Cars
Forgotten Legends Chaparral
This article discusses the contributions of Jim Hall, an American racing engineer who brought significant and long-lasting innovations to the world of motorsports.
Jim Hall is part of a very small group of racing engineers who brought important and long-lasting evolutions to the world of motor sport. The son of a family of American oil producers, Jim Hall started out as a driver before becoming a manufacturer, which gave him plenty of opportunities to exploit a close relationship with the technical management of GM.
<font size="3">1963. The Chaparral 2A, in its evolution, experiments with innovative front splitters</font>
When he decided to abandon his driving ambitions, for which he had also begun to build his own sports cars called Chaparral, he devoted himself to the continuous and fruitful application of technical and aerodynamic innovations that brought the entire motoring industry to a turning point. Taking advantage of GM’s wind tunnel, in 1963 he had already introduced intelligent modifications to his Chaparral 2A with very visible aerodynamic appendages to increase front-end grip around the circuit. This experience was developed further in 1966 with the 2E which featured a large rear wing attached directly to the rear suspension uprights, loading the tyres for extra adhesion while cornering.
