A Racing Legend
In 1962, Jim Hall and Hap Sharp started a small racing team in Midland, Texas—they named it Chaparral Cars after the Spanish word for “road runner,” a common West Texas bird. Mention Chaparral to race fans and you will hear two excited reactions: great people and great cars.
The science of aerodynamics was never completely appreciated by automobile designers--until James Ellis Hall revolutionized the sport in his Chaparral Racing Cars. Jim Hall is revered by the world's racing community as the innovator who introduced the movable wing in 1965. His aerodynamic Wing, ground effects, and light weight construction materials have transformed auto racing, as well as passenger car safety and fuel efficiency in the 20th Century
Using a private two-mile test track located behind their garages and named Rattlesnake Raceway, the Chaparral team designed, built and tested a series of innovative and powerful race cars. Their engineering racing success earned Chaparral a dominant position at the highest levels of international racing. With great cars and talented drivers, the Chaparral team won fame worldwide, and gave American race fans a team for which to cheer.
· The Chaparral Story – the history of Chaparral Race Cars
· The Chaparral Technical Innovations – an exploration of the engineering and aerodynamic advances developed by Chaparral
· The Garage – an opportunity to observe routine maintenance on Chaparral Race Cars in a setting modeled after the original Chaparral garage located in Midland, TX
Click Here to see a short thumbnail video preview (5mb) of the DVD featuring Jim Hall and a panel of world famous race car drivers discussing the development of the Chaparral Cars. This video, and other chaparral items are available at the museum store.
Monthly engine run-ups. You can be there!
