Caldwell
The
one-off Caldwell Formula A was built by Ray Caldwell's Autodynamics company
of Marblehead, MA. They were best known as the builder of the Autodynamics
Formula Vee cars before embarking on a Group 7/Can-Am project in 1967 with
the Caldwell D7. The car impressed commentators with its highly unusual
De Dion suspension but the first car was destroyed in a massive testing
accident at Lime Rock.
Driven by Sam Posey, who financed the operation, and Brett Lunger, the car struggled for speed and reliability but did achieve some reasonable results in USRRC events. It was eventually replaced with a customer Lola T160.
The Formula A D8, built for 1968, seemed an obvious extension but it was neither Posey's nor Caldwell's priority and managed nothing better than Posey's seventh place at Lime Rock.
Caldwell D8
Only one D8 was built, using de Dion suspension following the practice of the 1967/68 Can-Am D7.
| Chassis | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| Caldwell D8 '001' |
Autodynamics US 1968 for Brett Lunger (3 'Pro' races: Mosport Park 25 Aug 1968, Donnybrook 22 Sep 1968 and Laguna Seca 12 Oct 1968) and Sam Posey (1 'Pro' race: Lime Rock 2 Sep 1968). 'Retired' after 1968 season. Subsequent history unknown. | Unknown |
Caldwell withdrew the D8 at the end of 1968 and retreated to Formula Ford (with the Caldwell D9) and Formula Vee for 1969 but stayed with Posey in Formula A using Eagle and McLaren customer cars. Jack McCormack, Caldwell's FA project manager, would stay with Posey as team manager in the ChampCarr team in 1971/72, later becoming a constructor in his own right with the 1974-76 Talon F5000s.
Sources include Autosport 21 Mar 1969 pp22-23, 28 Mar 1969 p5 and Can-Am by Pete Lyons pp58-59. These histories last updated on 16 February, 2005 .
All and any help would be gratefully received. Please e-mail Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can add anything.