For the 1975 US Formula 5000 season Don Nichols had Tony Southgate design a F5000 version of Shadow’s primary Formula one contender the DN5, known as the DN6 the main differences were that it required a sub frame to carry the 5 litre / 302 cui Chevrolet engines the team ran up until Atlanta, in place of the load bearing Ford Cosworth DFV used to power the DN5.

1974 Can Am Champion Jackie Oliver was retained to drive the UOP Lead Free Oil Products F5000 Shadow DN6 and his results, 3rd at Pocono, 6th at Mosport, 11th with a blown engine at Watkins Glen, 2nd At Road America and 4th at Mid Ohio showed the Chevrolet powered car was not lacking too much in competitiveness.

At Road Atlanta the team switched to Dodge Motors, coincidentally or otherwise just as the Shadow Formula One team was seeking an edge with the Chrysler Europe Matra V12 powered Shadow DN7 in Austria and Italy.

Just as with the Matra V12 in Europe the Dodge motor did not significantly improve Jackie’s fortunes he finished 4th in Atlanta, crashed at Long Beach, came home fifth at Laguna Seca and retired with low oil pressure at Riverside.

For the Long Beach Grand Prix the team entered their rising Formula One star Tom Pryce in a Dodge powered DN6 which is believed to be the one seen in these photographs taken by Geoffrey Horton at Ironside Concours d’Elegance a few years ago.

Tom retired from the race after completing just 14 laps of the final with a broken gearbox after qualifying 5th one spot behind Jackie and finishing third in his heat. At Riverside the team invited rising Tyrrell star Jody Scheckter to try the guest DN6.

The South African qualified 3rd, 5 spots ahead of Jackie, finished his heat with a blown head gasket after 5 laps and retired from the race after 33 laps with an engine problem, Jackie carried on racing the Dodge powered DN6 in 1976 with considerably more success when the car remained reliable.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs of the DN6, which has been restored by his neighbor Dennis Loscher, taken at Ironside Concours d’Elegance in 2013.

Thanks for joining me on this “Dodge Powered Guest Car” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again fr a look at the last of the nine Mercedes Benz 300 SLR’s to be built. Don’t forget to come back now !