Porsche KILLED the Can-Am! Or did it? ... 

42 minutes never went by so fast. your passion and enthusiasm is infectious. I hope you chose to do more of these even if the views don't roll in as they should. even if its just for you to keep record of the history for yourself that you then share with the world. Thanks so much for this history lesson.

Thanks to everyone for the amazing comments and support! I am going to try and get you one history video a month among the other garage content which I will try to get out weekly. So happy you are enjoying these geeky dives into automotive history! Don't forget to like, subscribe and tell your friends!

I was at Watkins Glenn for the 1973 CanAm race weekend. Donohue raced the 911 in the 6 hours on Saturday, actually met him in the pits on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I was 15 years old, he actually had time and spoke to me. Best memory was Sunday, beautiful sunny day. Donohue kept on stretching out his lead on the RC cola Porsche till it was the length of the entire straight. Accelerating towards our vantage point all you could hear was the turbos sucking in huge amounts of air then a big bang as he shifted gears just past us. I remember it like it was yesterday. Great video, Thank you

I'm lucky to be a Porsche fan that works for a transport company responsible of transporting the Porsche museum cars. And what a joy that is... 😊😊

Another fantastic video! The best automotive storyteller on RU-vid!

I was at Mid-Ohio the years of the 917-10 & 917-30. Standing halfway down the long straight, about where the kink is, the noise was exquisite!

My favorite story regarding the 917 happened at Mosport in 1973. The McLarens decided to abandon the series, leaving it fairly open for the Porsches. Mark Donohue was in the factory 917-30, and there were a few 917-10s, most notably Jody Scheckter. Donohue started on pole with Scheckter beside him. At the start, the two of them simply disappeared into the distance to the point where they caught some backmarkers towards the end of the 4th lap (on a 2.5 mile circuit). Donohue and Scheckter collided with something, and Donohue got the worst of it.

Hi John. I am from Brasil, and I became interested in race cars when I was kid, in the late 60's. We didn't have much info here back then, other than an occasional newspaper or magazine article and/or photo. In 1972 I went to Interlagos race track to see Copa Brasil (Brazil'sd Coup), open to all kinds of sports cars. There was a 917/10 scheduled to race the day I went there, but it had engine problems and didn't show up... I had to settle for a dispute between a McLaren M6D and a 917K... :-) Anyway, your videos bring me back terrific memories, and fill the gaps on information on the cars and their history. Thanks a lot for that.

the old footage of the pits is beyond amazing

Always great content from John! You should do a podcast!

I could listen to you speak for hours, John - just wonderful 👍

This is simply a historical gift to racing R&D fanatics. No other way of putting it. A million thanks, John!! I share your enthusiasm

You and Ed are the best storytellers bar none, that is a gift. I really enjoy your stories as you have a deep knowledge of car racing history, I can only imagine the great time you had working for Canepa. Don't stop bringing these stories to us as we enjoy them as much as you do. Keep up the good work. By the way, I saw your video with the Jaguar and the 911s, great also.

I absolutely love listening to every single one of your stories. If you could ever come out with an audiobook or a podcast type thing that literally has every nerd out any bitty thing that you know about cars because the way you talk about them is amazing I would literally buy everything that you put out. Your stories and storytelling abilities are beyond and I thoroughly enjoy every bit then I'm able to find.

I was at Watkins Glen in both '72 & '73 and it was AMAZING to see those cars run. The excitement was CRAZY! I love the passion in all your stories, keep it up.

John your passion is infectious and I find myself scrambling to watch your videos as soon as I see a new one drop! Sitting here with this big, stupid grin on my face as I listen to the sage speed testimony you bestow upon us. LOL

The best automotive storyteller on YT. For instance, the Whittington video and the 917K vids are all time classics.

I attended many Can-Am races at Road America in the 60's. Wonderful memories. Looking back, I can't believe I was able to watch such amazing drivers back in the day.

More, more, more please. I'm not sure if I actually blinked during this show because it was so rivetingly interesting. Thank you so much John or as I now think of you Professor Ficarra. Can't wait for more telling from someone who instinctively knows and understands that Geek doesn't make you a bad person. Quite the reverse in fact.

John, You have introduced me to vintage racing history and I'm hooked. Love these stories!!

Here it goes almost one hour that passes as 5 minutes. Truly an absorbing video of a great topic, told by one of the most passionate and informed car storytellers. Mr Ficarra is a living encyclopedia.

Great story yet again. The time flew by and wanting more.

I must be a geek, lol. Great video! I spent five years as a station guide at the Revs Institute in Naples, FL, so appreciate the Porsche history lesson! Miss being able to stand right next to the 917s, and the 908. Always pointed out the lack of foot room to guests, and they would be suitably shocked, and amazed. More educational videos would be awesome, John!

John Ficarra's most epic stories: 1970 Daytona Porsche win, 1965 Ferrari win at Le Mans, the Whittington Brother's 1979 Le Mans win (all at VINWiki) and now this one about CanAm. Every single one of them MUST WATCH for gearheads. And John, what about some stories about the Chaparral cars?

Great content. Please keep them coming!

Thank you for an amazing video on my all-time favorite race car. I have fond memories of Mid-Ohio in the 70s and, you are an excellent historian and storyteller.

A very well done passionate video with lots at actual facts, no BS, also start selling that T-Shirt.

Great stuff! I was a guest at a BMW car club holiday dinner a few years ago where the dinner speaker was a Big 3 engineer who, as a kid, saw a 917 race and was hooked. He knew he'd never be able to afford one, so he built his own! Had help from the factory with advice, plans, specs, etc., down to the last exacting Porsche detail. Keep the stories coming.

John, you're one of the best storytellers by far. I know I can walk into any one of your videos without absolutely no clue as to what the nitty gritty details of the subject matter is, and you perfectly guide me through the topic and make it enjoyable, entertaining, informative, easy to follow, and so on. It's a talent I can tell you have worked hard to master. So far, there has been nothing I dislike about your content. I like that nothing feels/is scripted or that there aren't a bunch of silly skits making things cringy. I am just happy to see you putting out content. Of my few suggestions is just to keep putting put content. I know it's very time-consuming, but even videos of you guys working in the shop and speeding up the work parts and then stopping a bit for content or explanations would be very enjoyable. Also, don't be afraid to retell some of your Vinwiki videos and provide more detail or walk around some of the cars featured in those stories. Do you still have the black Ferrari 308 that God loves so much? Don't be afraid to dive into your past car stories or to show us a current lineup of what's in your garage and/or more of Wing Nut Manor. Do you still have the Lambo you traded up for? I love the history lessons and being the history buff that you are I think a fun challenge would be to pick a past driver and a recent driver and to compare them a bit. For example: Ken Block died this year. We all know who he was and what genere of racing he helped influence and helped to change certain aspects/ interests into what they are today/ left his mark on the sport during his career. I do not know if rally is very important to you but what driver from the past that you consider important helped change a racing sport into something that we still know today/ or left such a significant mark on the sport?

Every time you said "That's a whole nother video", that's the stuff we want to know about. I remember reading about some of this in the 80's in car magazines. I'd really like to know more about the Shadow team. This is a great era of Porsche. Great content as usual. Thank you.

Love love love listening to you speak about automotive history!

Great video as always. Would love to see a video about the 73 RSR.

I love the passionate, and knowledgeable, storytelling.

Outstanding video, John. Keep it up and don't change a thing.

God bless you brother, as I could listen to talk for hours. Please keep sharing all of these great stories.

Fantastic story teller John, just wanted to say, I'll watch whatever you put out, especially the 928 stuff, Rj in Oz

Fantastic Video!!! I was at the Mid-Ohio Can-Am event in 1972, and watched most of the race from the interior side of the track at the entry to the keyhole. Watching Follmer in the 917-10 blast up the hill, stand on the brakes at the top and then hear it blast down the opposite side was just an incredible experience. Revson in the M-20 was visibly slower everywhere to the Porsche, and those two cars were waaaay ahead of the rest of the field. It was a huge contrast from 1970 where the M-8F was dominant over the rest of the field with Hulme and Gethin. They actually upshifted, braked and downshifted thru the uphill side of the keyhole. Amazing driving, and we could walk right up to the fence in those days. Again, Fantastic Video and Storytelling.

Dope. I really like these longer videos about historic racing. More please.

Thank you for the video!!! I was 6 years old when the CanAm series started. I had all of the CanAm 1/64th scale slot cars. I finally got to see them in person at Long Beach in 2019! CanAm the best racing series ever!!

Wow what a fantastic parade of engineering and I’m sure staggering experience for those participating and spectating! Love the historical content, gonna go find some Can-Am content to watch.

I was at that race in Mosport. I was six! It created my undying love for racing. I still have the Corgi toy. Thanks for this

Amazing video John! Loved every minute of it. Those were the days......

I remember this era well as a worker with SCCA at Road America. These Can Am cars were awesome, never to be equaled again.. but close..was the C Class cars at Lemans in the 80's.

Didn’t even notice the video was 40+ minutes long until I noticed my lunch was cold since I was paying attention and not eating. thanks Ficarra for the cold lunch 😂 Great work man!

I remember catch bits of this racing a child on Wide World of Sports and it drove my love of fast cars on canyon roads. Thanks for the history, keep them coming

Jusy want to thank you for this wonderful video! ❤What a ride! You are a fantastic storyteller and I’ve never had 40 minutes fly by so fast😂

I watch mostly car oriented RU-vid, and you’re probably THE most engaging storyteller, but 25 minutes is about my upper limit. There are many reasons why that is, but it is

Excellent history lesson though. Enjoyed the part of the video where John expresses his enthusiasm for the subject.

Oh I got my geek on, I've been waiting for this one! The 917 in all of its variants is my favorite racing vehicle ever made!

Dad and I used to attend the CAN-AM events at Mosport. We were mostly Drag Race types, but when it comes to track racing, CAN-AM was superb.

I loved every minute!! Thanks for taking me back.. watched these races on tv w my bro n dad who was early Porsche fan.. had 356 B, 911S, 914, and my first car project was 356B.. Good Days!!

John, you're the best! Always enjoy your stories!

Just keep doing you John and we will keep watching

Awesome video. Don’t change a thing. Nobody is really telling these classic racing stories.

Love your videos - keep them going!

Great video, really enjoyed all the details! It was a fascinating story with some great visuals! Retro racing video from Mid-Ohio was great, wish it had racing sounds if available. The funky music was period correct, I would say.

I think Jack Brabham is worthy of consideration when it comes to greatest racer/engineers. World Champion in a car he (and Ron Turanac) designed, built, developed and raced.

Absolutely brilliant Motorsport storytelling! Thanks so much 👍 Would be awesome to hear about the 80s-90s GTP racing some time. Cheers 🍻

Great video, very accurate analysis. I loved the Mid Ohio footage (My father was in the first drivers school at Mid Ohio when it opened in 1962. I went to every race there when I was a kid). We lived about 3 miles from the track in 1974, the only race that the 917-30 ran that year. I rode my bike to the track on Friday, which was a non-spectator practice day. Hurley Haywood came with his 917-10 (without turbos) with one German Porsche mechanic as crew. Hurley gave me and my friend Johnny Posey crew passes so we could help by polishing the car, carrying spares etc. Peter Gregg showed up at the weekend to help. In the race, George Follmer got mad at his Shadow teammate Jackie Oliver, pulled into the pits at high speed, jumped out of the car and peeled out of the paddock in his road car, Hurley placed third (it was a two-heat race) behind the 917-30 (I think Brian Redman was driving, but I'm not sure) and Jackie Oliver in the Shadow. I got to taste some of the champagne he brought from the podium ceremony.

Thanks for the most enriching technical history of the Porsche 9 ten, and 930.

Awesome video. As a child of the 70's I always wondered what ever happened to the CanAm series Now I know. I remember the cars from the AFX slot car tracks, a kid could race those exotic sports cars

Wow! I am blown away! I was at Elkhart Lake yesterday with kids for the historic races with these cars! They are incredible at speed running the course. Ironically I also work for SC Johnson Wax who sponsored the series and I didn’t even know it…. Please more content like this. There is nothing like the drama of real sports!

Well done as usual. Cool to hear the history of the cars/people that I admired when I was a kid.

JF, you are a great story teller. You should write screen plays around racers/races!

That's awesome they put #4's livery back to its delivery design

Dear Mr Ficarra, you have the best edutainment channel on youtube! When you release a video its a happy day Thank you for sharing your amazing storys! 🍻

Love the historic content. 10/10

Great video! The vintage footage at the end got me reliving my childhood of building and racing 1/24 scale CamAm slot cars. Thank you

John, great to hear another story from you! I miss the days of hearing your great stories over sushi in Scott's Valley! I look forward to your next 928 update.

Suggestions for future episodes: - Jim Hall's Chapparels - Roger Penske......his road racing team days, and his involvement in developing Indy-car engines (Chevy/Ilmor, and the "pushrod" MB) - As someone else mentioned, the Bill Elliott Ford Thunderbird, that went two laps down at Talladega, then made up two laps UNDER GREEN to win the race. A combo of a great aero body, with Ernie Elliott engine genius. -The "Motown Missile" series of Pro Stock drag cars.

John, I counted at least three times you teased us with a promise to do another video on topics you mentioned. Gonna have to hold you to your word. Can’t wait for more content.

Thank you so much for all the information about those very special cars of CanAm. I always knew the Porsches were faster than anything on the track but did not know why. I was at Mid-Ohio in 72 and 73. Wow! what great memories. I also stumbled into a rented garage in Westerville, Ohio, that was temporary home to the Shadow racing team. It was very cool to go into their shop and interact with them while they were prepping the car for Mid-Ohio. The footage at the end of your video is amazing. Thanks again.

Definitely got my Geek on. Love your passion for this history. I would like to see more video footage in your vids, depending on what you can show under copyright. But I liked this a great deal.

Nicely done. I was waiting for the adjustable rear sway bar story. That story was gold when told by Woody. Take care

Love the overabundance of knowledge and passion Mr. Ficarra brings

My dad & I always went to Mid Ohio, we sat in the keyhole most of the time, and the CanAm was definitely the highlight of the year. Mark Donahue was my favorite driver. I remember everything you talked about. Chapparels, UOP Shadow.

Loved this and the trans am series content!! More please!

Thanks for putting it all together! I saw the /10 at the last Rennsport with Fulmer driving. He entered the paddock with a hot car and parked it in the middle of the pedestrian way and got out. I had a chance to speak with him. - Admittedly, I was aware of, but missed, Can-Am as I was engrossed in Formula A/F-5000 as a young kid. This is precisely why all this history is very important as it brings to light a radical, and fast advancing, period in motorsports history. Thank you again for a very enlightening and informative presentation. Priceless!

I was at Mid-Ohio in 1972 and seen the 917/30 run. It was blindingly fast, but it sounded like a vacuum cleaner. In an age of 512 Ferraris and Tipo 33 Alfa Romeos, I hated it. I'm impressed you have a shot of it after it was wrecked. Esports? Bring the noise.

Dear John, thank you very much for this entertaining lekture. Cant wait to see the next one! Road-Racing-Therapy Session right there! Cheers from Germany Marc

This is a superbly told story of the insanity that was Can-Am. Those cars were the most amazing land vehicles that ever turned tires to dust. I was privileged to see three of the races and they left indelible memories. It all ended way too soon.

Thank you so much. A real trip down memory lane. My dad took me to all the races in Edmonton from 1968-1973. They we awesome and everyone was so approachable back then. I still have autographs from Jackie Stewart, Dennis Hulme, Peter Reason and a couple of others. I remember standing right outside the Penske garage as they were swapping spark plugs and one of the mechanics just gave me a handful of them. Certainly not like F1 where everyone is so standoffish... it would be easier to get into Area 51. I remember Stewart and McLaren were such gentlemen, especially compared to todays F1 drivers. Fantastic.

These cars are awe inspiring standing still and to hear these wonderful/crazy stories on top of it is awesome. Awesome video!

The #1 thing I like about you, Mr. Ficarra is that you know how to tell a story, if you watch your buddy Ed's channel all too many of the story tellers on that channel have no idea how to tell a story or how to tell a GOOD story. I love hearing the stories about cheating, external situations that affect the racing, as well as just fun engineering modifications that are a product of necessity (ie the suspension mods made to the 917 due to the wheel width) Don't be afraid to make long videos or chop up videos into multiple parts if needed, as most of us are willing to watch a video from someone who knows how to tell a story.

What a great look-back ! My first race event was in 1962. Walking through Elkhart Lake on Sat night before the race I stumbled across a cowboy standing outside a local Texaco gas station at the back of his pickup trying to light up his cigarette. I picked out my Zippo and he said thanks. I asked him what they were doing and he said "we blew up our engine today, so we're pulling out my friend's motor from his truck and installing it in my Chaparral for tomorrow's race." That was at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="630">10:30</a> and they hadn't starting installing the second motor yet ! Amazingly, Jim went on to come in first on Sunday. His first win of the CanAm Road America Five Hundred ! I was there with Carl Hass & his Lola team...what a surprise to see a guy operating like that blow away all those professional teams...but that's what made Can Am so great !

Welcome back John!! Another incredible video, you seriously make my favorite RU-vid videos. Like just everything from the stories to the presentation is gold! (The clips at the end were a great final touch to wrap just how cool this era was)

Another wonderful video John,thank you very much.Your up front to the camera narration style is compelling and hugely entertaining,one cant help but embrace the enthusiasm and soak up the information presented.Keep 'em coming.

Love the video John. I really enjoy stories like this; I'm 40 and I know so little about motor sports from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Absolutely the most insightful and informative vid I've ever seen not only on the 917 but also can-am

I don't know a lot about racing. I live close to Road America so I've been going there for about 30 years and with my sons for about 20 years. I know enough to enjoy the weekend. I really like your channel. It's techie enough to easily follow along and your story telling is fantastic. Vintage is next weekend and I'll be looking for the poster on the wall behind you, My new favorite car channel. More of the same type of contest please. Keep up the good work.

I watched Mark Donahue race the 917-30 coming out of the “cork screw” at Laguna Seca. It was a racing event I will never forget. He was just weaving through traffic, there was no competition. The Porsche was very quiet compared to the other cars and the acceleration was cartoon fast.

Hello John: There is a 917 PA at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. The flat 16 is longest car engine I have ever seen. I made a rough measurement of the engine by stretching my right arm out, so that it formed a straight line with my shoulders. The distance from my left shoulder to the tips of my right hand fingers was about the same length as the engine. I have broad shoulders and long arms. Thank you very, very much for this video.

Please keep it up John we appreciate all the love and hard work that go into making these, and this was another excellent one. Looking forward to the next!

More of these race stories pls Mr. Ficarra! History! All of it! My dad... OK, this is gonna be a long story because I have no one to share it with that would appreciate it. Dad died. He didn't even make 70. Closest person I've ever been with. Told me about Chaparral racing when I was in high school. But this was pre internet, so his stories where from memory of what he read 30 year prior at the time. Maybe 25. More years than I was old at the time. The core was that they mounted a rear wing that connected to the unsprung part of a suspension. So the wing would be for down-force, not compressing the suspension. Now he got a lot of the details right and wrong which made it very hard to research in libraries at the time. He remembered the 2 engines thing. As he told it, 3L total cc was the rules, so 500cc for the vacuum engine, and 2.5L for the wheel driving engine. And he thought this was F1. Which led me to the BT46 of course, but it wasn't a split engine, nor was Chaparral connected with it. Only once I saw your stories could I make the connection. He was thinking of canam, though we're in south africa, there probably was articles in popular mechanics or other motoring mags here that covered that. He also thought Chaparral were 2 brothers with the last name Chaparral, which again made research impossible. But man, to just learn about all this, and actually put the puzzle together is so nice. I just want to call him, and tell him to watch these story videos, and that I found his story etc etc. To get to the cheesy part. He had a rear spoiler fitted to his E34 520i, and had a Chaparral sticker made up for either side. He later had a E34 540i without the spoiler, but that 520i will remain in my mind as the Chaparral car, though the spoiler did nothing, and if it did, it compressed the suspension....

I'm a car guy but not really a race fan. The way you tell the stories, your enthusiasm, all the details, the time lines, the how and the why make me wish I was a race fan. You make it so interesting, I will definitely be looking forward to more stories. ❤

I wish I had seen this before I saw the 917-30 at Rennsport 2023! The background is fascinating. Great job.

Enjoyed your video ❤ I attended the 71,72 & 73 Can-Am @ Mosport. The most exciting races & cars I ever had the immense pleasure to watch !

Gotta say....Ficarra.. you are a history hero of mine!

Pre-spec Indy 500 and Can-Am were the most exciting races when I was growing up. I bought every magazine I could to read about those cars.

Awesome video! Thanks for taking the time to share this incredible story!