Gran Toros / Sputafuoco Chaparral CanAm 2J

The Chaparral 2J CanAm car, which first appeared in 1970, is arguably the most radical of the 1966 to 1974 CanAm race series. CanAm stood for the Canadian-American Challenge Cup which was jointly sponsored by the Canadian Automobile Sports Club (CASC) and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). When moving aerodynamic wings were banned, Jim Hall's Chaparral team employed an idea from a group of General Motors Chevrolet engineers to create downforce without the wings. They used a separate 274 cc Rockwell snowmobile engine to drive two large ducted fans and a Lexan (plexiglass) skirt around the base of the car to "suck" the air out of the car to create downforce. In effect, the 2J became a "suction cup" and was effective regardless of the car's speed. This innovative design, when working, dominated the CanAm series until it was banned by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) due to the Lexan skirts which moved up and down to conform to the track. All moving aerodynamic parts were banned because of the 2J. The Chaparral 2J's primary power plant was a normally aspirated V8 495 cubic inch (8112 cc) Chevrolet big block engine that generated over 700 horsepower.

The Gran Toros Chaparral CanAM 2J, Mattel #6628, appeared in late 1972 and was first listed on the Italian Sputafuoco box but appeared in the 1972 Mebetoys catalog, 1972 Mattel Italian Dealers catalog, and the 1972 Japanese Gran Toros catalog. This model was made for the Gran Toros series only, it was never released as a "Mebetoys" model. This was the only true Hot Wheels Gran Toros model that did not bear either the Hot Wheels or Gran Toros logo. Clearly it is equipped with the Hot Wheels Gran Toros style wheels as well as being part of the Sputafuoco and Heisse Räder Supergross series. The real race car was white with silver mid section (where the white is on the two bright colored Gran Toros) and the ducted fans were silver with navy blue nacelles. For this reason many collectors repainted the model to match the actual race car.