Whether due to possessing potentially fascinating engineering, or it being just plain weird, it’s not all that often that we happen upon some what in the Sam Hill type of automotive technology. Actually, The Autopian is chock-full of it, in fact it’s a cornerstone of this fine publication.
Still, I thought I’d seen it all in regards to pedal boxes. But I was wrong, oh so wrong.
USA/UK-based Era Motorsport recently posted this brief clip on Instagram of the strangest pedal box that I’ve ever seen, so I had to learn more. And, share it with you. Let’s discuss not only why it’s designed this way, but also a little more about the historic Shadow Canadian-American Challenge (Can-Am) race car that it’s fitted to.
You see that? The driver’s feet are turned sideways and effectively caged in, unable to do any conventional form of pedal dancing between all three like old Group B rally footage. Not only that, but the brake and gas are on top of each other—I’ve seen some tiny distances between pedals before, but not like this.
It’s got to feel so weird having your feet turned outward/sideways like that when you’re strapped into a tiny race car. Thing looks like it’s as roomy as an iron lung, so when strapped in you probably don’t need any to brace on anything. But still, what a weird sensation.
But here’s the thing: This pedal configuration isn’t the original design.
But before we get to that, allow me to give a little background. The Shadow Mark I was like every other open-top race car of the era: Very tiny, severely lacking in safety equipment by today’s standards, and brutally fast. Since it was in Can-Am, it was especially fast, though possessed no shortage of cool and innovative technology.
Originally integrated into its bodywork were movable flaps that acted as air brakes, centrifugal fans were mounted to its tiny 10-inch wheels to help cool the brakes, and the chassis was incredibly modular and easy to disassemble. Sadly, the movable flaps were outlawed by the rulebook by the time it saw action on track.
Looking through this Shadow’s photo album shows just how wild the engineering—and seating position—general was.
Its original long prototype design meant the driver was almost laying completely flat behind the wheel. Thus, the need for its tiny, rectangular pedal box sporting two pedals.
That’s right: Originally, just the gas and brake lived in this space, and the clutch was actuated via a hand lever. Sounds awfully tough to get used to, assuming its Hewland four-speed gearbox didn’t require the clutch for every shift once up to speed.
Over time, some things were changed and the seating position became more upright, but the pedal situation remained the same.
You can see why either Era, or the shop before it, converted its example’s gas, clutch, and brake setup for modern service in historic racing. Such as the very recent 81st Members Meeting event at Goodwood, which included a number of other Can-Am racers by Shadow, Porsche, McLaren, and more. Besides my newfound fascination with weird pedal boxes, I’m quite excited to see more Can-Am mixed in with Goodwood’s normal top-notch coverage of vintage racing.
The post This Vintage Can-Am Racer Has The Coolest-Slash-Oddest Pedal Box appeared first on The Autopian.
