Chaparral: Can-Am Racing Cars from Texas (Ludvigsen Library)

Few sports-racing cars have captured the imagination as did the Chaparrals. The menacing white machines from Texas oil country cut a swathe through American sports car racing in the 1960s, and even won at the Nurburgring and Brands Hatch. Created by Jim Hall and Hap Sharp -- and ultimately with the help of GM and Chevrolet -- the Chaparrals pioneered such innovations in racing as the wing for aerodynamic down force and the automatic transmission. Great photos from the author, Stanley Rosenthall, and Max Le Grand show the exotic Chaparrals at rest and in action. Photographs include the first front-engine cars, the 2, 2C, 2E and 2G sports-racers, the 2D and 2F endurance racecars, and the wildest of all, the 2H and 2J -- the first car to use a fan to generate suction down force. The book is a rare treat for fans of the exciting and popular Can-Am racing series.