Sadler MkV

Charles and John Cooper may have started the mid-engined revolution, but it was a maverick Canadian named Bill Sadler who carried the torch to the ranks of the big, whumpin’ V-8s. His ground-breaking 1961 Sadler MkV was the first of a species that would evolve into the thundering beasts of the Canadian-American Challenge Cup or Can-Am. And yet he’s more often remembered for his spectacularly streamlined front-engine specials rather than his last gasp in the racing biz – the first of the mid-mounted bow tie big bangers.

In 1960, the time was ripe for the next generation of ground pounders. Although the Porsche 550 and RS series mid-engine Spyders had been very successful, they had just barely enough brake, suspension and transaxle strength to cope with their sub-200 hp 4-cam Carrera engines, and thus were not amenable to more muscular powerplants. When the first of the British mid-engine sports racers showed up, they were equipped with the tried and true Coventry-Climax FPF 4-cylinder engine with up to 2.7-liter displacement. Even with such a small engine, the Cooper Monaco and the Lotus 19 immediately began mopping up the larger front-engined machinery, both at home and abroad. In no time the Listers, Astons, Ferraris and Scarabs were yesterday’s news, as evidenced by Dan Gurney winning at Nassau and Stirling Moss at Laguna Seca and Watkins Glen. The writing was on the wall for the big, clumsy dinosaurs; and whether you liked it or not, that was the way the wind was blowing.