Start looking between the couch cushions, because an important piece of racing history is about to cross the auction block.
Jim Hall is famous for his advanced Chaparral Can Am cars, but his first attempt at an all-American road racer was the Chaparral 1. Through Hemmings, we've learned that one of those original cars will be featured in the RM Auctions sale in Scottsdale, Arizona this January.
The front-engine, rear-wheel drive Chaparral 1 has a chassis loosely based on Scarab Mk.II racer, which isn't surprising consider that it was designed by former Scarab engineers Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes. Power comes from a 318-cubic-inch Chevrolet V-8, which produces 375 horsepower.
The car up for sale, chassis number 1-003, was one of two Chaparral 1s owned by Hall himself. At its maiden outing at Sebring in 1962, Hall and his co-drivers coaxed 1-003 to sixth place overall and a class win. It also won an overall victory at the Road Atlanta 500 that year.
Hall eventually became convinced that he needed a mid-engined car to be truly competitive; he replaced the front-engined Chaparral 1 with the mid-engined Chaparral 2A at the end of the 1963 season.
Chassis 1-003 was campaigned by subsequent owners until 1965, and was treated to a ten year restoration from 1987 to 1997. It was purchased by Skip Barber in 2002, and was last offered for sale in 2004, when it crossed the block at $1,111,000.
When it crosses the block again in Scottsdale, RM Auctions estimates Chaparral 1 chassis 1-003 will sell for between $2,250,000 and $2,750,000. The auction takes place January 16-17. For more information, visit RM Auctions' website.
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