10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
266 pages, $39.95
CAN-AM by Pete Lyons
Motorbooks International, 1995
10 1/2 x 10 1/2
inches
266 pages, $39.95
This is probably the best book ever written on the subject. For those of you who are like me and have a real fascination for loud, thundering racing cars, this is the book to buy.
When I was younger, back in 1966, my Father and I used to load up the VW Kombi Camper and make the trek up to Elkhart Lake and Road America to watch what was then the USRRC (United States Road Racing Championship), run the annual Road America 500 in July.
It was there that I first saw cars that would run in the Can-Am. Big motored McLaren-Elvas and Cooper-Fords and Ford GT40s and Ferraris and Chaparrals. In 1966, the Can-Am was born and began as a fall series, with the USRRC running during the earlier part of the year. I was lucky enough to see the 1967 Elkart Lake Can-Am. It was the first win for the then-new McLaren M6A and Denny Hulme basically ran away with the race. The big blocked Chaparral 2G was my favourite, but dropped back and finished fourth.
That was the one and only of the real Can-Ams that I saw. After seven years, the series died a lingering death. Resurrected several years after that, the series was basically full bodied formual 5000 single seaters and while the races were good, the magic was gone.
Pete Lyons tells the whole history of the racing series from its optomistic beginnings as an unlimited sports car series through the politics and limitations of the series until it was just another formula race. Profusely illustrated in black and white with a few color sections it gives a short blow by blow of each event as well as the cars and personalities It is a must-have for anyone even remotely interested in what was the best sports car racing in the world.