A mysterious owner, alluring black cars that punched above their weight, a team touched by tragedy and victory. Shadow Racing will always be remembered.

To this day, one thing that cannot seem to be agreed upon is the legend surrounding Shadow’s founder, Don Nichols. Almost every team bio, invariably touches briefly on the ‘fact’ that he was a military spy working for the U.S. government in the Far East previous to and possibly even after his time in Formula One.

Shadow had entered F1 in 1973. With Universal Oil Products (UOP) on board as sponsor, with Jackie Oliver and George Follmer as drivers. Follmer finished 6th on their debut in S. Africa for a strong start, though a 3rd place for each driver would be the only other points that first year. With a succession of drivers, Shadow would finish 8th in the Constructors Championship in three of their first four years, with a 6th in 1975.

To read more about Shadow Racing visit our 'Motorsport History' Blog - Coming Soon