Spyder NF-11 car-by-car histories
Keke Rosberg in his Spyder NF-11 at Road America in July 1979. Copyright Glenn Snyder 2014. Used with permission.
For 1979, the Newman-Freeman Racing team rebuilt their two Spyder NF-10s into Spyder NF-11s for regular driver Elliot Forbes-Robinson and F1 star Keke Rosberg. Despite the Finn's eight pole positions, poor reliability and several accidents meant that he only won two races.
Newman-Freeman Racing was formed by Bill Freeman and film actor Paul Newman to compete in Can-Am racing in 1978. Freeman had previously run his own team in SCCA with driver Elliot Forbes-Robinson, and Newman joined the project in 1977, initially supporting a project to put EFR into a McLaren M16B at the 1977 Indy 500. Newman then joined Freeman Racing's Can-Am project that year using a pair of Lola T333CS chassis. The Lolas were rebuilt for 1978 with repositioned radiators and new bodywork, reputedly designed by Lance Smith for the team before he moved to the Carl Haas team for the remainder of 1978. The revamped cars were called Spyder NF-10s, although they were still essentially Lolas. Forbes-Robinson won a couple of races in the Spyders in 1978, and finished fourth in the Can-Am championship.
The cars evolved again for 1979 into Spyder NF-11s. Sponsorship for the season came from Budweiser Beer and the Edmonton Oilers ice hockey team, through its owner Peter Pocklington, and 29-year-old Peter Hemming was drafted from the Lotus F1 team to be team manager. The two NF-10s, chassis CA-01 and CA-02, became NF-11 chassis CA-01 and CA-02. A third car, with unknown origins, was built as a backup, and a fourth car was built for Randolph Townsend using a Lola T332 as its base. However, a car with chassis plate CA-05 also exists, despite Hemming having no recollection of a fifth car being built.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
Elliot Forbes-Robinson in his Spyder NF-11 at Laguna Seca in 1979. Copyright Bob Moffett 2026. Used with permission.
Built from Spyder NF-10/01, which had been built from one of the Bill Freeman Racing Lola T333CS cars from 1977. It was built in March 1979 for Elliot Forbes-Robinson to race in the 1979 Can-Am series for Newman-Freeman Racing, with Budweiser sponsorship and entered as #4. In ten races in the car, EFR finished on the podium eight times, including a win at Trois-Rivières in September. Subsequent history unknown, but this is likely to be the car retained by Newman-Freeman Racing as a spare car in 1980, and then written off in Stephen South's accident at Trois-Rivières that season.
Driven by: Elliot Forbes-Robinson. First race: Road Atlanta (Can-Am R1), 6 May 1979. Total of 10 recorded races.
Keke Rosberg in his regular Spyder NF-11 during practice at Laguna Seca in October 1979. Copyright Bob Moffett 2026. Used with permission.
Built from Spyder NF-10/02, which had been built from one of the Bill Freeman Racing Lola T333CS cars from 1977. It was built in March 1979 for Keke Rosberg to race in the 1979 Can-Am series for Newman-Freeman Racing, with Budweiser sponsorship and entered as #5. Rosberg won on his debut and then qualified on pole position eight times in the remaining nine races. However, he only won at Road Atlanta and Watkins Glen, before retirements at Road America, Brainerd and Trois-Rivières ruined his chances of challenging for the title. He then crashed this car in practice at Laguna Seca. Team manager Peter Hemming recalls that the car was destroyed, and "by destroyed I mean destroyed; nothing left to salvage other than instruments". Rosberg drove teammate Randolph Townsend's car in the race and then used the team's spare car, chassis CA-03, in the final round at Riverside.
Driven by: Keke Rosberg. First race: Road Atlanta (Can-Am R1), 6 May 1979. Total of 8 recorded races.
Robert Meyer's Spyder NF-11 at Riverside in 1982. Copyright Norbert Vogel 2007. Used with permission.
Newman-Freeman Racing had entered two cars for one driver in the 1977 and 1978 Can-Am series, but when the team expanded to two drivers for 1979, a third Spyder NF-11 was built to act as a spare car. The origins of the monocoque used are uncertain, but this is very likely to be based on Lola T332 HU40 which was sold by Dr John Korn to the Newman-Freeman team in 1979. The first time this car was raced was when Howdy Holmes drove it at Laguna Seca in October 1979, and it was then Keke Rosberg's car in the final round of the series at Riverside two weeks later. The car was then sold to Larry Less, who hired it to Robert Meyer in 1982. Less later sold it to Paul Reichardt, boss of Reichardt Duck Farm (Petaluma, CA) in exchange for the ex-Elliot Forbes-Robinson Shelby Cobra. Documents show that in July 1987, Reichardt sold the Spyder to Chuck Haines, when it was described on the Bill of Sale as "N. F. Spyder, #03". Haines' Can-Am Cars Ltd sold it to David W. Smith (Patterson, CA) in April 1988, when it was described as "one Budweiser Spyder, Serial # CA-03". Subsequent history unknown, but Michael Duncan advised in 2003 that he had seen this ex-Meyer car in the 1990s, restored with Budweiser livery.
Driven by: Howdy Holmes, Keke Rosberg and Robert Meyer. First race: Laguna Seca (Can-Am R9), 14 Oct 1979. Total of 4 recorded races.
Keke Rosberg racing Randolph Townsend's usual Spyder NF-11 at Laguna Seca in 1979. Copyright Bob Moffett 2026. Used with permission.
Built by Newman-Freeman Racing as a fourth Spyder NF-11 for Randolph Townsend to drive in the 1979 Can-Am series. According to Tom Erwin's notebooks, this Spyder was built using Lola T332 chassis HU48, which had been owned by Francisco Mir (Santa Monica, CA) in 1974 and 1975, and raced by Elliot Forbes-Robinson for most of the 1975 season. The Spyder was raced by Townsend in six races in 1979, but he was unable to qualify inside the top 10, and retired from his first four races. At Laguna Seca in October, teammate Keke Rosberg crashed in practice and took over Townsend's Spyder for the race, finishing sixth. Townsend then returned to the car for the Riverside race two weeks later, finishing a season-high seventh. The car was sold to Dan Craddock (San Francisco, CA) for 1980, who tended to enter it as a Lola T332, although it was still, outwardly, a Spyder. He only managed to start one race in the 1980 Can-Am series. It was then sold to Robert Meyer (Salinas, CA), who used it in SCCA Nationals in 1981 and 1982. He wrecked the car at Riverside in early 1982 and hired Larry Less's sister car to complete the season. The ex-Townsend car is believed to have been destroyed.
Driven by: Randolph Townsend, Keke Rosberg, Dan Craddock and Robert Meyer. First race: Mosport Park (Can-Am R3), 3 Jun 1979. Total of 13 recorded races.
Andrew Kluver in his Spyder NF-11 at Eastern Creek in June 2011. Copyright Richard Taylor 2013. Used with permission.
This car is first known in July 2002 when documentation with the car shows that a "1978/79 Newman-Freeman Spyder Can-Am car, chassis #5" was sold by Mike McComas (Pampa, TX) of Mean Mother Motor Cars to Rick McLean (Fallbrook, CA). In October 2003, the car was with Michael Duncan for restoration. He understood it to have been NF-10/02 rebuilt for 1979 into NF-11/05. McLean then "had some difficulties" and sold the car to Bill Paddock (Riverside, CA) in June 2004. In August 2009, it was bought from Paddock by Andrew Kluver (Sydney, Australia). After restoration, it was raced by Kluver in a "Groups Q and R Sports and Racing" event at Eastern Creek in June 2011, entered as a "79 Lola CanAm Spider". He continued to race it in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and from 2021 to 2025. Raced by Kluver at the HSRCA Sydney Classic in June 2025 as a "1979 Lola T332 CanAm".
Spyder NF-11s from 1980 onwards
The Budweiser Spyder NF-11s were advertised by Bill Freeman and Peter Hemming of Newman Freeman Racing in Santa Barbara in October 1979, to be available for delivery after the final Can-Am race at Riverside.
Newman and Freeman split before the 1980 season, and the team became Newman Racing, moving from Freeman's base in Santa Barbara to Laguna Seca Raceway. Rosberg focused on Formula 1 with the Fittipaldi team and his place in the Newman team was taken by the highly-regarded Stephen South, a star of the British F3 series in 1977 who had been very competitive in F2 in 1979. For 1980, South had been recruited by the highly-ambitious Toleman Racing to drive the team's new Toleman TG280 F2 cars. It was probably the most sought-after drive in F2. However, South then accepted an offer from Marlboro to test the McLaren F1, which greatly annoyed the Toleman bosses, leading to him being released from his contract. Brian Henton won the F2 title that year, in what would have been South's car. With no F1 opportunity forthcoming, South found he was out of a drive for 1980. He was selected by McLaren to stand in for an injured Alain Prost at the Long Beach GP, but the McLaren M29 was not competitive and he was slowest of all in practice, failing to qualify. It had all gone horribly wrong for South.
All this led to one of Britain's brightest prospects accepting a drive in the Can-Am series. The Newman team had planned to use Chevron B51s in Can-Am 1980, but when the prototype proved woefully slow, the team purchased a pair of Lola T530s for Forbes-Robinson and South instead. The team's reorganisation and the late arrival of the bulky Lolas left the team behind on testing, and South's first two races were spoilt by fuel system problems. He managed second place at Mosport Park, but his performances were not getting the press coverage he needed to relaunch his career. He was embarrassed to be out-qualified by EFR at Watkins Glen and was then put out of the race when EFR spun right in front of him. In the absence of championship leader Patrick Tambay, he took pole position at Road America but then spun away his lead and only finished fifth. A very poor season was about to get a lot worse. In pre-race testing at Brainerd, a front wheel on South's Lola T530 broke and he had a massive accident, completely wrecked the Lola against the Armco. South was bruised and badly shaken. Despite being checked over at a local hospital, the possibility of concussion does not appear to have been considered and he was cleared to drive in qualifying the next day. The team did not have a spare Lola so an old Spyder was prepared for him. After just a few more laps of practice, South had another major accident, wrecking the Spyder but fortunately escaping without injury. Newman bought RJ Nelkin's Lola T530 for South to drive at Trois-Rivières but there was insufficient time to prepare it, so a Spyder was produced again. South was fifth fastest in the opening session but crashed heavily in the second, probably when the throttle stuck open. A very badly injured South was cut from the wrecked car by mechanics using hacksaws, as no proper cutting equipment was available. The injuries to his leg were so severe that it had to be amputated below the knee. His racing career was over.
One of the Spyder NF-11s was used as a spare car by Newman Racing in 1980. Elliot Forbes-Robinson commented to the press that it would be used as a backup car at the start of the season as the Lola T530s were so new, and as the cars used by Keke Rosberg and Randolph Townsend at the final 1979 race were both sold, it seems likely that this backup car would have been Forbes-Robinson's 1979 car, chassis CA-01. It was needed at Brainerd in August after Stephen South wrecked his Lola T530 in pre-race testing. However South, possibly suffering from undiagnosed concussion, crashed again after a few more laps of practice, wrecking the Spyder. A Spyder NF-11 was again prepared for South to drive at Trois-Rivières two weeks later, and in the absence of other options, it seems highly likely that it was the same car. South crashed again, this time catastrophically. The front of the Spyder/Lola chassis folded up, and South had to be cut free by mechanics using hacksaws. He spent weeks in hospital and it was necessary to amputate the lower part of his left leg. The Spyder would have been damaged beyond repair.
Driven by: Stephen South. First appearance: Brainerd (Can-Am R6), 10 Aug 1980.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to former Newman Freeman Racing team manager Peter Hemming for his recollections, to the late Tom Erwin's whose notebooks have been a constant source of excellent contemporary information, and to Martin Krejci for his collaboration on researching the Single-Seat Can-Am series in general, and specifically on the Newman Freeman Spyders. Thanks also to Stephen South's biographer Darren Banks, and to Spyder owners Larry Less, Bill Paddock and Andrew Kluver.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
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