In the late 1960s and early 1970s, wedge-shaped cars began to become popular. Wedge Design It was a global trend-setter and made fans dream. Most people argue that the first wedge-shaped car was Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Bizzarrini Manta or Marcello Gandini’s Alfa Romeo Carabo. Both were introduced in 1968, but by then a certain Ray had already been driving the Cannara around the United States for two years, with his mother as co-pilot.
The Cannara was a two-seater roadster powered by a Chevrolet V8 engine mounted in the front. A car as fast as it was unknown, designed by an 18-year-old from Florida named Ray Cannara, who would build it himself for a couple of years and finish it in 1966.
Who was Ray Cannara?
Ray Cannara was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since he was a child he loved cars to the point that, when he was only 15 years old, back in 1962, he won a scholarship from the Fisher Body Guild in 1962, when he presented a design for a car model. He received 4,000 dollars (about 40,000 € at today’s exchange rate).
In 1964 he was accepted as a student at the ArtCenter for Transportation Design in Los Angeles, California, possibly the most prestigious car design school in the United States and one of the best in the world. What no one expected was that, at just 18 years old, he would travel the almost 4,100 km that separated his city from the school driving the car that he himself had designed and manufactured.
Ray Cannara’s car was thus the first wedge-shaped car to be built. However, its creator never received the recognition for his influence on the future of automotive design: He kept the Cannara until the late 1970s, when he sold it. It was stored in a garage for many years until Geoff Hacker of Undiscovered Classics rediscovered it in 2016.
The return of Cannara
When Hacker found the car, he didn’t know what it was. He took it and trailered it to his garage in Tampa, Florida, and began tracing the car’s history. Details, such as the pivot point of the doors, indicated that it hadn’t been designed by an amateur. Finally, someone pointed out that it had been built by a student at the Art Center in the mid-1960s.
Scanning the school’s graduate lists, he found the name he was looking for: Ray Cannara. He also lived in Florida, and Ray was more than happy to see his car again for the first time in decades. Not only had he traveled with it from his home to Los Angeles, he also traveled from California to Michigan to begin working as a designer at Chrysler, making it arguably one of the highest-mileage concept cars ever. He then helped with the restoration, and after it was completed, it was displayed at the 2022 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
1966 Cannara Specifications
The Cannara is a unique design, but it was based on a proven chassis, that of a 1958 Chevrolet Impala Station Wagon. It is a steel ladder frame with independent front suspension with coil springs and a rigid axle with coil springs at the rear. It had factory drum brakes, which have now been replaced with disc brakes.
The chassis wheelbase was shortened and a 4.6-liter Chevrolet V8 block was chosen with a four-barrel Edelbrock carburetor that delivers 276 HP of power and 394 Nm of torque. Not bad considering that, with the fibreglass body with some aluminium, it weighs just 952 kg dry. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed automatic transmission and exceeded 210 km/hIt only needs 5 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h.
As for the design, there are some interesting details. The very discreet headlights emerge from the fenders, a detail we have never seen in production cars and which manage not to “spoil” the design of the front with retractable optics. Seen from the side, it has somewhat curved wheel arches and a two-piece windshield. The carburettor inlet is mounted next to the windshield, on the passenger side, so you can get an idea of how far back the engine is positioned, seeking weight balance.
If we have remembered Cannara now it is because he has been invited to the Wedge Class 2024a show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance dedicated to unique wedge-shaped concept cars. It has been showcased there alongside the Aston Martin Bulldog, the Ghia Gilda, the Ferrari Modulo and the Lancia Stratos HF Zero.
It deserved that recognition. And it’s not just us saying it. Raffi Minasian, automotive designer and judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (arguably the world’s top classic car show), says that “it’s becoming increasingly apparent to me that this design is one of the first of its kind, more specifically it’s the first car to fully embrace all aspects of the wedge design, rather than simply using linear or vector-based design elements. This design represents the full and complete adoption of the wedge theme, both as a concept and in the final result.”
