CG Chappy 2J Arrived today!

[modernslots]

This beautiful 1970 Chaparral 2J by CG Slot Cars arrived today from Electric Dreams. Driven by Vic Elford at Riverside, this version was of the last time the 2J was raced. Luckily, I happen to have a race photo signed by Vic. I admit I have the collector sickness when it comes to Chaparrals and I also have the first edition CG 2J, production #2 of 450! The detail and quality of this slot car is awesome in my humble opinion. Performance is good too, although this one will be driven for fun only I expect.
Rob

[CG Slotcars]

Rob,

Thank you very much for the support! It is much appreciated...

I don't even have a picture of the first and last cars together - That is very cool!!

Matt

[modernslots]

Matt, I love my CG Shadow as well, just not as much lol! I’ll see if I can get a great shot of both 2Js and send it your way.

[Rleog]

The 2J can be tuned to run fairly quickly, though it comes up short against the likes of ThunderSlot with its high center of gravity. In the 2019 Can Am Proxy there were 25 entrants. While it certainly wasn’t a top 10 car, it qualified 8th at River Run, 7th at Rockledge, and 12th at Edmonton’s Dominator.

I was fortunate enough to be at Watkins Glen for the 2J’s debut in 1970. It’s probably my favorite Can Am car. Your Vic Elford autographed photo Is a collector’s item. Enjoy the 2J. I do. The high degree of detail might make even the rivet counters pleased.

(Edit: In the interest of full disclosure, a main reason that the 2J wasn’t a top 10 finisher might be that it wasn’t tuned by a top 10 level tuner. In the same Can Am proxy, Smokeio managed to finish 4th with another CG Slot Cars model, The Shadow.)

[Fast Co.]

Bob, Here at Woodland Trace Raceway your 2J qualified 16th and finished 14th in Round 3 of the 2019 Can Am Proxy. Not a bad finish at all considering the competition!

[waaytoomuchintothis]

A few years back, I saw a slot car of the 2J that had a spare motor for the operational fans, and it actually did work on the track. It outcornered everything. The body wasn't nearly as nice as that one of yours. The guy said it also cleans his track. I'm pretty sure that was on HRW. We have some serious Chappy fans here, they might remember it.

[modernslots]

Bob,
I am very envious of you being at the Glen to see the 2J in person - I never did. I do have a photo from there you might like though!
I remember driving your 2J in qualifying at Fast Co's track and in the race. Great car- just not a Thunderslot
Rob

[Rleog]

Funny perspective from that time at Watkins Glen. I was born and raised in a small town in Western Michigan. In 1970 there, it was difficult to get information about the Can Am and very difficult to get current information. I had a subscription to a news weekly called Autoweek, but it would of course be one week behind current races.

When I showed up at Watkins Glen, I looked for Hall’s 2E but instead saw that white box with 66 decals. I had no idea what I was looking at, but neither did most of the others there. Jackie Stewart drove the 2J at its debut. It ran with the front runners for a few laps, then it’s brake fluid boiled and he pitted with overheating.

I’ll never forget that trip. Exciting times.

[Rleog]

Rob
Your pic just above also shows a Ferrari 512. That weekend at Watkins Glen had the 6 Hours FIA race for sports cars on Saturday and the Can Am on Sunday. Several of the Sports Prototypes, after running 6 hours Saturday, ran in the Can Am on Sunday.

[SpeedyNH]

i was at that race too.

[slothead]

I think the 2J is an interesting car as it ran in the Can Am series, and as a slot car. The Chaparral team was certainly creative and pushed the envelop repeatedly.

My concern about the efficacy of the 2J's downforce design relates to current magnet racing with 1:32 scale cars. Magnetic downforce works great till it doesn't then the car becomes a missile. My young grandson loved running the cars since crashing was as much (more?) fun than staying on the track. I quickly replaced the Scalextric track with a routed wood track so he had to learn to drive, which he did and became very good at. If the 2J's fan system actually created suction under the car for added downforce that would be positive, but I wonder if Vic Elford had a comfort level it wouldn't instantly go away if he went over a bump.

I don't see how this could have any effect on a slot car with the slot creating a pathway for air to get under the car to nullify a difference in air pressure even if it could be created. But, it doesn't actually have to work to be fun and interesting.

[slothead]

Good info. I was imagining that with any upward float in the suspension the air pressure under the car would vary significantly. Then again, Jim Hall and his team would have thought of that too and figured out how to maintain the downforce advantage.

[SpeedyNH]

it had i think lexan movable side skirts that maintained contact with the track to keep it sealed.

[Mickey thumbs]

Yep, movable lexan side skirts. Hall tried to sell GE, makers of lexan, on making a commercial featuring the car driving on the ceiling as the downforce was more than the weight of the car.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

The big problem with the 2J was the guys behind it. It cleaned the racetrack, hurling everything it picked up into the faces of those behind. When they complained, Jim Hall said, "Then, pass me."

[modernslots]

The other big problem the competition had with it was it was too fast!

[chappyman66]

First of all.......beautiful car from CG! Very nice job, Matt, When they came out with actual turning fans I was just astounded. That's amazing, and the CG cars run well too!

Second.....the car didn't have much trouble over bumps. There are bell cranks on the skirts that connect to the suspension, so the sealing skirt goes up and down to keep a constant suction over the bumps. Elford was asked about it, and just said it was very easy to drive, sliding sideways without the suction.

Third.....Yeah, it was messy. So was the Lotus when it came out. It was just an evolutionary step....but seeing the 2J against the Porsches would have been interesting, I think.....

Fourth....Hall was really the spirit of the CanAm. 4 different cars, always on the bleeding edge. Although....as Peter Bryant points out......his designs (Ti22 and Shadow MkII) scored more points than Hall.

[olskoolslotz]

Received my Riverside 2J yesterday, it's my first car from CG Slotcars and I want to give Matt a .

He obviously does his research on the car evolution from race to race. Funny... at first look I thought that a Chevrolet Bowtie decal was missing on the left rear of the car so I went to my books and online sites, and dang it if that decal wasn't only on the right side of the car as raced back in the day! Other details are found too that were only on the final race Riverside version of the 2J. I will add transparent blue rear spoiler extensions myself, detail the dash gauges and maybe add a clear windscreen in front of the dash if it can be done neatly. I hope to be able to run it a bit later this weekend and examine the running gear. I'm happy to have a fine detailed model of this car in my stable!

[FootScoot]

I know this post has some age on it but I do remember someone having a 2J years back that did have working fans but I don’t remember who it was. I had acquired a scratchbuilt 2J from Mark Thomas. Very nice car. Unfortunately I sold it. The only thing I have is a line drawing of the 2J signed by Jim Hall. These drawings were given to the people at GE that made the lexan panels. It was given to me years ago.

[chappyman66]

That is a great piece of memorabilia. Very cool.

[modernslots]

Some of the first edition of the 2J by CG Slot Cars had working fans. That version was of the first 2J with Jackie Stewart driving. I’d bet that’s where the car you remember came from.
Rob

[waaytoomuchintothis]

If FootScoot is thinking of the one I remember, it was waaay back, long before CG came on the scene. I remember thinking that Mark's looked a lot better than the one I remember from way back when he showed his on HRW.