In its glory days—from roughly 1966 through 1974—the SCCA’s Can-Am series was the rip-roaringest racing extravaganza in North America, the vehicular equivalent of great white sharks in a goldfish bowl. It was widely perceived as a no-rules, run-what-ya-brung series, but there were always rules, and some of them—that every car should have a passenger seat, for instance—bordered on the absurd. Still, the unrestricted engines—usually big-block Chevy V-8s making 750 horsepower—were, in those days, both deafening and brain-boggling, as were the cars’ speeds. Given the primitive state of aerodynamics, the cars regularly clawed their way into the firmament, as Chaparral founder and stalwart Can-Amster Jim Hall discovered in 1968 at Las Vegas. He limps to this day.

The series suffered a death blow when, in 1972, Porsche threw countless deutsche marks and true engineering genius at creating the ultimate Can-Am dreadnought, the Porsche 917 Turbo entered by Roger Penske, and its subsequent iterations. This juggernaut quickly pummeled the gentlemen privateers, who not long thereafter decamped, along with the spectators.

Even if Porsche hadn’t bowled over the series, it still wouldn’t exist today. The cars would have become festivals of unaffordable engineering overkill, and the speeds would have overwhelmed any existing racetrack, endangering the lives of drivers and onlookers alike.

Still, it’s fun to ask, What if? Which is why we gathered five race-car designers to describe their notions of what a Can-Am car would resemble today. Here’s the design brief each participant was issued: The car must ride on pneumatic tires. It must be at least as safe for the driver as, say, a modern IRL car. No minimum weight will be mandated. Any engine and transmission is acceptable, ditto aerodynamics. The engine must drive at least one wheel. Races will last three hours on road courses such as Mid-Ohio and Elkhart Lake. And as for cost? Well, who cares?

There was, of course, no right or wrong answer, but an interesting design symmetry coalesced.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io