Glen and they are well-remembered days. Sorry to hear of Mr. Nichols passing. I never met him but was fortunate to have spent a day in the company of George Follmer and Michael Argetsinger at the IMRRC back in fall of 2009, and we talked about the Shadows quite a bit as Mr. Follmer had one of the F1 cars and was getting it back together.

[blackmme]

93... not a bad age to get to when you had a life as both - allegedly - a CIA-spy AND the teamboss of a F1-team!

RIP.

Yep absolutely, I have read the stories and anecdotes lots of times and I'm guessing that whatever the truth Don enjoyed the aura of mystery immensely.
But if we just stick to the facts Shadow built some very beautiful Grand Prix cars and were a winning team, something that Arrows (to pluck a name almost entirely randomly) never quite managed in the following 25 years...

Regards Mike

[Marc Sproule]

heavy sigh.

 

some shadow snaps form the mid-'70s

 

https://www.flickr.c....7626135973193/

https://www.flickr.c....7626135973193/

https://www.flickr.c....7626135973193/

https://www.flickr.c....7626135973193/

https://www.flickr.c....7633184376288/

[eldougo]

https://www.autospor...ls-dies-aged-92

[eldougo]

Having worked at Shadow F1 and Can-Am i spent hours travelling with this man and he sure live life to the full,and i will leave it at that. RIP Don you were a good boss to me and it was a pleasure to know you.

[jj2728]

R.I.P.

 

John

[Henri Greuter]

Without a shadow of a doubt....

 

a loss for the racing world.

 

RIP Don Nichols,

 

 

Henri

[E1pix]

https://www.autospor...ls-dies-aged-92

Great story, Thanks Doug.

And sorry you lost a mentor.