They got it wrong. In 1966 we raced the 2C in sprint races and not the 2E.
That includes Monterey with the extra span wing and end plates.
The 2E did not come along until after the 2F endurance car and a year
later.
Also in the side bar by Phil Hill on Bridge Hampton a bolt did not
break in the wing brace system. A rod end broke. I know I was there
and at Texas before and after. The cut away drawing is a hybrid
of the 2C and the 2E. The watts link wing strut locating linkage type
shown was first used on the 2F. The version shown here is basically a
watts link
with two rocker connected together rather than only one in the center as
used
on the 2F. The initial 2E had a different nose than the pictures show.
The initial 2E had a movable lip on the nose intake while the 2C
had an internal butterfly valve to control nose lift. It is possible that
this nose was used on later versions of the 2E.
The chassis shown is a 2E as it had the smaller outside lower radius side
fuel tanks with higher capacity then the 2C chassis.
This is just the stuff I found at first glance.
Paul Lamar
BTW I just reviewed Richard Falconers Chaparral book and now I know where
the
broken bolt myth found its erroneous way into history. Richard got it wrong
along with a lot of other things making this the most inaccurate book
on Chaparral ever written. Apparently there where two different chassis
raced at Monterey in 1966. On page 145 of The Falconer book there is
a picture of the 2C chassis (#66) with the extra long Monterey wing.
You can tell it is a 2C chassis by the large radius fuel tank. On page 147
there is a picture of the 2E chassis (#65) with the extra long Monterey
wing. The extra long wing (by a foot) was my idea BTW. The 2E in that
picture had the small radius fuel tank.
Paul Lamar
Hate to age you Paul :-)
I grew up at Riverside International Raceway as a kid (born in '59) and my
Parents were big sports car racing fans (both worked for JPL, Dad owned
Jaguars, then BMWs...until the RX2 came out! He traded in his 2002 for a
gold '72 RX2...thus my start in Rotaries!). Vivid memories of the early
years of Can-Am. I poured over any references to it in the few magazines of
the day. Used to race HO slot cars of the 2F/2G/and 2J for hours at a time.
I guess I was (still am!) a Techno freak....I loved the pushing of the
technology envelope by the Chaparral/Jim Hall Team. I was always rooting for
them over the McLarens! I continued to go to Riverside for all bike and car
racing till the end. Saw the Mini-Can Ams with Al Unser Jr, hung with the
German Engineers on the Pit Strait Island as Holbert went by lap after lap
in the mid '80s. I finally got to help sadly close it out with the last ever
race (a SCCA event on 2/3rds of the track) there, in the early evening we
all took a last lap of Riverside....my first born son (about 6 months at the
time, and a motorhead to this day as a 12 year old) in his car seat next to
me. Shortly after we also saw the last Ascot event.
Things are looking up again though, the infield course at Fontana in under
construction, hopefully we can get American Lemans there soon....
Thanks for your help back then in making it an awesome series!
Cheers!
JET
I don't mind being aged. I'll be 66 in a week. I had a fun life working on
all the neat things I worked on. I worked on the Phalanx close in
sea borne cruise missile defense system way back in 1964 which is still
used on US Navy ships to this day. I too had a 1973 RX2. Wonderful little car.
First of five rotary engine cars I have owned. I am still having fun working on
rotary engines for airplanes.
Paul Lamar
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