Legends of the Can-Am.(Column)

Byline: Rich Ceppos

We were walking along in 2006 but looking back at 1966. A handful of us, strolling down a line of cars at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance-which took place about two weeks ago-were attempting to judge a pack of 22 historic Can-Am race machines from 40 years ago. Choose the most significant of the lot? Are you kidding?

At least I could depend on my fellow judges. Several were part of the thundering Can-Am scene back in the day and as legendary as the cars we were scrutinizing: Brian Redman, who drove everything in road racing, including a few outings in the menacing Can-Am rocket ships. Alain de Cadenet, whom you may know better from his numerous Speed TV gigs, but who won races in the European version of Can-Am. And Peter Bryant, a wise-cracking Brit who designed two of Universal Oil Products' UOP Shadow Can-Am cars.

But they were shaking their heads in amazement almost as much as me. Redman smiled at the notion of driving these ground shakers, which routinely made more than 750 hp and as much as 1100, at a time when an F1 car developed 450.

"I was much younger then,'' Redman laughed. How were they different from anything else? "Suddenly,'' he said, "there were no straightaways ...