Jud Buchanan of Ontario, Canada, assembled this one-of-a-kind hot rod. Chances are unless you grew up in Canada or near the border, you've never seen a car like this in your life. And unless you follow the whole wide and wacky world of motorsports, you've probably never even heard of the unusual event Jud and his car compete in every year. This is such a unique story, and such a great one, that it's hard to know where to begin.
Through villages and around...
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Through villages and around houses, the Targa Newfoundland is a throwback to classic European road races like the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia.
We'll start with the car you see here, which looks like a '66/'67 Chevy Nova-but it's not. This is a tasty example of the Nova's badge-engineered Canadian cousin, a '67 Acadian Canso. Acadians were marketed by Pontiac dealers in Canada. Technically, they were not Pontiacs but a separate brand, though they shared some styling cues with Pontiacs of the era, for example the bifurcated grille. Acadians were never terribly common even north of the border, their annual production running in the piddling low thousands. The brand existed for only a few years-from 1962 to 1971, when GM of Canada pulled the plug. After that, Pontiac-badged Novas were sold under the Ventura II name, just as they were in the USA. (Though the Acadian name was revived for a Canadian version of the Chevrolet Chevette from 1978 to 1987.)
Anyway, except for its Pontiac-ish grille and different rear and side trim, the Acadian Canso was virtually identical to the Chevrolet Nova. They were built in the same GM of Canada plant in Oshawa, Ontario, as the Nova, and they were offered with much the same optional equipment. (There were even a handful of L79 Cansos built.) When Jud found his Canso in the summer of 1994, it was equipped with a bench seat, a trusty old 283, and an automatic transmission. Jud and his wife, Robin Lynn, flew 2,000 miles to British Columbia to buy the Canso and drive it back to their home near Toronto. "Four days and four new tires later, we got it home, exhausted," Jud recalls.
The Acadian's interior looks...
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The Acadian's interior looks much like that of any rally car, with racing seats, harnesses, and a full rollcage. In case you were wondering, the aluminum bracket on the passenger floor helps the codriver keep his feet in place as he is tossed around in the ****pit.
As soon as we saw the photos, we were impressed with what Jud has done with his Canso. Intelligently planned and functional to the max, this is no Pro Touring poseur. Here is both a practical street car and a competent track car built to go fast and take a pounding. Note the features, like the NASCAR truck-arm rear suspension and the custom strut front suspension built into the stock shock towers, all of it fully adjustable for ride height, camber, caster, and bump-steer. And check out the 10-point rollcage, Brembo brakes, and Simmons wheels. This car was built for a purpose: driving. "I'm not a cruise-in kind of guy," Jud says. "I go to maybe one of those things a year. For me, it's all about the driving."
A former Canadian autocross champion and rally competitor, Jud had modified the Canso and was driving it in solo and track day events when he heard about a new event coming together called Targa Newfoundland. Jud knows a little about automotive events: He operates the Vehicle Dynamics Group, which organizes media and corporate motorsports events for several global automakers in Canada. To Jud, this one sounded like a winner. He immediately contacted organizer Robert Giannou, and a few weeks later he was the first competitor to have his application accepted. He and the Canso have competed in every Targa since 2001. He holds the five-year overall finishing record in the Targa with two Second Place finishes, two Thirds, and a Fourth. He'll be back this year, trying again for the overall win.
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Don't you love that stance?...
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Don't you love that stance? The '66/'67 Nova has always been considered a stylish car, if a little on the cute side. There's nothing cute at all about Jud's Acadian variant on the Nova theme; it's all muscle.
So what is Targa Newfoundland? According to Jud and virtually everyone else who has ever competed there, it's the coolest motorsports event in the history of the world. Simply described, the Targa is a 2,200-kilometer time/distance rally through the villages and countryside of Newfoundland Island. The locale is noteworthy because A) it features some of the most breathtaking scenery in North America, and B) the area is so remote and so hammered by harsh winters that it also includes some of the roughest and most challenging roads on the continent. Add camaraderie, sportsmanship, and the over-the-top local hospitality, and that's Targa Newfoundland in a nutshell. Find out more at www.targanewfoundland.com.
For us, one more totally bitchin' aspect of the Targa is that the entry list includes not only the usual Subarus, Porsches, and other sissified rally-type equipment so adored by the string-back glove set; there are also a fair number of good old-fashioned American musclecars in the mix. Year One has campaigned a '65 Mustang in the Targa, and there are also Camaros, Firebirds, and Falcons prepped for the brutal five-day rally. And, of course, there's Jud's Canso, which is not, strictly speaking, an American car, being of Canadian manufacture and all that. But we are still going to declare the car one of our own, and we are going to claim Jud as one of our own as well. He describes himself as "a hot rodder just living the dream of real roads, real cars, really fast." Yep, sounds like hot rodding to us.
The rear axle is a Chevy 12-bolt with a stout cover girdle, Eaton limited slip, and Moser axles.
Quick Inspection: '67 Acadian Canso Jud Buchanan * Campbellville, Ontario Powertrain Engine: Jud's 355ci combination is stout yet conservative, featuring a 10:1 compression ratio and 210cc Fast Burn cylinder heads from GM Performance Parts. GMPP was also the source of the dual-plane aluminum intake and the LT4 Hot Cam (218/228 duration; 0.525-inch lift). The distributor, coil, and 6AL box are by MSD. The fuel-injection system is a Holley TBI with a Commander 950 ECM. Blackjack headers feed into a legit road-style exhaust system, as required by Targa Newfoundland.
Transmission: A Lakewood safety bellhousing contains a lightweight flywheel and 10.5-inch clutch operated by a Tilton hydraulic throwout bearing. The rest of the driveline consists of a Richmond R5 five-speed close-ratio gearbox and a Coleman 3-inch aluminum driveshaft.
A remote pump and filter mounted...
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A remote pump and filter mounted just in front of the tank supply the fuel to the Holley TBI fuel-injection system.
Rearend: The Targa's rules require an OES (original equipment supplier) rear axle, so Jud uses a GM 12-bolt centersection with an Eaton limited-slip diff and Moser axles. The ratio is a 3.42, which provides a 55-mph First gear and plenty enough steam for the Targa's 120-mph speed limit.
Chassis Suspension: Tokico struts were installed up front with fabricated lower control arms and a race-style antiroll bar. The rear suspension is novel for a street machine, using NASCAR-style truck arms, coilovers, and an adjustable Panhard bar. Jud selected the setup for its simplicity, ruggedness, and good handling.
We don't know exactly where...
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We don't know exactly where this is on the Targa Newfoundland course, but we wish we were there.
Brakes: Vented 13.5-inch rotors are used at the front with Brembo four-piston calipers on modified GM knuckles; the rears are 12.5-inch with two-piston Brembos. A 10-inch Repco vacuum booster is coupled with a PBR twin master cylinder with steel-braided lines all around.
Wheels: Simmons three-piece modular, 17x9 front and 17x10 rear.Tires: Street/competition radials, 255/40R17 front; 275/40R17 rear.
Style Body: Except for the hood blister and modified grille, the Canso's bodywork is 100 percent stock, with full safety glass and trim. Nova-based Acadians were offered in two trim levels: Canso and Invader, with Canso at the top. A 10-point rollcage, subframe connectors, and reinforced suspension mounts have stiffened the once-flimsy unibody for Targa use.
Paint: If this were a Nova, we would call this color Marina Blue, but we're not sure what they called it up there in Canuckistan. The graphics are a shout out to Jud's product sponsors, including Castrol and Toyo. He also wanted us to mention Bert Hickman of Hickman Motors, a Chevy dealer in Newfoundland who has been a huge help.
Interior: OMP racing seats with OMP six-point safety harnesses keep the driver and codriver safely lashed in place. While the cabin is dressed out with full carpeting and door and trim panels, there is no radio, heater, or A/C.
Here's one way to get it wrong...
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Here's one way to get it wrong at Targa Newfoundland. Fall off the road in an unfortunate spot and they will have to hoist you out of the tall sticks with a wrecker. In this case, it's just a Datsun, or Fiat, or Yugo, or something, so who cares?
A Timewise rally computer...
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A Timewise rally computer helps Jud Buchanan and his codriver, Jim Adams, keep the Canso humming along on schedule. In Targa Newfoundland, it's all about racing the clock. In the interest of safety and reason, a 120-mph speed limit is imposed.
Here's another way to get...
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Here's another way to get it wrong: This Targa competitor threw his shiny red Porsche straight into the drink.
How cool is this? The race...
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How cool is this? The race runs right in front of people's houses! Year One sponsored the '65 Mustang of Chip Brunner and Gentry Zentmeyer in the '06 race. The car has a Holman Moody 289 and a Top Loader four-speed.
The rear brakes are two-pot...
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The rear brakes are two-pot Brembos. Note the NASCAR-style truck arms that provide the rear axle location. The adjustable rear coilovers are by Afco.
Nothing fancy here: Jud actively...
Nothing fancy here: Jud actively adhered to the KISS principle in preparing the Canso for the rugged Targa Newfoundland. The 355ci small-block provides more than sufficient grunt, thanks to heads, an intake, and a camshaft from GM Performance Parts. Note the stiff two-way shock tower bracing. HRM
While Jud has previously run...
While Jud has previously run Yokohamas in the Targa, this set of Toyo radials was installed when our photographer, Rich Chenet, shot the stills. The wheels are three-piece modular alloys by Simmons of Australia.
Yes, this car competes in the Targa Newfoundland race each year (though it was absent last year). It always does well. Very nice car; seen it many times.
Cool car and race, too bad he had to put a Nova grill in it.
If he hits the rhubarb he wrecks a Nova grill, no loss. If he were to wreck his Acadian grill now that's another story. Drive like LIGHTENING....crash like THUNDER!!!!!
He is probably trying to save weight;Acadian grills are made of pot metal instead of aluminum like Nova grills.Personally I would have kept it all Acadian.
My parents have gone to this for a few years now. They travel the same route but at a more leisurely pace. But they always make it down to the different parties at the right time!!
