by Steve Holmes » Mon Jan 07, 2019 4:23 am
This is the Caldwell D7, one of the more ambitious, but largely forgotten Group 7 sports cars. It was financed by Sam Posey, and designed and built by Ray Caldwell, who'd made a success designing and building Formula Vee race cars.
The D7 first appeared in 1967, and ran both USRRC and Can-Am races throughout '67 and '68. The car showed some potential, and was initially fitted with a flipper wing, like the Chaparral, but this one mounted on top of the rollcage, providing downforce to the body and chassis, rather than the more successful option of the rear hubs.
The D7 showed fast cornering speed, but was hampered by erratic handling. The first car was destroyed in a testing shunt in 1967. Its replacement featured a magnesium tub. It led a couple of races in USRRC, albeit with no race wins. In the Can-Am, where the competition level was far greater, the results were tougher to come by. Posey's best qualifying effort was fifth at Las Vegas in 1968, the final race of the season. He also finished fifth in the race, his best result with the car. The D7 had shown progress throughout the year, but it wasn't seen again after that. Apparently, Posey still owns the car.
The Posey/Caldwell partnership was probably better remembered for their successfully convincing Chrysler to fund them in the 1970 Trans-Am series, where they fielded a pair of factory Dodge Challengers. That campaign would ultimately end the partnership.
This is the Caldwell D7, one of the more ambitious, but largely forgotten Group 7 sports cars. It was financed by Sam Posey, and designed and built by Ray Caldwell, who'd made a success designing and building Formula Vee race cars.
The D7 first appeared in 1967, and ran both USRRC and Can-Am races throughout '67 and '68. The car showed some potential, and was initially fitted with a flipper wing, like the Chaparral, but this one mounted on top of the rollcage, providing downforce to the body and chassis, rather than the more successful option of the rear hubs.
The D7 showed fast cornering speed, but was hampered by erratic handling. The first car was destroyed in a testing shunt in 1967. Its replacement featured a magnesium tub. It led a couple of races in USRRC, albeit with no race wins. In the Can-Am, where the competition level was far greater, the results were tougher to come by. Posey's best qualifying effort was fifth at Las Vegas in 1968, the final race of the season. He also finished fifth in the race, his best result with the car. The D7 had shown progress throughout the year, but it wasn't seen again after that. Apparently, Posey still owns the car.
The Posey/Caldwell partnership was probably better remembered for their successfully convincing Chrysler to fund them in the 1970 Trans-Am series, where they fielded a pair of factory Dodge Challengers. That campaign would ultimately end the partnership.
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