Carrera D132 Porsche 917/30 (model #30521) - Carrera Evolution M20 (model #27328) - Carrera D132 McLaren M20 (model #30524)

Can-Am. The mere mention of those two syllables conjures up images of unlimited horsepower machines – perhaps the ultimate road racing cars. The original Can-Am series started in 1966 and ran until 1974 when the fuel crisis and other economic factors led to its demise. Can Am is short for the ‘Canadian American Challenge Cup’. Originally a six race series sponsored by Johnson Wax taking place in both Canada and America, and sanctioned by the SCCA and CASC. Rules for the series were based on the FIA’s Group 7 regulations which embodied an ‘anything goes’ mentality. Exotic materials, active aerodynamic aids, and turbocharging are only a few examples of the innovations that were race proven in Can-Am competition.

Carrera has jumped onto the Can Am bandwagon with their most recent releases, and they’ve done so with a splash. The cars Carrera has chosen to model represent the end of two separate lines of development for the Can-Am land missiles: the McLaren M20 and Porsche 917/30.

By the end of the 1971 season, McLaren had racked up 5 Can-Am championships. Peter Revson and Denny Hulme had wiped the floor with their competition running the M8F ‘batmobiles’. As 1972 dawned, a new competitor arrived on the scene: Roger Penske with the backing of the Porsche factory and it’s turbocharged 917/10s. McLaren had a turbo program of its own though it was unsuccessful. They elected to run the car that was to be powered by their turbo motor in 1972: the M20. At its peak the M20 was powered by a 9.26l engine which was good for 787hp in qualifying trim. This was enough to power Peter Revson’s McLaren past the Porsches for poll at Riverside that year, but there was not enough in race trim to keep him there once the checkers dropped. In the end, the 917/10s were too much for the McLarens and George Follmer ran away from the competition scoring Porsche’s first Can-Am championship with 130 pts. His closest competitor was McLaren’s Denny Hulme with only 65 points. The McLaren team decided to call it a day at the end of the season and their cars were sold off to privateers.

For 1973 the Penske Porsche squad took the performance of the 917 to the next level and debuted the 917/30. In the words of Mark Donohue, the 917/30 had ‘more of everything’. In race trim the Porsche’s 5.4l turbocharged engine provided 1100hp. This could be cranked up to 1500hp for qualifying runs using a cockpit boost knob. Competition for the Sunoco sponsored Porsche came from the Black Label liveried Roy Woods Racing M20 driven by David Hobbs. The M20 was the best of the rest of ’73. Mark Donohue’s Porsche 917/30 won another championship with 139 points followed by a gaggle of customer 917/10s. David Hobbs finished the season in 7th with 39 points.

So enough with the history lesson – what about the Carrera cars? The Carrera Can-Am models are available in both Analog and D132. The paint and detail on the cars looks great: nice sharp lines, good exhaust detail, and a pan interior leaving plenty of room for the electrical workings. Mark Donohue's spaceman helmet is a little on the funky side though.