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This 1969 Lola T163 was just one cherry example of the Can-Am technology on display. When I overheard people discussing the “rules” of Can-Am, the best quote was something to the effect of “well, you needed a body, and an engine, and the rest was up to the imagination”. Wikipedia sums it up nicely:“The Group 7 category was essentially a Formula Libre for sports cars; the regulations were minimal and permitted unlimited engine sizes (and allowed turbocharging and supercharging), virtually unrestricted aerodynamics, and were as close as any major international racing series ever got to anything goes. As long as the car had two seats and bodywork enclosing the wheels, and met basic safety standards, it was legal.”
I think you would find it hard to disagree that the late ‘60s Can-Am vehicles are some of the most visually interesting race cars ever to pound the pavement. The Can-Am series featured some of the most technologically mind-bending vehicles ever created, considering the time period. Many of the racing features we take for granted today were pioneered during this era. And, in many cases, these vehicles were faster around the same tracks than the Formula One cars of the same years.
The cockpits of these vintage Formula cars are pretty tiny, but I find the juxtaposition of classic and modern technology super interesting. It shows how these cars are actually used, and not just parked.
Speaking of parked, what do we have here?
Oh, it’s just the 1978 Road Atlanta / Champion Spark Plug Challenge #2 finisher in SCCA F-production, a 1973 MG Midget. Driven by the same guy who drove it in 1978, Bob Owens. I wonder if he’s been tracking it for all of the last 38 years….
