Replicarz 1970 Chaparral 2J Vic Elford

When I first started collecting 1/18 models, my racing holy grails were the 1967 STP Indy Turbine and the 1970 Chaparral 2J. Exoto had announced the 2J, and I lobbied Carousel 1 to make the Turbine. Neither came through, but Replicarz did, and I am proud to own both of them. 

With two 17-inch fans driven by a 2nd engine at the rear of the car, the 2J earned the nickname “sucker car” as it literally sucked air from under the car and forced it out the back, thus creating a vacuum that held the 2J on the track surface. To create a seal between the car and the road, sliding polycarbonate skirts were placed around the bottom edge of the car and maintained a constant gap to the ground. Theoretically, enough suction could be generated by the fans to hold the car upside-down on the ceiling of a room. The airflow generated by the fans alone could push the car forward at up to 40 miles per hour.

In its first race, the 2J recorded the fastest lap at Watkins Glen, New York and then earned the pole position in all its other races. At Road Atlanta in September, Elford put the car on the pole by 1.26 sec over Denny Hulme's McLaren, then finished sixth after ignition issues with the snowmobile engine. FIA officials banned the 2J at the end of the 1970 Can-Am season because the sliding polycarbonate skirts were said to have violated the “movable aerodynamic device” ban.

Replicarz has done a splendid job on this model. Lots of terrific details as expected on a resin model; the Lexan skirts are quite delicate and have to be handled carefully. I'm not much for giving reviews, but I'm so happy to finally have this car in my collection in 1/18.