25 replies to this topic

[Doug Nye]

Would anyone have a quick reference to the number of DN-series CanAm Shadow sports cars made each season?

DCN

[JB Miltonian]

According to the article by Preston Lerner in the October 1990 issue of Sports Car International, there were six DN4's built in 1974:

"Chassis 1P was the prototype Follmer destoyed during testing. Chassis 1A was Oliver's car during the 1974 season, 2A the primary back-up vehicle, and 3A Follmer's regular mount. Chassis 4A, the secondary back-up car during 1974, was the race winner at Mosport in 1976. Chassis 5A was run by Jones and Lewis in 1977. Nichols owned all but 2A, which is now enshrined (this was 1990) in Peter Kaus' sports car museum in Aschaffenberg, Germany."

[eldougo]

Hi Doug i found this site good.

http://www.classicsc...canam_home.html

Cheers Doug.

[ghinzani]

Off topic but I heard Mr Nichols (now in his 80's?) stated intent is to live until he is 110 years old. To this end he eats one meal a day at 2.30pm. He also claims to have a special Can-Am Matra engine of 11 litres tucked away awaiting usage - what would that be, a W48?? The mind boggles.

[David M. Kane]

Doug:

He is a real talker. I know people who can hook you up with him.

[biercemountain]

Originally posted by ghinzani
He also claims to have a special Can-Am Matra engine of 11 litres tucked away awaiting usage

If it wasn't worth showing to the world in its heyday, it probably serves as a great boat anchor today.

[David M. Kane]

biercemountain:

That's presumtive (pardon my spelling) statement, what if it was a prototype engine with no spares and Matra pulled the plug? I think you're being simplistic, maybe even naive...and I MIGHT be wrong?

[JacnGille]

Maybe the 11 Liters refers to the dry sump capacity.

[Ted Walker]

I visited Dons workshops about 10 years ago and had a conducted tour and remember seing the Can Am cars in the corner along with all the military prototypes.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally posted by ghinzani
Off topic but I heard Mr Nichols (now in his 80's?) stated intent is to live until he is 110 years old. To this end he eats one meal a day at 2.30pm. He also claims to have a special Can-Am Matra engine of 11 litres tucked away awaiting usage - what would that be, a W48?? The mind boggles.

Before the SCCA pulled the plug, Comp. Press & Autoweek, listed in its rumors for next years Can-Am, an over 8 liter engine from a new European make.

Who knows.
Bob

[Bjorn Kjer]

Can anyone give me info or pics of their transporter? Regards Bjørn

[biercemountain]

Originally posted by David M. Kane
biercemountain:

That's presumtive (pardon my spelling) statement, what if it was a prototype engine with no spares and Matra pulled the plug? I think you're being simplistic, maybe even naive...and I MIGHT be wrong?

Please allow me to apologize for my cynicism. Who knows, maybe there really is an 11 litre Matra engine tucked away that's the most whiz-bang thing ever. I personally don't know.

All I know is that if Matra did develop such an engine, it never saw the light of day (so far). In my experience, race-winning engines don't stay tucked away, they get put in cars that go out and win races.

[beighes]

Greetings to all............I couldn't resist tossing my 2p in. There is also a very old rumour that Don, still, has a OHC Toyota V-8 that the factory "loaned" him back in the early 1970's for Can-Am development. According to a friend ( who purchased a couple of cars from Mr. Nichols), they wanted it back.............but it seemed to have disappeared. The other point, I have some humorous doubts regarding any/most published figures regarding any of the works chassis. Can-Am, Formula One, etc.. I have been to couple of Don's shops, & saw the boxes of suspension components (all correctly identified), and more than a few alloy panels (cut to shape, ID'd, etc.), etc..
I was also told ( by Don, many years back), that somewhere in the U.K was a the remains of the stillborn Shadow Indy chassis. If my memory is correct, it dates back to when Don was talking to Ronnie Peterson about driving for him. Too many years involved with racing has left me with a veritable warehouse of trivia in my memory. Cheers

[Gerr]

Dewey Dellinger had a photo tour of Nichol's shop in Victory Lane some years back. At the time he had nearly 30 tired cars stored or undergoing restoration.

One photo shows a wall of shelves with three F1 DN5s, three CanAm DN4s, two CanAm DN10s, a 1972 Mk.III CanAm, a CanAm DN2, an F5000 DN6, an F1 DN3, an F1 DN1 and a CanAm DN6 single seater.

Another storage photo has two F1 DN9s, two F1 DN8s, and another F5000 DN6 sitting on saw horses.

The restoration shop photos show an F1 DN8 and two of the Trevor Harris 1969/70 CanAm Shadows being rebuilt, with another DN1 and a F1 DN11 in the background.

The article mentions the Indy project that beighes brought up......
"In 1984 a Shadow Indy Car was begun but was terminated when sponsorship failed to materialize."

[beighes]

Greetings,
We also forgot the "shouldn't have been built" Arrows that Don received as a result of the lawsuit victory. Of course with all of the spares, coachwork, etc.. While at one of the shops, I saw a nose in Warsteiner livery, forgetting about the legal issue, I asked about it. Don gave me a breif reply, but I was not allowed back there to see the toys. cheers!

[Doug Nye]

Just rediscovered, Franco Lini's shots of the original AVS Shadow Mark 1 prototype on test with the intrepid George Follmer driving - I believe at Riverside, 1969. Note the rather startling original 'Shadow' livery... If 'Gulf orange' was considered lucky, it didn't work very well.







Photos copyright Franco Lini/The GP Library

Don Nichols subsequently sold an immaculate black-liveried restoration of this car to Peter Kaus for his Rosso Bianco Collection at Aschaffenburg, Germany. That Mark 1 car - together with its DN2 turbocharged Chevrolet and DN4 naturally-aspirated Chevvy ex-works sisters - is being offered for sale in the Bonhams & Butterfields auction at Quail Lodge, Carmel, over the Monterey Historics weekend.

DCN

[bradbury west]

Originally posted by eldougo

Hi Doug i found this site good.

http://www.classicsc...canam_home.html

Cheers Doug.

Looking through the 1967 list for something else, I was fascinated to see the names of Hugh Powell and Tony Settember listed in some of the races, some DNS some DNF, one listed only. Powell entered under Smothers Bros in one race, Lola T70 mk 2 in all cases.

How much racing did this duo manage after the Scirocco efforts?

Roger Lund

[David M. Kane]

Doug:

Those are amazing shots. I've never seen these particular shoots before, conceptionally it looks like it actually might work. It must have been a dart in a straight line; but goodness that cockpit, rollbar and steering wheel! Yikes!!!

All the photos I have ever seen, the car looked completely different, all chopped up, not nearly as pretty.

Would it have worked better with six wheels? There's really not a lot of rubber on the road. Wasn't that the main technical issues? I vaguely remember something about George having some hairy moments, perhaps under braking or people not being able to see him "down there?" Or was it heavy vibrations that blurred his vision?

I'm not remotely ashamed to say, "George you are one brave dude!" I'm trying visualize going 180mph in that car.

[TooTall]

Amazing photos. I have only ever seen that car in it's later racing configuration. Does this mean we can expect something on Shadow from Mr. Nye's typewriter?

Cheers,
Kurt

[Doug Nye]

Nope!

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by David M. Kane


I'm not remotely ashamed to say, "George you are one brave dude!" I'm trying visualize going 180mph in that car.

I'll second that! And I'm trying to decide whether the two bits of duct tape holding the engine cover down are reassuring or worrying

[David M. Kane]

I wonder how effective those air ducts were behind the rear wheels?

Jerry Entin, you know George Follmer, have you ever discussed this car with him, particularly in this original configuration?

[mark f1]

With that steering wheel position, you most definitely need the 5 point harness!!

[Alan Cox]

The Mk 1 restoration from the Rosso Bianco Collection, which Doug refers to as being offered at the forthcoming Bonhams and Butterfields' Quail Lodge sale.

Photo Bonhams and Butterfields

I notice that it's wearing a Steigenberger logo on the nose - it didn't ever race, did it?

[Jerry Entin]

Looks like Lothar Motschenbacher on the left in second picture. I think Trevor Harris built a similar car to this. I am asking Peter Bryant about this car now. When a tiny wheel Shadow was brought To St. Jovite in I think 1970 they said it couldn't run because the radiators were above the rear wing. They were forced to move the radiator inside the body. The guy in the cowboy hat is the crew chief Jim Mederer I believe. It looks like Trevor Harris ducked down talking to Follmer. One thing he was brave to drive that over grown go- cart.According to Peter Bryant the guy behind Trevor Harris is Walter Boyd he was Peter Revson's Formula junior mechanic in Europe. I would call this car a unique experiment. I feel the trouble with it was how could you stop this rocket ship with 8" rotors. I think it probably went very fast in a straight line. But I don't think it handled that great or stopped that well. Also the guy on the bike by the wall looks like Bruce Burness who was George Follmer's USRRC mechanic.

[ggnagy]

Originally posted by Vitesse2

I'll second that! And I'm trying to decide whether the two bits of duct tape holding the engine cover down are reassuring or worrying

Not to worry, there is also PLENTY of duct tape holding the rear spoiler peices to the bodywork.

I also notices there was some high tech airflow sensors (yarn) taped to the leading edge of the ducts on the fender.