 In
1965, Paul and his friend and SCCA driver, John Sharrigan, built
the Brahma B-II CanAm B-Sports road-racing car. This car was
designed by Paul FitzGerald with an all aluminum, semi-monocoque
structure and a unique 4-wheel independent suspension design.
Powered by a 285 HP BDA Ford engine, the car with fluids, weighed
960 pounds. John set numerous course records and won countless
SCCA event. He finally won the 1972 National Championship in
B Sports Racing. The car is currently being restored in Great
Britain.
This chassis was built about the same time Jim Hall was
building his famous Chaparral A-Sports Racer in Texas. Both
cars unknowingly shared the same frame construction technology,
utilizing stressed aluminum panels, riveted together rather
using a heavier and more flexible, welded steel tubing structure.
The body was designed by Sikorsky Aircraft Engineer Neil Chiavaroli
and was built of full-size forms by Chiavaroli, FitzGerald
and Sharrigan. This car began “life” with an Abarth
4-cylinder engine, which was quickly replaced when the new
Ford BDA power plant became available.
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Aerospace
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