Road America Can Am Reunion

[David Pozzi]

Last weekend I crewed on a McLaren M6 Coupe, it is one of three original McLaren coupes, other open cockpit cars have been since converted to coupes.

Well, this trip turned out to be much more work than I ever imagined!

The McLaren M6 coupe I helped crew on was finished so late, we didn't have time to do a test day, so there were lots of new car problems like the transaxle didn't want to engage reverse, the clutch was very hard to press and very touchy on release, the engine was idling too slow and tended to load up after a while.

The ignition crapped out, probably due to the heat. We tried a different coil that helped, but it still sputtered after a fiew laps but at least completed the race, it had a Mallory dual-point, and perhaps the external condensor was overheated.

I was working on the car all the time except during practice and race for the CanAm group, then I could go to the pit wall and take photos. We were allowed to stand right next to the race track wall which I thought was very dangerous! It's amazing to stand 10 ft or less to where a BB Can Am car is going by at over 180mph!

I hardly got enough sleep, got to bed around 12pm each night and got up at 6am in order to get to the track at opening time - 7am. I stayed in Fond du Lac and it's 30 miles from the track.

One good thing that happened was, I met Amanda McLaren and we got pics of her in the M6 coupe! She was only 2 years old when her father Bruce McLaren died.
Denis Gage did a feature on the car for his classic car TV show, it will be on TV next year, 2007. I met George Follmer and Peter Bryant, he designed the Titanium cars, (said they weigh 1400 lbs) and also several of the team Shadow cars. Bryant is the funniest guy I have met in a long time, he does a very good impression of George C Scott as "Patton" with a gravely voice.

Bryant does CAD drafting these days, and reciently has converted the Titanium Can Am car plans into CAD. Another friend of mine, Craig Pense, is re-creating the first Titanium car. Pense is a graphic artist, and has done a poster listing all the Can Am winning cars in profile view.
David

[Van B]

Crap! I was up there on Saturday. I wish I had known you would be there, I would have looked you up. I was right on the tower side fence on Sat afternoon when the Can Am cars ran, standing right on the fence, maybe 15 ft or so from the track side. When they came up to the green flag....awesome!

[David Pozzi]

Jeff,
It would have been great to meet you. The angle I was taking photos was in your direction, so maybe you are in the background of my pics!

RA is a terriffic track. I got a ride around it with D!ck Smith, the Cobra guy. At noon they allow spectators to tour the course for quite a while, with a 70 mph limit.

[CarlC]

Very cool David. However,

[David Pozzi]

Yeah, I know!
I got a new camera and it won't download directly to my Mac. I'll get 'em in there somehow!
I got some pics of Dennis Gage interviewing the owner, plus Bruce McLaren's daughter in the car. The west coast Can Am guys really presented their cars well!
David

[David Pozzi]

here's one as a test, this M8f won the race. Lap times were 2.02

[David Pozzi]

Here is Amanda McLaren who was just 2 years old when Bruce McLaren died. She's standing by the McLaren M6 coupe I crewed on.

[David Pozzi]

An M8F McLaren


A Lola T-163 and other cars leaving the grid.

[CarlC]

Very cool David!

What is the #29 car?

[David Pozzi]

#29 is a McLaren M6 coupe. Bruce McLaren use a Can-Am chassis and put a coupe body on it for endurance racing. He didn't have time to race in that series but McLaren did sell copies of their previous years cars, they were built by Trojan cars. This chassis is actually an M12 chassis but it's almost identical to a M6. M6's were team cars, M12's were customer cars by Trojan. Team cars had some better materials like Magnesium upper and belly pans, one had a Titanium roll bar! Bruce McLaren's cars were built 2" shorter to save a little weight. Denny Hulme was his (taller) team mate, and his car was copied for use as a customer car the following year.

If the above isn't clear enough, #29 is the only Trojan built "customer coupe", it's been in a private collection in Canada all these years. Two other M6 coupes were built, one for Bruce as a street car, the other one I don't remember the history on but it was on the west coast for years.
David

[fast Ed]

Nice to see that many Can-Am cars still being enjoyed. Gotta love the tall injector stacks !!!


cheers
Ed N.

[streetfytr68]

Mclarens are just awesome! Sounds, looks, accomplishments. It's like a Chevy powered wet dream.

[David Pozzi]

Steve, yes but Porsche ruined the "Bruce and Denny show" when they came out with the 917!

[JEFFTATE]

Thanks David !
Any more pics ?
I can't wait for the Can-Am Film to come out !

[vanzuuk1]

I love those cars...if I could go back in time I would love to see a trans,can am and F1 race. Plus I would grab jane fondas boobs if could.

[JEFFTATE]

Hell yeah on Janes boobs!

[1FstChevy]

Ha IDK about the last post there, but thanks for bumping this thread! Good looking photos and an even better looking time

[vanzuuk1]

That would be a cool build,take a chevy and mix in a can am theme. Imagine an orange 66 chevelle with the stance,injectors,rims and some kind of small blue wing. Most people would not get it but who cares.

[David Pozzi]

Look her for a cool Can-Am video that is coming out! They have a preview clip.
http://www.southernyosemite.com/canam.htm


Can Am info/photo pages
http://www.classicscars.com/wspr/re...canam_home.html

http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo_canam.html
http://www.vintagerpm.com/can-am_history.htm

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/

http://www.ritzsite.demon.nl/Sportscars/March1.htm

http://www.foxyventures.com/pick1.htm
http://www.winktimber.com/racecar/1971cadb/71cadb1.htm

http://www.mlodeent.com/CANAM/Canam.htm

http://www.roadamerica.com/images/b...ay/FrameSet.htm
http://membres.lycos.fr/canam
http://www.slotforum.com/forums/inde...showtopic=6406
http://www.ritzsite.demon.nl/Sportscars/March1.htm
http://www.artemisimages.com
http://www.photoessayist.com/canam/
http://racing-photos.site.voila.fr/c...verside_73.htm
http://www.fototime.com/inv/3D1119FDACEE1E9

[1FstChevy]

That would be a cool build,take a chevy and mix in a can am theme. Imagine an orange 66 chevelle with the stance,injectors,rims and some kind of small blue wing. Most people would not get it but who cares.

Orange and blue as in LeMans colors????? This sounds interesting, although strikes me as something that will still look more at home on a Porsche, or GT40.

Isn't there a Pro-Touring road racing kind of orange Chevelle I saw pictures of around here somewhere, maybe from a while ago? I know it had HUGE wheels that it was lowered over and may have had charcoal accents if I remember correctly. Perhaps someone could find a link to that thread???