I consider an iconic car to be one that had such an impact, that it forever changed the sport or the series in which it competed. An iconic car is not necessarily an overpowering or dominant car. Most had some degree of success, and a certain number of wins. However their very appearance on track, and the design technologies used were enough to send other designers and builders running back to their drawing tables.
Certain series seem to breed more of these type of than others. LeMans prototype classes by their very nature exist for this purpose. Race cars built from the ground up to be new and innovative employing all the automotive knowledge currently available. Formula 1 has a long list of innovative cars as well. But if I were asked to come up with the next most innovative series, it would without a doubt be Can-AM.
Can-AM was very much a prototype series. With very few rules or design restrictions it, attracted some of the best and brightest designers of our times. Names like Jim Hall, Bruce McLaren, and Don Nichols. These people brought us such memorable cars as Chaparral, McLaren, and Shadow. As a kid growing up reading about this series, I was fascinated by the uniqueness of the Chaparrals, in love with the design of the McLaren’s, and absolutely blown away by the UOP Shadow.
When UOP brought Don Nichols on board at the inception of its Can-AM program, he brought with him his experience building cars for his own company Advance Vehicle Systems. Cars built there and for the Shadow program were among the most innovative and technically advanced of the time. Drawing on components made by the various divisions of UOP, they used the latest in metals, alloys, and other materials produced by the company. They were given the name SHADOW for the 30s-40s radio and magazine crime fighter of the same name. The cars were painted black with white lettering for the sponsor, and the words Lead Free, and Unleaded fuel on them.
Driven by two of their regular drivers, Jackie Oliver, and George Folder, the DN4 was a truly dominant car often finishing 1 & 2. From its introduction the design caused controversy, with its smaller wheels, and a lower profile. By the time the DN4 was released, these features had been perfected. This produced one of the most stunningly beautiful race cars to ever take to the track. It also became the only true threat to the McLaren, Lola dominance of the Can-AM series.
The Shadow Formula 1 program continued into the late 70s, but never quite achieved the success of the Can-AM program. In 1974 the DN4 ran away with the Can-AM championship. Had it not been for the cancellation of the 1975 season, it might well have done it again. 1975 saw Shadow’s entry into the very popular Formula 5000 series run by SCCA & USAC. The DN6 car used for the series was a very close copy of their current Formula 1 car. While the front end was for the most part identical, the rear part of the chassis had to be modified to accommodate their biggest surprise. The use of a Dodge V8 instead of the Chevy small block everyone else was using. Overall results were mixed as they only managed one win at Road America, and Jackie Oliver came in third place in the driver’s championship.
The feeling of awe and reverence I get when I see these cars on track, and at speed is difficult to put into words. I can only be thankful to the dedicated people who own and maintain these incredible machines, and bring them out for the rest of us to the enjoy.