Chaparral White

Number Five Chaparral White, the white of the Texan prototypes

A white named after the Chaparral Cars stable, which in the 1960s changed the rules of aerodynamics faster than the sporting commissions managed to ban them. White was a mark of recognition with these cars, not a thrifty solution.

The subject of the shade

The stable was founded in Midland, Texas by Jim Hall and Hap Sharp and their cars were white without exception, completed by a blue stripe and the emblem of a roadrunner on the flanks. The 2E type came in 1966 into the Can-Am series with a tall tilting wing that the driver controlled with his foot. The 2F type ran at Le Mans in 1967 with an eight-cylinder engine with an aluminum block. The 2J type in 1970 drew air from under the chassis by means of auxiliary fans and ended by being banned by the rules. The white surface across a whole body is dominant with models of these cars, so it matters more there than with any other livery.

Where you will use the shade

• Bodies of American sports prototypes in 1:24 and 1:20
• A white base beneath blue stripes and race numbers
• Cars of the Can-Am series and of endurance races of the mid-1960s
• White surfaces that are not meant to come across as bluish or creamy

Who the color is for

For modelers of American circuit machinery and for collectors who put together the era of the great prototypes. It suits as well where the white forms the base for later stripes and lettering and has to stay uniform across a whole part. The blue stripe ran down the middle of the hood on these cars, so the white has to hold the same tone on both of its sides.