Revolutionary Chaparral 2K in full detail and Auto China round-up ...

Jim Hall is probably best known for the often ground-breaking 'Chaparrals' that added colour to American sports car racing throughout the 1960s. His arguably most successful creation, however, came nearly a decade later but was, of course, no less revolutionary than the earlier machines. The car in question was the Chaparral 2K introduced halfway through the 1979 season in time for Al Unser to race it at Indy. Designed with the help of John Barnard, the 'yellow submarine' brought ground effect aerodynamics to North American racing. After teething reliability problems had been overcome, the Chaparral scored its first victory in the season finale. The 2K came to full fruition in 1980 when Rutherford drove the Cosworth-engined racer to victory in the Indy 500 and won the CART Championship. The 2K would remain the only single seater Chaparral as Jim Hall eventually switched to proprietary chassis, continuing as team-owner well into the 1990s. Our detailed article is illustrated by a 24-shot gallery showing both surviving cars in full details. One of the chassis is in the hands of the late Dan Wheldon, just a few months before his fatal crash.
Rounding up our coverage of the Auto China in Beijing, we have four more cars released at the show earlier in the week. The most remarkable of these is no doubt the MG Icon Concept. Inspired by the iconic MGB, this is the first SUV concept constructed by the Chinese owned manufacturer. Of a similar configuration is this Peugeot Urban Crossover Concept. Appealing to China's large demand for long wheelbase vehicles, Jaguar revealed the luxuriously appointed XJ Ultimate, while Rolls-Royce completed the Series II Phantom line-up with the Extended Wheelbase variant.

Enjoy the links:

[url="http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/4391/Chaparral-2K-Cosworth.html"]1979 - 1981 Chaparral 2K Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

[url="http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5178/Jaguar-XJ-Ultimate.html"]2012 Jaguar XJ Ultimate - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

[url="http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5181/MG-Icon-Concept.html"]2012 MG Icon Concept - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

[url="http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5179/Peugeot-Urban-Crossover-Concept.html"]2012 Peugeot Urban Crossover Concept - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

[url="http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5180/Rolls-Royce-Phantom-Series-II-EWB.html"]2012 Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II EWB - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]