London-born Peter Bryant gave up a career as a front-line Formula One
mechanic to begin an entirely new life in American auto racing, where he
eventually became a leading Can-Am car designer. His experiences,
recounted here in vivid detail, offer a compelling and often very
humorous look into one of motor racing's most exciting eras. Peter fell
in love with the United States when he visited to prepare a
factory-loaned Ferrari for John Surtees in the 1963 U.S. Road Racing
Championship. Peter returned to America as a mechanic for Mickey
Thompson's team at the fateful 1964 Indianapolis 500. This time he
stayed, working first with Carroll Shelby's Cobra team and later with
the Dana Chevrolet and Carl Haas Lola Can-Am teams. It was in the Can-Am
series that Peter made his mark as the designer and builder of several
unique cars. The first was the innovative Autocoast Ti22, which featured
the extensive use of titanium components and construction. In 1970 the
Ti22 became the first American-made car to lead a Can-Am race since
1968. Peter continued to fight the McLarens and Porsches that dominated
the series with his famous UOP Shadow cars in 1971 and 1972, which made
pioneering use of ground-effect aerodynamics and ran on unleaded
gasoline. In Can-Am Challenger Peter tells his own story in his own
engaging style. Though packed with technical details and insights into
building a successful race car, his account also includes a wealth of
colorful characters and hilarious stories from a life spent behind the
scenes with great cars, teams, and drivers.