Ford G7

Last updated
Ford G7A
Ford G7B
Category Group 7
Constructor Ford
Designer(s) Roy Lunn
Technical specifications [1]
Axle track Front: 55.6 in (1,412 mm)
Rear: 54.8 in (1,392 mm)
Wheelbase 95 in (2,413 mm)
Engine Ford 427 cu in (6,997 cc), 429 cu in (7,030 cc) or 496 cu in (8,128 cc), 16 valve, OHV V8, naturally aspirated, mid-engined
Transmission 2-speed automatic
Weight 1,900 lb (862 kg)
Tyres Firestone
Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants Agapiou Brothers Racing
Notable drivers Peter Revson
John Cannon
George Follmer
Jack Brabham
Lee Roy Yarbrough
Vic Elford
Debut 1969 Can-Am Mosport Park
RacesWins Poles F.Laps
15 (16 entries)000
Teams' Championships 0
Constructors' Championships 0
Drivers' Championships 0

The Ford G7 is a Can-Am sports racing car that was built by Ford in 1968. Initially fitted with a 427 cu in (6,997 cc) Ford V8 engine, and later using 429 cu in (7,030 cc) and 496 cu in (8,128 cc) versions of the engine, the G7 was extremely unreliable and only ever finished one of the 15 races it competed in. [2] In particular, it had serious issues with overheating and engine problems; the latter of which often prevented the car from even starting a race.

Can-Am sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987

The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987.

V8 engine piston engine with eight cylinders in vee configuration

A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder V configuration engine with the cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two sets of four, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft. Most banks are set at a right angle (90°) to each other, some at a narrower angle, with 45°, 60°, and 72° most common.

Contents

Design and development

In 1968, Ford rebuilt a Mk IV Spyder chassis for Can-Am racing, and produced the G7A. [1] Although the new car used the Mk IV's suspension and brakes, the new bodywork included a rear wing inspired by Jim Hall's Chaparral Can-Am cars. [1] The car used a 2-speed automatic gearbox, and a torque converter from the Mercury and Ford funny cars. [1] Coupled to this transmission was a 427 cu in (6,997 cc) Ford V8 engine, capable of producing around 650 hp (485 kW; 659 PS). [1] However, despite the power output, the car was amongst the heaviest on the grid, weighing in at 1,900 lb (862 kg), and it showed little promise in its first test session; lapping 14 seconds off the lap record in a Las Vegas test. [1] Not only was it off the pace, but the engine proved incredibly fragile and unresponsive in the test; the special blocks were porous, and allowed water to seep into the oil. [1]

Jim Hall (racing driver) American racecar driver and constructor

Jim Hall is a former racecar driver and constructor from the United States. He competed in Formula One from 1960 to 1963, participating in 12 World Championship Grands Prix and numerous non-Championship races. He scored three World Championship points.

Chaparral shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the US state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.

Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the US state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate and wildfire, featuring summer-drought-tolerant plants with hard sclerophyllous evergreen leaves, as contrasted with the associated soft-leaved, drought-deciduous, scrub community of coastal sage scrub, found below the chaparral biome. Chaparral covers 5% of the state of California and associated Mediterranean shrubland an additional 3.5%. The name comes from the Spanish word chaparro, for evergreen oak shrubland.

Torque converter fluid coupling that transfers rotating power from a prime mover to a rotating driven load

A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling which transfers rotating power from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the torque converter connects the power source to the load. It is usually located between the engine's flexplate and the transmission. The equivalent location in a manual transmission would be the mechanical clutch.

Race history

1969

In 1969, Agapiou Brothers Racing purchased the G7A, and attempted to run Peter Revson in the Can-Am season opener, held at Mosport Park; however, in a sign of things to come, the engine failed and he wasn't even able to start the race. [3] It was a similar story at Mont-Tremblant; Revson was unable to start the race. [4] As a result, Revson left the team, and later joined Robbins-Jefferies Racing Team. [5] The G7 was not used in the third round of the Can-Am series, but reappeared again for the next round, held at Edmonton; John Cannon was selected to drive it, but the fuel injectors malfunctioned after just five laps, and forced him to retire. [6] Cannon drove for Young-American in the next round, held at Mid-Ohio, so George Follmer replaced him in the Agapiou Brothers' team; however, the engine failed again and prevented Follmer from starting the race. [7] Follmer tried again at Road America, but couldn't manage more than two laps before the transmission packed up and he retired. [8] The team missed round eight altogether, before initially entering Follmer in the eighth round, held in Michigan; in the end, Jack Brabham drove the G7A, and he lasted 46 laps before he lost a wheel and retired. [9] The team then took a two-race break, before entering the final round of the season, held in Texas; Cannon had returned to the team, but engine problems yet again prevented him from starting the race. [10] Despite the unsuccessful season, the team entered Cannon in the 200 miles of Fuji, and, for the first time ever, the G7A actually completed a race; Cannon finished second, 12.1 seconds behind the winner. [11]

Peter Revson American racecar driver

Peter Jeffrey Revson was an American race car driver and heir to the Revlon cosmetics fortune. He was a multiple Formula One race winner and had success at the Indianapolis 500.

Circuit Mont-Tremblant race track

Circuit Mont-Tremblant is a 4.26 km (2.65 mi) race circuit about 13 km (8.1 mi) south of the village of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. The name of the village of Saint-Jovite was often included in the name of the circuit, but since the village was amalgamated into Mont-Tremblant in the year 2000, it is no longer considered or functions as an independent entity.

Edmonton International Speedway

Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, was a 251-acre (1.02 km2) multi-track auto racing facility located in the present Cumberland and Hudson neighbourhoods of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The facility featured a ¼ mile dragstrip, a 2.53 miles (4.072 km) 14-turn road course, and a ¼ mile short oval. At its peak, it had capacity for over 30,000 fans.

1970

Despite the poor 1969 season, and missing the first two rounds of the 1970 Can-Am season, Agapiou Brothers Racing returned to the series in the Watkins Glen round of the series; the car had a new 429 cu in (7,030 cc) Ford V8 fitted, and was driven once more by John Cannon. [12] However, history repeated itself, as he retired once more; this time, the car overheated after 46 laps. [13] David Hobbs was brought into the team for the next round, held at Edmonton; a water leak after just one lap forced him to retire. [14] An attempt to enter Cannon at Mid-Ohio came to nothing, [15] and this was followed by Cannon retiring from the Road America race after 19 laps; once again, the car had overheated. [16] Lee Roy Yarbrough took the wheel of the G7A at Road Atlanta, but he too suffered an engine failure, this time after 22 laps; [17] even though a new 496 cu in (8,128 cc) V8 had been installed. [18] Despite reverting to the 429 engine, Donnybrooke saw another engine failure, and another failure to start; this time, Vic Elford had been driving. [19] Cannon was back in the cockpit for Laguna Seca Raceway, in the newly updated G7B; the updates made little difference to the car's reliability, and the car overheated after 50 laps, forcing him to retire. [20] At the season finale, held at Riverside, Cannon drove again, but crashed out after 14 laps. [21] This would prove to be the last time a G7 was used in a race. [22]

The 1970 Canadian-American Challenge Cup was the fifth season of the Can-Am auto racing series. It consisted of FIA Group 7 racing cars running two-hour sprint events. It began June 14, 1970, and ended November 1, 1970, after ten rounds.

Watkins Glen International motorsport track in the United States

Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.

David Hobbs (racing driver) British former racing driver, racing commentator

David Wishart Hobbs is a British former racing driver. Originally employed as a commentator for the Speed Channel, he currently works as a commentator for NBC and NBC Sports Network. In 1969 Hobbs was included in the FIA list of graded drivers, a group of 27 drivers who by their achievements were rated the best in the world.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "can am cars 67-8". Sportscars.tv. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "Ford G7". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "Can-Am Mosport 1969 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "Can-Am Mont-Tremblant 1969 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "All Results of Peter Revson (page 2)". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "Can-Am Edmonton 1969 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Can-Am Mid-Ohio 1969 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Can-Am Road America 1969 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "Can-Am Michigan 1969 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "Can-Am Texas 1969 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "200 mile Fuji 1969 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Can-Am Watkins Glen 1970 – Photo Gallery". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "Can-Am Watkins Glen 1970 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  14. ↑ "Can-Am Edmonton 1970 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  15. ↑ "Can-Am Mid-Ohio 1970 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  16. ↑ "Can-Am Road America 1970 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  17. ↑ "Can-Am Road Atlanta 1970 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  18. ↑ "Can-Am Road Atlanta 1970 – Photo Gallery". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Can-Am Donnybrooke 1970 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "Can-Am Laguna Seca 1970 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  21. ↑ "Can-Am Riverside 1970 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  22. ↑ "All Results of Ford G7". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
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