Can-Am Race Car – 2012 Market & Price Guide

The Canadian American Challenge Cup, co-sanctioned by the SCCA and the CASC, was essentially an “unlimited” series. Although there was a basic set of rules, the cars merely had to be two-seaters with bodywork covering the wheels, doors, a windscreen, brake lights and various safety requirements. There was no regulation on the cars’ dimensions, minimum weight, materials used or size of the tires, which was all left open to the creativity of the designer.

The nickname “unlimited” came from the regulations allowing engines of unlimited displacement and number of cylinders, i.e. horsepower. The Can-Am was the open sports racing car series, and it became a hotbed of new technology and racing car design.

It took place from 1966 until 1974 with races in Canada and the USA. At its peak it was a 10-race series, and cars from BRM, Chaparral, Ferrari, Lola, March, McLaren, Porsche and Shadow were driven by drivers such as Amon, Donohue, Follmer, Gurney, Hill, Hulme, McLaren, Oliver, Revson, Scheckter, Siffert, Stewart, and Surtees.

Although, it became known as the “Bruce and Denny Show” because McLaren and Hulme won four consecutive championships racing McLarens—and Peter Revson added a fifth, it started with a Lola championship and ended with complete domination by Porsche and its 917/10, and 917/30 offerings.

Today there is a Historic Can-Am group, which organizes races across the country, including some very popular Can-Am Reunion events.

The value of these cars today is determined largely by their provenance, whether a team car or a private car, the race history and the condition. Surviving as an original car and having that original car professionally restored is the way to go.

1969 Lola T163

Eric Broadley’s Lola Cars of Rye, Huntingdon, England, won the inaugural 1966 Canadian-American Challenge Cup with its T70 Mark I Spider and remained competitive with the Mark II and Mark III Spiders. Lola had successful teams such as Roger Penske and John Mecom, yet the McLaren effort proved to be unbeatable. For 1969, Lola created the T163, still with an aluminum monocoque, but ran a big block, fuel-injected Chevrolet engine for increased power. Like the Lolas before it, the T163 was a beautiful, well-built car. The gearbox was the Hewland LG600 5-speed. Wheel size was increased and both small and large rear wings were tried. The build quality was good, the car looked promising and sales to various teams picked up. The Penske team ran a T163 with a lightweight monocoque, but it proved too flexible under stress. The T163 did finish in the top five many times, but was not enough to overcome McLaren. It was replaced by the T220/222 series. Today, one can see the T163 competing in the Historic Can-Am series, easily recognized by its smooth flowing lines. It represents a good value for performance and has historic eligibility with many race groups.

1972 Porsche 917/10

Porsche AG, of Stuttgart, Germany, had become famous for its successful lightweight racing cars of the 1950s and early 1960s. By the late 1960s, Porsche was engineering some fascinating sports prototypes, eventually winning the Manufacturers World Championship in 1969-’70-’71 with the 3.0-liter, 8-cylinder 908s and 5.4-liter, 12-cylinder 917Ks. When the rules changed at the end of the 1971 season, and the 5.4-liter 917K Coupe was not eligible to race in the World Championship, Porsche looked more seriously at the Group 7 Can-Am Championship and the European Interseries. Having entered a few rounds with the normally aspirated 917K FIA Coupe and the 917PA (the Spider version of that coupe), Porsche decided to turbocharge the 5-liter, flat-12 engine, for added power and create the 917/10. The 917/10 had a very lightweight aluminum tube frame chassis with an aerodynamic, fiberglass body with under panels bonded to it. The body shape with rear tail fins was similar to the 908/03 spider. The engine was a flat, 12-cylinder, 5.4-liter, with twin turbochargers that could produce an amazing 1,100 bhp at 7,800 rpm. It had a sturdy Porsche-built 4-speed gearbox and limited slip differential. Porsche backed the Roger Penske team with its star driver/engineer, Mark Donohue. The season started with Donohue at the wheel, but it was George Follmer who took over the drive after Donohue was injured. Follmer proceeded to win the 1972 Can-Am Championship for the Penske team and Porsche, setting the tone for what lay ahead with the 917/30. This was a clear case of Porsche’s design and engineering excellence being able to adapt to a new set of rules, and winning once again. The 917/10 is the ultimate weapon in the unlimited class. Although they rarely trade hands, today the 917/10 has proven to be a blue chip investment and a very exciting car to see at the racetrack.

Criteria Used For Assessing Valuations for this Guide:

• Degree of Originality
• Overall Condition, Restoration
• Technology, Design, Coachbuilder
• Production Numbers/Rarity
• Competition History
• Ownership History, Documentation
• Modern Event Eligibility

Regional Variances

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT. Most of the time, we are able to document known sales or closed escrows, as they say in real estate. When this is not possible, a logical estimate of the car’s value is given, based on its sales history and relationship to cars of its type.

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT.