1970 Chaparral 2J

Historic Racing Car Cup > Deep Forest

5 Laps: 5:45 Minutes (Best Lap: 1:09 Minutes)

The Chaparral 2J has a powerful 700 hp engine, and a three-speed semi automatic transmission, the back of the 2J housed two 17-inch fans driven by a single 45 hp snowmobile engine. The purpose of the fans was to 'suck' air from under the car to provide downforce. This gave the car tremendous gripping power and enabled greater maneuverability at all speeds, which cannot be achieved by simpler aerodynamic devices such as diffusers and wings. Since it created the same levels of low pressure under the car at all speeds, down-force did not decrease at lower speeds. It also had ground effect Lexan-plastic skirts to keep air from leaking in.

Chaparral was founded in 1962 by Hap Sharp and Jim Hall, a Texas oil magnate with an impressive combination of skills in engineering and race car driving. The name "Chaparral" was formed from the last names of the two founders.