Chaparral sneak preview

Sir,

Robin Herd’s retrospective assessment of the Chaparral 2E (November 2000 issue) was most enjoyable. As an industrial design student attending the Institute of Design in Chicago during 1966, the wondrous designs of Jim Hall were often the subject of discussion among fellow students who loved automobiles, and several of us connived our way into the Hobby Industry of America trade show in January 1967 to study and photograph Hall’s 2E displayed in the Cox exhibit Perhaps our greatest surprise was to come in the September of that year when a group of ID students were visiting the General

Motors Technical Centre as guests of Warren Fitzgerald. We had toured the Design Centre (we saw Bill Mitchell’s stuffed Malco Shark) and entered the Chevrolet Engineering garage through an employee entrance. We could not believe the sight that lay before us: the revolutionary Chaparral 2G.

Nonplussed, Mr Fitzgerald surveyed our group and proclaimed, “Gentlemen, you didn’t see that!”

So, we didn’t see it. But it proved to be the highlight of our trip!

I AM, YOURS ETC,

Bob Johnson, North Caroline, USA