Looking knobblier than ever, and sporting an unfamiliar European crossed '7' on its nose and flanks, Jim Hall's Chaparral outlasted a works 4-liter Ferrari 330/P3 and outran two works Ferrari Dinos to win the Niirburgring 1000-kilometer (621-mile) race with time_ to spare, yet. The 5.4-liter Chevrolet powered Chaparral 2D driven by Phil Hill and J 0 Bonnier was the first American car to win a major European race in 45 years (Jimmy Murphy took the French GP at Le Mans in 1921, driving a Duesenberg), and the Ring was the car's first appearance in Europe at that.

Hall's Midland marauders must have been busy after Sebring. The plastic chassis, automatic-transmission coupe prepared for the 'Ring wore a large, obscenely shaped air scoop on its roof, ducting air to the carburetors and giving the already knurled car even less aerodynamic charm than before. New rear fender scoops (leading Hall knows where), a taller spoiler (carrying a wry Texas license plate), and new headlights were other obvious reworkings. Underneath the bird's nest on the roof, the long ram tubes had been replaced by a plenum chamber-no, we don't know why.

John Surtees. and Mike Parkes shared the 330 Ferrari. In practice, Surtees knocked 18.4 seconds off his 1965 record. Although no Ford Mk. lIs were there to challenge this time, Phil Hill was a mere 3.5 seconds slower.

When the flag dropped, Lodovico Scarfiotti boiled off the mark first in his tiny 2-liter Dino, but was quickly overtaken by Surtees. Soon the Texas-built racer was second, and at the end of lap 5, the big Ferrari was in the pits having a rear shock absorber replaced. Six agonizing minutes later, it shrieked back into the race in 25th position; Parkes soon had the car up to 7th, only to be forced in near the halfway mark for more suspension work, this time losing a complete lap. By three-quarter time the Chaparral had a good three minutes' on the scrapping Dinos of Scarfiotti/Lorenzo Bandini and Pedro Rodriguez/Richie Ginther, who were having their own private race. The factory Porsches, although fast in practice, were unable to challenge the Dinos during the race, and the see-saw Porsche/Ferrari midget-car battle teetered to Enzo's side. 

With only eight laps to go, the sky caved in. Hail and rain lashed the circuit, and the scramble for rain tires was on Surtees' Ferrari stopped for tires and left the pits without a clutch. The Chaparral/blew in, and despite its lack of quick-change hubs, all four wheels were replaced and the car blasted off, still with a minute's lead, to the cheers of the German crowd. Meanwhile, the works 4-liter Ferrari crept back - and was pushed into the narrow confines of the 'Ring's, dead-car park. An heroic effort on the last lap took Scarfiotti closer to the Chaparral, but he finished about a minute behind Hill, with the Rodriguez/Ginther Dino less than a minute behind him.

1st Chaparral of Hill - Bonnier

2nd Dino Ferrari of Scarfiotti - Bandini

3rd Dino Ferrari of Ginther - Rodriguez

4th Porsche 906P Bondurant - Hawkins

Author: ArchitectPage