Very sorry to have to report the passing of the man behind the iconic Shadow Formula 1, F-5000 and Can-Am cars, Don Nichols. He died 8/21/2017 at the age of 92.
ABOVE: Nichols (at right) with UOP Shadow's Alan Rees and designer Tony Southgate at the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix.
Nichols fought on the Normandy beaches on D-Day, as well as serving in Holland, and also survived the Battle of the Bulge.
After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Missouri native Nichols lived in Japan, where he sold tyres and was involved in the development of Mount Fuji's race circuit.
Upon his return to the U.S. in 1968, Nichols founded a company called Advanced Vehicle Systems, which built the innovative and fast, if problematic Shadow Mk.1 Can-Am car for the 1970 season. The team went on to field highly successful Chevrolet-powered Can-Am cars driven by the likes George Follmer and Vic Elford, and emerged as the dominant force by 1974, the final year of the original incarnation of the series.
Nichols enjoyed an ongoing sponsorship from Universal Oil Products (UOP) which manufacture products used in the refining of crude oil, catalysts to assist in the the dehydration of natural gas, as well as the distillation of water. UOP was a pioneer in the development of high octane lead-free gasolines with their CCR Platforming technology. The Shadow Can-Am cars ran on 101 octane lead-free gasoline provided by UOP. In 2003, UOP was awarded the U.S. National Medal of Technology for its history “of sustained leadership and innovation for the worldwide petroleum and petrochemical industries.” In 2005 UOP became a subsidiary of the Honeywell group as part of an $825 million dollar deal. UOP-Honeywell's Worldwide Corporate offices are located in Des Plaines, IL.
In retirement, Nichols made a number of appearances at historic racing meetings, where his Shadows continue to be a popular attraction today.
In recent years Nichols' health began to fail and he unfortunately passed away earlier this week.
