Sports Prototypes

Chaparral-Chevrolet 2J ‘Sucker Car’

As in previous years, the many sports-prototype categories have so far provided plenty of colour to the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Highlight for many has been the appearance of the legendary Chaparral-Chevrolet 2J ‘Sucker Car’. When movable wings were banned in 1969, Chaparral’s Jim Hall conceived the 2J for the following season with snowmobile engines sited in the back to drive two big fans. With flexible skirts beneath the car, this American machine sucked itself to the track, greatly increasing cornering and braking power. One of its original drivers, ‘Quick Vic’ Elford, is piloting the car on the hillclimb course. For fans of Latin machinery, among the undoubted stars is Rupert Clevely’s Lancia LC2 from 1984. While the Martini-liveried device rarely lasted the distance in Group C races in period, its Ferrari engine provided plenty of power for it to be up there in qualifying. In the GT class of the Modern Endurance Racers category, the Festival of Speed witnessed the UK debut of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato which had its maiden race start in the Nurburgring 24 Hours a week ago.