History

The old barracuda built by Vicente Formisano had already completed a cycle, at least that was what Pairetti thought in the early days of 1968.

With the firm objective of achieving the TC championship of the year 68, he decides to change course and turned to Horacio Steven when he learned that this was building a new car (note: Steven was putting together the Torinos that would debut in the 1966 Grand Prix which it did not happen and in 1967 he built the Ford prototypes to beat the hares resulting in two cars that were burned and where Oscar Cabalen lost his life)

With the deal closed with Steven and his people working on the adequacy of Chevrolet mechanics, the members of "S.A Competition" put all their ingenuity into the new project. The chassis was reinforced at several points to increase its rigidity and decrease its torque. To revoke the bad comments that were made about Steven and his car, a workgroup was formed that was made up of Pedro Campos who designed the chassis, suspensions and thunder body; Rodolfo Fraga of the technical-practical department; Jorge Arcuri sketcher, designer and draftsman; Jorge Rama builder of the chassis and Carlos Mourelos mechanic.

The Thunder was inspired by the fateful Ford prototype, in fact, its original matrices were used, of course, there were some modifications. On the outside, the thunder tube was much "smoother", without the bumps of the Webers carburetors that used the oval cars. Nor did it have the side air intakes for cooling the brakes, without this variant it was possible to widen the body by about 7 cm., Which prevented the covered widths from being exposed. With a very low profile, it had to take a large hole to accommodate the vertical carburetors that would power the powerful engine. Unlike the Ford Prototype, the Orange Thunder wore no headlights on the front, which made its front profile even more profiled. Something that surely helped improve the grip, was the regulatory need to bring the chassis from 2.54 to 2.60 meters between axles.

The distribution of the fuel tanks was changed before they were on the sides of the cabin and now only one of about 240 liters of capacity was placed behind the seats.

The novelty and greater aesthetic difference with the Ford prototype were that the rear part now adopted a spoiler-shaped tail (ducktail) that allowed a generous aerodynamic load that benefited the adhesion of the rear train.

The mechanics were in charge of the Chevrolet Dealers Commission, and the direction of this task was entrusted to the engineer Ricardo Joseph.

In itself, the block was standard, a “250” 6-cylinder with 7 support benches. The original displacement of 4,097 was leveled until it reached the regulatory ceiling of 4,000 c.c. The great advantage of this engine was in its weight: 210 kilos and the 7 benches of support of the crankshaft, which granted more laps, reaching to dispense about 300 horses at 6,200 laps, double what it brought from the factory.

THE PHENOMENON BEGINS

In his first contact with the unit at the Buenos Aires autodrome, Pairetti was amazed: “This car is extraordinary, never drive one with such good looks like this. This is just a test, it will be necessary to walk a lot to get everything ready. I'm also going to need some time to get used to the right-hand drive ”

The "fast-Chevrolet" as it was known at the beginning, debuted in the 250 miles that took place on June 23, 1968, in the Buenos Aires Autodrome where he left due to the breakage of the differential, but what happened in the race when he got to tap for several laps it showed that Pairetti was not wrong in his decision and that he was a serious candidate to break the domain that the hares had at that time 2. In less than a month, there was a rematch, on July 14 in Cordoba, the Orange Thunder was invincible. Pairetti won his second race of the season, the first had been in Balcarce on April 28 with Barracuda, and stood firm in the fight for the title. The following week he was second in the 100 laps in the Buenos Aires autodrome. Pairetti's third victory came on August 18, again in Córdoba with the 250-kilometer dispute.

Then came two dropouts, first in Bs As (September 1) with the “baby” Garcia Veiga at the wheel - Pairetti gave it to him because he arranged his participation in F2 in Europe - and then in Allen (September 22). The first was due to the breakage of the clutch and the next - again with “il matto” at the wheel - due to inconveniences in the oil pressure.

It was replaced again with a triumph in Bs. As (September 29), but the defections returned. In San Juan (October 6) for differential breakage and Bs. As (October 13) for a puncture in the oil radiator. But the year would end well for Orange Thunder and of course for Pairetti. With two second places

It was replaced again with a triumph in Bs. As (September 29), but the defections returned. In San Juan (October 6) for differential breakage and Bs. As (October 13) for a puncture in the oil radiator. But the year would end well for Orange Thunder and of course for Pairetti. With two second places in Rafaela (November 3) and Córdoba (November 17), I reach the consecration: the long-awaited title of Road Tourism.

In 69 Pairetti changed again and ran the TC season with the Nova-Chevrolet or Orange Nova (helmet of a hare 3 with Chevrolet mechanics), the thunder passed into the hands of his eternal friend Garcia Veiga who, for those things motoring, I do not match the results of the 68. Despite that, the Orange Thunder won the respect of everyone. He was born of Steven's ingenuity and consecrated by the public's decision, and that is not a small thing.