Don Nichols is one of only three Americans ever to field a winning car in a World Championship Formula One Grand Prix—omitting, of course, the 10 years when the Indy 500 was a World Championship counter. Like Dan Gurney and Roger Penske, the other two, he is an ambitious and energetic man who is always looking toward what comes next. His Shadow operation existed for less than a decade, yet in that time won races in Formula One and Formula 5000, as well as taking further victories in the Can-Am and winning the last Can-Am championship. Now 89 years of age, the always enigmatic Nichols remains so today, mainly because he admits his memory is not now what it once was. Still, when VR Associate Editor John Zimmermann sat down with him for this interview, he provided insight into much of what made Shadow Shadow, and Don Nichols Don Nichols.
