1966-1970 : Can-Am

The Canadian-American (Can-Am) Series ran from 1966-1974, and was enormously popular back in
the day due the fact that engine size was unrestricted, and designers were free to explore any
engine/chassis/body layout they desired. During the series run, we saw the development of ground
effects, wings, spoilers, and many other devices that have become part of motorsports today.
Incredible innovations during this era ranged from tall, movable pedestal wings, full ground
effects, the use of titanium, even an artificial ground effects cars in 1970 (Chaparral 2J) that
used an auxiliary snowmobile engine driving twin fans to create a vacuum under the car.

Introduction – Tribute To Can-Am  (3 min)
A 3-minute tribute to the great machines and drivers of the 1966-1970 era of Can-Am.

1965 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix – Riverside, California  (12 min)
The precursor to the Can-Am Series, some of the all-time great drivers appear in this one, including Jim Clark, Graham Hill,
Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, Jackie Stewart, Ken Miles, David Hobbs, Dan Gurney, A.J. Foyt, Peter Revson, Jim Hall, Hap Sharp,
Parnelli Jones, Jerry Grant, Bob Bondurant, George Follmer, Lothar Motschenbacher, Jerry Titus, Skip Scott, and Mario Andretti
(Mario’s first race, but he and Jackie Stewart failed to qualify their Lola T-70’s).

1966 Player’s Quebec –  Saint Jovite – Montreal, Canada  (10 min)
The very first race (Race #1) of the 1966 season, and the very first ever Can-Am race! Held at Saint-Jovite Race Track, this
highlight film shows a great battle between John Surtees and Bruce McLaren, with Surtees taking the win.

1966 Player’s 200 – Mosport Park – Ontario, Canada  (10 min)
This is the Player’s 200 that was run on June 4th 1966, not to be confused with another Player’s 200 (called the Canadian
Grand Prix) that was run later in September, won by Mark Donahue!  1966 was the inaugural year of the Can-Am Series, and the
regular USRRC Player’s 200 that had always been run in June at Mosport remained on the schedule, so a second Player’s 200
Can-Am race was added in September (I am stating this here in order to eliminate confusion as to why Mark Donahue’s name
appears as the winner of the ‘1966 Player’s 200’). The wildly popular Bruce McLaren, in his Oldsmobile powered machine, wins
both heats, holding off Lothar Motschenbacher. There’s also a few quick shots of the Nickey Chevrolet sponsored machine,
as well as TV star Dan Blocker.

1966 Stardust Grand Prix – Las Vegas, Nevada  (21 min)
Race #6 of the 1966 Can-Am Season, this is from an ESPN2 broadcast (watermark in corner), and is VG+ to Excellent in quality.
John Surtees takes the victory, Bruce McLaren takes second. Some great footage of the new high-winged 1966 Chaparrals,
and legendary sportscaster Chris Economacki does a couple post-race interviews.

1967 Road America Can-Am – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin  (14 min)
Race #1 of the 1967 Can-Am Season, this footage is very clear, but suffers from a framing problem (not a smooth film, there’s
a slight ‘chop’ effect in the footage, but very watchable!). Some great racing from the famous Road America track
in Wisconsin. Denny Hulme takes the win, Mark Donahue takes 2nd, and John Surtees 3rd. Includes a post-race interview with
Denny Hulme by Chris Economacki. This is also an old ESPN2 broadcast, and has the watermark in the corner.

1967 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix – Riverside, California  (22 min)
Race #5 of the 1967 Can-Am Season, this is a fantastic race, and very clear footage! A bizarre situation occurs during the race
where Denny Hulme is held at the end of pit road due to some damage on the front of his McLaren, and a furious Denny throws
his McLaren in reverse down pit lane at a frightening speed (at least 50 mph), then jumps out of his car to speak to the chief
steward. Bruce McLaren wins, with Jim Hall in his Chaparral 2nd, and we have a post-race interview of McLaren by
Chris Economacki. Some phenomenal side-by-side action between Bruce McLaren and Jim Hall’s winged Chaparral.

1968 USRRC at Riverside – Riverside, California  (8 min)
The USRRC (United States Road Racing Championship) competed with the Can-Am Series in the mid-1960’s, and this
is one of the rare USRRC films from 1968 at the famous Riverside Raceway. Mark Donahue’s McLaren takes the win,
with Lothar Motschenbacher bringing home 2nd. This footage is from the old ‘Car And Track’ show.

1969 Watkins Glen Can-Am – Watkins Glen, New York  (5 min)
Race #3 of the 1969 Can-Am Season, a highlight reel from the ‘Car And Track’ TV show. 1969 was the ‘Bruce and Denny Show’
in the Can-Am Series, as the McLaren team of Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme won every race this year.

1969 Ti22 Titanium Car Documentary – Riverside, California  (7 min)
Peter Bryant designed the Ti22,  a Can-Am car using titanium for chassis, suspension, roll bar, and many other components.
This was proof that the Can-Am Series had no boundaries when it came to materials that could be used. This 1969 documentary
includes an interview with designer Peter Bryant. The Ti22 was driven in the Can-Am Series by Jackie Oliver.

Chaparral : A Quick History  (1 min)
A brief glimpse at the Chaparral cars using original footage, from a 1990’s SpeedVision broadcast.
Included here because vintage footage of any kind of the Can-Am Series is rare.

1970 Chaparral 2J : The Vacuum Cleaner (2 min)
Some rare original 1970 footage of the car that was banned from Can-Am, the Chaparral 2J. Also known as the ‘sucker car’ or
‘the vacuum cleaner’, original footage of this car is very hard to find. This footage does not have any sound, however,
because the sound the 2J made was so unique (a powerful snowmobile engine drove dual fans to create suction), I’ve
included a few seconds from a 2005 historic race so you can hear the bizarre buzz this car made back in 1970.

Valvoline TV commercial – ca.1970  (30 sec)
A rare 30 second animated commercial for Valvoline showing cartoon Can-Am cars.