Porsche KILLED the Can-Am! Or did it? ...

Was the Porsche 917/30 really the "Can-Am Killer"? Did it really make 1500hp? Ficarra takes a deep dive on Porsche and Penske's participation in the greatest race series of all time, from the development of the mighty 917/10 to the dominance of the 917/30 Turbo Panzer.
Bonus home movie of the 1972 Can-Am at Mid-Ohio at the end!
Thanks to © Leopold Buchmaier via Gero Hoschek
Get some Ficarra Classic merch:
ficarraclassic.com/store
Instagram: @ficarraclassic
#porsche #turbo #canam #917

[@Mr-G131]

42 minutes never went by so fast. your passion and enthusiasm is infectious. I hope you chose to do more of these even if the views don't roll in as they should. even if its just for you to keep record of the history for yourself that you then share with the world. Thanks so much for this history lesson.

[@FicarraClassic]

Thanks to everyone for the amazing comments and support! I am going to try and get you one history video a month among the other garage content which I will try to get out weekly. So happy you are enjoying these geeky dives into automotive history! Don't forget to like, subscribe and tell your friends!

[@Mongo63a]

First time seeing one of your videos. I liked it and your story telling is very enthusiastic. I loved watching CAN-AM when I was a kid and was disappointed when it died off.

[@DiDi902]

You, sir, are a captivating story teller. Your enthusiasm and knowledge is what sells the story each time. The production quality is also very very good. Relevant photos and videos are peppered in among shots of you telling the story and it’s a great balance. You say ‘once a month’ or ‘once a week’ and I hope you don’t stick to that schedule. Keep making entertaining and informed videos and your viewers will eat up every bit of them. Frequency be damned. Thanks for sharing your stories, we love them.

[@TheTotallyRealXiJinping]

I love you

[@drockprince9135]

Great video! Keep them coming!

[@Vampirebear13]

John, wouldn't Hurley Haywood be the man to ask about the 917 ???? If I remember correctly, he's the person who named the 917 The Flexible Flyer. TYVM for another excellent video. P.S. Do you know anything about Porsche building a 2000-plus horsepower quad turbo 16 cylinder 917 ?????

[@kevinmuldowney5560]

I was at Watkins Glenn for the 1973 CanAm race weekend. Donohue raced the 911 in the 6 hours on Saturday, actually met him in the pits on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I was 15 years old, he actually had time and spoke to me. Best memory was Sunday, beautiful sunny day. Donohue kept on stretching out his lead on the RC cola Porsche till it was the length of the entire straight. Accelerating towards our vantage point all you could hear was the turbos sucking in huge amounts of air then a big bang as he shifted gears just past us. I remember it like it was yesterday. Great video, Thank you

[@jessicakellenlee8475]

Another fantastic video! The best automotive storyteller on KZbin!

[@zairomolino4074]

True , an awesome storyteller. I saw tons of videos on those exact same car ,great video,but still as far as storytelling goes no one beats him

[@AlexWeiss94]

Agreed!!

[@DrsharpRothstein]

You are a great story teller. You bring excitement and life to these great machines and the people who gave them personality. . As a flight of fancy, what would a modern Can-Am look like? And how would a 917 compare if it was allowed back on the track? A story about the 917 k/81 would be worth watching.

[@user-lu3kw3jv1r]

Alongside Ed and Tamarian

[@user-lu3kw3jv1r]

Temerian

[@edvin884]

I'm lucky to be a Porsche fan that works for a transport company responsible of transporting the Porsche museum cars. And what a joy that is... 😊😊

[@michaelh.9866]

I was at Mid-Ohio the years of the 917-10 & 917-30. Standing halfway down the long straight, about where the kink is, the noise was exquisite!

[@tomsmith5216]

I worked T&S at Can Am races one year. When those beasts were on the other side of the track and accelerated it made your stomach rumble. And they were beyond loud

[@kyle381000]

My favorite story regarding the 917 happened at Mosport in 1973. The McLarens decided to abandon the series, leaving it fairly open for the Porsches. Mark Donohue was in the factory 917-30, and there were a few 917-10s, most notably Jody Scheckter. Donohue started on pole with Scheckter beside him. At the start, the two of them simply disappeared into the distance to the point where they caught some backmarkers towards the end of the 4th lap (on a 2.5 mile circuit). Donohue and Scheckter collided with something, and Donohue got the worst of it.

[@michaelcianci7944]

the old footage of the pits is beyond amazing

[@sergiomonteiro725]

Hi John. I am from Brasil, and I became interested in race cars when I was kid, in the late 60's. We didn't have much info here back then, other than an occasional newspaper or magazine article and/or photo. In 1972 I went to Interlagos race track to see Copa Brasil (Brazil'sd Coup), open to all kinds of sports cars. There was a 917/10 scheduled to race the day I went there, but it had engine problems and didn't show up... I had to settle for a dispute between a McLaren M6D and a 917K... :-) Anyway, your videos bring me back terrific memories, and fill the gaps on information on the cars and their history. Thanks a lot for that.

[@brinquedosdepaiefilho]

Não sabia que esses carros competiram aqui no Brasil! Que bacana!

[@johnsonsl944]

Always great content from John! You should do a podcast!

[@johnmc.8736]

I absolutely love listening to every single one of your stories. If you could ever come out with an audiobook or a podcast type thing that literally has every nerd out any bitty thing that you know about cars because the way you talk about them is amazing I would literally buy everything that you put out. Your stories and storytelling abilities are beyond and I thoroughly enjoy every bit then I'm able to find.

[@CarlosMendoza-ll9yk]

You and Ed are the best storytellers bar none, that is a gift. I really enjoy your stories as you have a deep knowledge of car racing history, I can only imagine the great time you had working for Canepa. Don't stop bringing these stories to us as we enjoy them as much as you do. Keep up the good work. By the way, I saw your video with the Jaguar and the 911s, great also.

[@ClinicalDecisionYikesYT]

Nah. Ed is a clown and a grifter.

[@lucwerner]

John Ficarra's most epic stories: 1970 Daytona Porsche win, 1965 Ferrari win at Le Mans, the Whittington Brother's 1979 Le Mans win (all at VINWiki) and now this one about CanAm. Every single one of them MUST WATCH for gearheads. And John, what about some stories about the Chaparral cars?

[@FicarraClassic]

Chaparral is on the list!

[@lucwerner]

@@FicarraClassic YESSSSS!!!!!!

[@albondigas9549]

​@@FicarraClassic I have one of Milt Minters driving suits from that era. Its well used but nonetheless its pretty cool.

[@FamousEccles]

I could listen to you speak for hours, John - just wonderful 👍

[@davenc8527]

I attended many Can-Am races at Road America in the 60's. Wonderful memories. Looking back, I can't believe I was able to watch such amazing drivers back in the day.

[@ITProjectManagerMan]

I was at Watkins Glen in both '72 & '73 and it was AMAZING to see those cars run. The excitement was CRAZY! I love the passion in all your stories, keep it up.

[@SpiceyFilipino]

This is simply a historical gift to racing R&D fanatics. No other way of putting it. A million thanks, John!! I share your enthusiasm

[@zTheBigFishz]

The best automotive storyteller on YT. For instance, the Whittington video and the 917K vids are all time classics.

[@benjamin1031]

John, You have introduced me to vintage racing history and I'm hooked. Love these stories!!

[@ianhardin1148]

John your passion is infectious and I find myself scrambling to watch your videos as soon as I see a new one drop! Sitting here with this big, stupid grin on my face as I listen to the sage speed testimony you bestow upon us. LOL

[@rand007]

I remember this era well as a worker with SCCA at Road America. These Can Am cars were awesome, never to be equaled again.. but close..was the C Class cars at Lemans in the 80's.

[@diegovianavillegas3297]

Here it goes almost one hour that passes as 5 minutes. Truly an absorbing video of a great topic, told by one of the most passionate and informed car storytellers. Mr Ficarra is a living encyclopedia.

[@jmaudsley6544]

More, more, more please. I'm not sure if I actually blinked during this show because it was so rivetingly interesting. Thank you so much John or as I now think of you Professor Ficarra. Can't wait for more telling from someone who instinctively knows and understands that Geek doesn't make you a bad person. Quite the reverse in fact.

[@TomF1970]

Great story yet again. The time flew by and wanting more.

[@cirian75]

A very well done passionate video with lots at actual facts, no BS, also start selling that T-Shirt.

[@EM-ru3eh]

I must be a geek, lol. Great video! I spent five years as a station guide at the Revs Institute in Naples, FL, so appreciate the Porsche history lesson! Miss being able to stand right next to the 917s, and the 908. Always pointed out the lack of foot room to guests, and they would be suitably shocked, and amazed. More educational videos would be awesome, John!

[@jeramiebradford1]

That's awesome they put #4's livery back to its delivery design

[@williamkidd5710]

Great content. Please keep them coming!

[@timdunn2387]

I think Jack Brabham is worthy of consideration when it comes to greatest racer/engineers. World Champion in a car he (and Ron Turanac) designed, built, developed and raced.

[@Mooselover1011]

Love love love listening to you speak about automotive history!

[@mountiansand4x4s5]

John, you're one of the best storytellers by far. I know I can walk into any one of your videos without absolutely no clue as to what the nitty gritty details of the subject matter is, and you perfectly guide me through the topic and make it enjoyable, entertaining, informative, easy to follow, and so on. It's a talent I can tell you have worked hard to master. So far, there has been nothing I dislike about your content. I like that nothing feels/is scripted or that there aren't a bunch of silly skits making things cringy. I am just happy to see you putting out content. Of my few suggestions is just to keep putting put content. I know it's very time-consuming, but even videos of you guys working in the shop and speeding up the work parts and then stopping a bit for content or explanations would be very enjoyable. Also, don't be afraid to retell some of your Vinwiki videos and provide more detail or walk around some of the cars featured in those stories. Do you still have the black Ferrari 308 that God loves so much? Don't be afraid to dive into your past car stories or to show us a current lineup of what's in your garage and/or more of Wing Nut Manor. Do you still have the Lambo you traded up for? I love the history lessons and being the history buff that you are I think a fun challenge would be to pick a past driver and a recent driver and to compare them a bit. For example: Ken Block died this year. We all know who he was and what genere of racing he helped influence and helped to change certain aspects/ interests into what they are today/ left his mark on the sport during his career. I do not know if rally is very important to you but what driver from the past that you consider important helped change a racing sport into something that we still know today/ or left such a significant mark on the sport?

[@MicrophonicFool]

Dad and I used to attend the CAN-AM events at Mosport. We were mostly Drag Race types, but when it comes to track racing, CAN-AM was superb.

[@michaelcurnow3524]

Great video as always. Would love to see a video about the 73 RSR.

[@unknownname7731]

I watched Mark Donahue race the 917-30 coming out of the “cork screw” at Laguna Seca. It was a racing event I will never forget. He was just weaving through traffic, there was no competition. The Porsche was very quiet compared to the other cars and the acceleration was cartoon fast.

[@comradefausto]

Awesome video. Don’t change a thing. Nobody is really telling these classic racing stories.

[@jensenhealey907efi]

Excellent history lesson though. Enjoyed the part of the video where John expresses his enthusiasm for the subject.

[@TheEldonfitz]

Thank you for an amazing video on my all-time favorite race car. I have fond memories of Mid-Ohio in the 70s and, you are an excellent historian and storyteller.

[@rendendit]

Great stuff! I was a guest at a BMW car club holiday dinner a few years ago where the dinner speaker was a Big 3 engineer who, as a kid, saw a 917 race and was hooked. He knew he'd never be able to afford one, so he built his own! Had help from the factory with advice, plans, specs, etc., down to the last exacting Porsche detail. Keep the stories coming.

[@BillLeavens]

This is a superbly told story of the insanity that was Can-Am. Those cars were the most amazing land vehicles that ever turned tires to dust. I was privileged to see three of the races and they left indelible memories. It all ended way too soon.

[@tommehling1547]

I love the passionate, and knowledgeable, storytelling.

[@bizjetfixr8352]

Suggestions for future episodes: - Jim Hall's Chapparels - Roger Penske......his road racing team days, and his involvement in developing Indy-car engines (Chevy/Ilmor, and the "pushrod" MB) - As someone else mentioned, the Bill Elliott Ford Thunderbird, that went two laps down at Talladega, then made up two laps UNDER GREEN to win the race. A combo of a great aero body, with Ernie Elliott engine genius. -The "Motown Missile" series of Pro Stock drag cars.

[@johnmarsh2078]

I loved every minute .... brilliantly researched. As an English enthusiast of The can-Am series I used to have to rely on Motorsport magazine for news and views. It seems to me that the real reason Can-Am folded was the cost and availability of competitive machinery. Mclaren made production cars through Trojan and Lola would sell to anyone. The availability of Aluminium Big Block Chevvy engines was good after 1970 so it was a series you could enter competitively without spending a massive fortune. Porsche was different. It had "Friends of the factory" like Vasek Polak and Brumos. Also the 917s were much more expensive and needed very expert maintenance if they were to stay reliable. Can-Am became a private Porsche party and if you weren't invited you couldn't compete. That's what I thought but the McLaren M20 wasn't far behind and on slower tracks was probably a tad faster but reliability had suffered with ever larger bores and strokes. The Chevvy HATED turbocharging. I thought the second iteration Can-Am, based on F5000 was a great and competitive series with plenty of different production chassis to choose from and a plethora of great drivers.

[@adammercer6004]

So Porsche did kill it the og format of Can-Am then by pricing everyone out!!! XD

[@johnmarsh2078]

@@adammercer6004 That and the loss of interest in seeing non US engined cars winning everything causing lack od sponsorship .... yes. US enthusiasts like to see US engines and technology winning races. In 1988 Audi won the TransAM. The following year all cars had to have US engines.

[@JackBootThugPigs]

@@johnmarsh2078 It's our yard, just like Europeans (FIA) can't stand American drivers. But it was till a whole lot of fun. And BTW pilots fly airplanes, not cars. Cheers!

[@johnmarsh2078]

@@JackBootThugPigs Looking through the post I didn't use the word "pilot", that would be French for racing driver, but let me enlighten you .... pilots fly AEROPLANES. Airplane iis a lazy incorrect spelling of an established English word. After all racING cars do not have airodynamic downforce ..... perhaps they do across the pond?

[@bgshdouf]

Oh I got my geek on, I've been waiting for this one! The 917 in all of its variants is my favorite racing vehicle ever made!

[@SherryA-ts7ic]

I was at Mid-Ohio in 1972 and seen the 917/30 run. It was blindingly fast, but it sounded like a vacuum cleaner. In an age of 512 Ferraris and Tipo 33 Alfa Romeos, I hated it. I'm impressed you have a shot of it after it was wrecked. Esports? Bring the noise.

[@timking2822]

John, I think you nailed it with why the series went away. Particularly when the 2J was outlawed. It destroyed the core attraction to the series.

[@New_Jax_City]

John!! Can you please FIND The Porsche 928 S from the movie WEIRD SCIENCE!! What happend to it?! Thats your wheel house. That would be a cool video! 👍

[@scottwhitmire6613]

Color Vintage Can-Am film after was appreciated.

[@BRBNWolf]

Didn’t even notice the video was 40+ minutes long until I noticed my lunch was cold since I was paying attention and not eating. thanks Ficarra for the cold lunch 😂 Great work man!

[@frederickhettesheimer2698]

Awesome video. As a child of the 70's I always wondered what ever happened to the CanAm series Now I know. I remember the cars from the AFX slot car tracks, a kid could race those exotic sports cars

[@olsonspeed]

CanAm was the GOAT racing series, thanks for the flashback to a land before rule books when monsters roamed the racetrack.

[@usarms149]

Outstanding video, John. Keep it up and don't change a thing.

[@tadroid3858]

Pre-spec Indy 500 and Can-Am were the most exciting races when I was growing up. I bought every magazine I could to read about those cars.

[@rjnation5042]

Fantastic story teller John, just wanted to say, I'll watch whatever you put out, especially the 928 stuff, Rj in Oz

[@sammckinley1058]

I watch mostly car oriented KZbin, and you’re probably THE most engaging storyteller, but 25 minutes is about my upper limit. There are many reasons why that is, but it is

[@bartallen5773]

I had the pleasure of seeing the 917-30 at the Mark Donohue Reunion at Road America in 2010, and it is even more amazing in person. At that event the original transporter was even present.

[@matthewbarr8717]

I was walking through the pits at Road America during the June Sprints with my family in the late 90. My Mom and Dad, my brother and my then future ex-wife were all there. It was my wife’s first time really at any race. Definitely the first time with my family. As they started up the Can-Am cars we all reveled in the noise and our eyes and noses ran from the heavy exhaust hanging in the air. It was great to get to see those cars out in the track and experience their rawness!

[@stanbrow]

They also had to have a space for an “FIA suitcase”. And I am not certain that 4 wheels were required in the spec. Really enjoyed this series.

[@MrBrody1961]

I grew up at Watkins Glen and my father was the track "Doc"....You tell the best stories of Can Am and and F1.....It's a shame they couldn't keep it going...Now it's a NACAR track. Ahhhh the good old days !!!

[@timmarshall5052]

I was at that race in Mosport. I was six! It created my undying love for racing. I still have the Corgi toy. Thanks for this

[@tomasjones3755]

Got to see Can-Am at Riverside in '70, 71 & 72. The sound of the Porsche Flat-12 was like nothing else. Fun & crazy times.

[@mgbrv8]

It’s interesting. I’ve seen a lot of interviews of German engineers that worked on the 917 and no one mentioned Donahue. That’s a shame.

[@vandalorianvandalorian4769]

JF, you are a great story teller. You should write screen plays around racers/races!

[@toddfinley142]

Spent many days racing the AFX versions of these as a kid. Good times

[@bicyclist2]

Every time you said "That's a whole nother video", that's the stuff we want to know about. I remember reading about some of this in the 80's in car magazines. I'd really like to know more about the Shadow team. This is a great era of Porsche. Great content as usual. Thank you.

[@es335ghost7]

Fantastic Video!!! I was at the Mid-Ohio Can-Am event in 1972, and watched most of the race from the interior side of the track at the entry to the keyhole. Watching Follmer in the 917-10 blast up the hill, stand on the brakes at the top and then hear it blast down the opposite side was just an incredible experience. Revson in the M-20 was visibly slower everywhere to the Porsche, and those two cars were waaaay ahead of the rest of the field. It was a huge contrast from 1970 where the M-8F was dominant over the rest of the field with Hulme and Gethin. They actually upshifted, braked and downshifted thru the uphill side of the keyhole. Amazing driving, and we could walk right up to the fence in those days. Again, Fantastic Video and Storytelling.

[@nate1511]

Jusy want to thank you for this wonderful video! ❤What a ride! You are a fantastic storyteller and I’ve never had 40 minutes fly by so fast😂

[@FicarraClassic]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ianwynne764]

Hello John: There is a 917 PA at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. The flat 16 is longest car engine I have ever seen. I made a rough measurement of the engine by stretching my right arm out, so that it formed a straight line with my shoulders. The distance from my left shoulder to the tips of my right hand fingers was about the same length as the engine. I have broad shoulders and long arms. Thank you very, very much for this video.

[@BD4V1S1]

Wow what a fantastic parade of engineering and I’m sure staggering experience for those participating and spectating! Love the historical content, gonna go find some Can-Am content to watch.

[@speedweenie7394]

Dope. I really like these longer videos about historic racing. More please.

[@FiendRunner]

Definitely got my Geek on. Love your passion for this history. I would like to see more video footage in your vids, depending on what you can show under copyright. But I liked this a great deal.

[@JackBootThugPigs]

The only bad thing about the Can-Am Championship was that it ended. And I was there at Mid-Ohio for the last REAL Can-Am race in 1974.

[@shafferjoe1962]

God bless you brother, as I could listen to talk for hours. Please keep sharing all of these great stories.

[@guywiththepixelatedface1260]

More of these race stories pls Mr. Ficarra! History! All of it! My dad... OK, this is gonna be a long story because I have no one to share it with that would appreciate it. Dad died. He didn't even make 70. Closest person I've ever been with. Told me about Chaparral racing when I was in high school. But this was pre internet, so his stories where from memory of what he read 30 year prior at the time. Maybe 25. More years than I was old at the time. The core was that they mounted a rear wing that connected to the unsprung part of a suspension. So the wing would be for down-force, not compressing the suspension. Now he got a lot of the details right and wrong which made it very hard to research in libraries at the time. He remembered the 2 engines thing. As he told it, 3L total cc was the rules, so 500cc for the vacuum engine, and 2.5L for the wheel driving engine. And he thought this was F1. Which led me to the BT46 of course, but it wasn't a split engine, nor was Chaparral connected with it. Only once I saw your stories could I make the connection. He was thinking of canam, though we're in south africa, there probably was articles in popular mechanics or other motoring mags here that covered that. He also thought Chaparral were 2 brothers with the last name Chaparral, which again made research impossible. But man, to just learn about all this, and actually put the puzzle together is so nice. I just want to call him, and tell him to watch these story videos, and that I found his story etc etc. To get to the cheesy part. He had a rear spoiler fitted to his E34 520i, and had a Chaparral sticker made up for either side. He later had a E34 540i without the spoiler, but that 520i will remain in my mind as the Chaparral car, though the spoiler did nothing, and if it did, it compressed the suspension....

[@bizjetfixr8352]

Sounds like you are in love with this Era as much as I am. Not mentioned is what Penske brought to Porsche in understanding of aerodynamics. I have a book around here that interviews one of the Penske people involved. Seems that Porsche hadn't really go on to the concept of using downforce to increase cornering speeds, which allowed you to increase your average speed around any given racetrack.....evidently, Porsche at the time thought that downforce should be minimized, in order to maximize straight line speed (see the 917LH).

[@mikedrop4421]

Growing up in the 80's and 90's I was fascinated with Can-Am cars. I had so many toy car examples of famous cars. The Hess gas stations would sell a Hess Truck toy every year and I always got one and I loved my hauler with a Can-Am car on the back.

[@CaptainRon513]

I was absolutely crazy about the CAN AM series...I was racing Mid Ohio on weekend the CAM AM cars were running...It was the wild west back then...The joke in the pits was if you were to set your beer on the pit wall two laps of those cars would knock the carbonation out of the brew making an unpalatable flat beverage that we poured out on the tarmac!...True and accurate story...Great and very memorable times...

[@stephenscisney7814]

Thank you for the video!!! I was 6 years old when the CanAm series started. I had all of the CanAm 1/64th scale slot cars. I finally got to see them in person at Long Beach in 2019! CanAm the best racing series ever!!

[@jaqueswessels4101]

Amazing video John! Loved every minute of it. Those were the days......

[@bobbycuesroadhouse2204]

Totally got my geek on, being from Ohio as a teenager and going to mid Ohio to watch the can am in this time period was epic

[@Automobili3XF]

John, you're the best! Always enjoy your stories!

[@scotrichardson6142]

John, I counted at least three times you teased us with a promise to do another video on topics you mentioned. Gonna have to hold you to your word. Can’t wait for more content.

[@keulek]

Dear John, thank you very much for this entertaining lekture. Cant wait to see the next one! Road-Racing-Therapy Session right there! Cheers from Germany Marc

[@marzgrab]

Absolutely brilliant Motorsport storytelling! Thanks so much 👍 Would be awesome to hear about the 80s-90s GTP racing some time. Cheers 🍻

[@georgegrinter209]

Just keep doing you John and we will keep watching

[@josephselva872]

I have enjoyed your stories on VinWiki. This was a long but engaging video, maybe because Can Am holds a mystique for me as I was too young to experience it (61 now) but I have friends in their seventies that speak of the series. Maybe, you can make a history video about the 962's?

[@TheKerninc]

Loved this and the trans am series content!! More please!

[@stevee8884]

I saw Mark in the 917/30 at Laguna Seca. It sounded like a dragster/ train engine going through the cork screw.

[@104thDIVTimberwolf]

I was born the same year as Can-Am and the first race of any kind that I went to was the 1971 Can-Am race at Mid-Ohio. That's when Mark Donohue became my all-time favorite driver. I come from a NASCAR family (Joe Weatherly was my Mom's cousin), but agree that Can-Am and vintage F1 are the greatest racing series ever. The European Interserie comes in a close third.

[@chriscadman6379]

They used to run at Mosport in Ontario Canada. The sound echoing off the trees was glorious.

[@Ghia356]

Love your videos - keep them going!

[@nik96nik]

Welcome back John!! Another incredible video, you seriously make my favorite KZbin videos. Like just everything from the stories to the presentation is gold! (The clips at the end were a great final touch to wrap just how cool this era was)

[@christopherhuff4221]

I remember catch bits of this racing a child on Wide World of Sports and it drove my love of fast cars on canyon roads. Thanks for the history, keep them coming

[@lotus2430]

Another wonderful video John,thank you very much.Your up front to the camera narration style is compelling and hugely entertaining,one cant help but embrace the enthusiasm and soak up the information presented.Keep 'em coming.

[@s7centnickel915]

My dad & I always went to Mid Ohio, we sat in the keyhole most of the time, and the CanAm was definitely the highlight of the year. Mark Donahue was my favorite driver. I remember everything you talked about. Chapparels, UOP Shadow.

[@pascalfarful952]

"Okay, lots of people said *completely outragous thing*, now let's be clear... yep! Completely true." I kept expecting to hear that everything was overblown but... apparently not! :P Would love yo see you give a retrospective of the 956/962 at some point also!

[@ibDirtyGlasses]

Love the overabundance of knowledge and passion Mr. Ficarra brings

[@cooperastro2690]

Please keep it up John we appreciate all the love and hard work that go into making these, and this was another excellent one. Looking forward to the next!

[@AnAsthmatic]

Thank you for this! I love any and all car and motorsport history and this was definitely one of the Golden Eras. Really like your narration style, it's like sitting in a garage on a Sunday afternoon just talking. Video editing with tons of photos and the video at the end was great too. More please!

[@dreadpirateroberts3568]

Thank you so much. A real trip down memory lane. My dad took me to all the races in Edmonton from 1968-1973. They we awesome and everyone was so approachable back then. I still have autographs from Jackie Stewart, Dennis Hulme, Peter Reason and a couple of others. I remember standing right outside the Penske garage as they were swapping spark plugs and one of the mechanics just gave me a handful of them. Certainly not like F1 where everyone is so standoffish... it would be easier to get into Area 51. I remember Stewart and McLaren were such gentlemen, especially compared to todays F1 drivers. Fantastic.

[@mpodolsky11]

Started going to Laguna Seca in 1966 as a 12 yr old kid. Saw the Can Am and Trans Am (Cobras, Mustang 350GTs Camaros) for the following several years. Got to see the Mclarens ( Bruce Mclaren and Dennis Hulme)and the Chapparal (highwing 2e and the vacuum car)Still have the original posters and programs (and lots of very amateur photos) from back then.You had me stolling down memory lane....Thank you