# Shadow DN1 (1973)

- Source: https://racingcarnetwork.com/wiki/shadow-dn1/
- Publisher: Racing Car Network (racingcarnetwork.com), the race car marketplace
- Type: car · Brand: Shadow
- Discipline: formula, historic-racing
- Series: f1-historic
- Era: 1970s
- Last updated: 2026-11-06

The Shadow DN1 is the first Formula 1 car of Don Nichols' UOP Shadow team, drawn by Tony Southgate for 1973. Six were built around a Cosworth DFV; four survive. It suits owners who want a black high-airbox 1973 car with Grand Prix podiums, period Monaco history and a Masters Racing Legends entry ticket.

## Specifications

| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Engine | Ford Cosworth DFV 90-degree V8, 2,993 cc, Lucas OPUS ignition [7] |
| Power | 460 bhp at 10,250 rpm (1973 Autocourse figure) [7] |
| Weight | 1,270 lb (576 kg) formula weight; chassis alone 70 lb [7] |
| Gearbox | Hewland FG400 five-speed, modified (Autocourse); Wikipedia lists a Hewland TL200 [7][19] |
| Chassis | Sheet-aluminium monocoque, enveloping glass-fibre body with carbon-fibre reinforcement [7] |
| Brakes | Vented Lockheed discs, inboard front, outboard rear [7] |
| Suspension | Double wishbones front; lower wishbone, top link and twin radius arms rear; Armstrong dampers [7] |
| Dimensions | Wheelbase 100 in, front track 58 in, rear track 60 in; 13 in wheels, 11 in front and 17 in rear rims [7] |
| Fuel | 40-gallon Marston Excelsior cells; the works ran UOP lead-free petrol [7][5] |
| Years | 1973 (last Grand Prix start January 1974) [4] |
| Class | 3-litre Formula 1; Masters Racing Legends Emerson Fittipaldi class today [15] |
| Built | 6 chassis, DN1/1A to DN1/6A, plus a later replica of 1A [0] |

## History

Shadow came to Formula 1 from Can-Am. Tony Southgate joined Don Nichols' new UK operation in October 1972 with no premises and no staff [5]. He drew the DN1 in the garage of his bungalow and hired draughtsman Andy Smallman [5]. The team took a spare UOP factory on Weedon Road, Northampton, and built the prototype there [5]. Sponsor UOP sold lead-free petrol, so the black cars ran on it as an advertisement [5]. Engines were rebuilt by Swindon Race Engines or John Judd, not by Cosworth a mile away [5].

The DN1 was Southgate's first DFV design. After BRM's smooth V12 the V8 shook the car badly. Instruments and radiators had to be rubber-mounted, and he later said the car vibrated until things fell apart [5][18]. The enveloping body came from Imperial College tunnel work and added weight and cooling trouble [5]. Two cars went to Kyalami in March 1973 for Jackie Oliver and George Follmer with little testing [5][0]. Oliver retired; Follmer climbed to sixth on his Grand Prix debut [5][2].

In Spain the crew found cracked steel radius-rod lugs on the rear bulkhead the night before the race. They gas-welded them beside a fuel cell packed in wet rags, and Follmer finished third [5]. Graham Hill bought a customer car for his Embassy Racing team. DN1/3A was assembled at John Thompson's workshop in Northampton from Shadow parts, and maintained at Maurice Gomm's in Old Woking [0][6]. Hill's best result was ninth at Zolder [2].

Oliver wrote off DN1/1A at Zolder and Follmer wrote off DN1/2A in Monaco practice [6]. DN1/4A, 5A and 6A replaced them. Southgate added a long-wheelbase update late in the year to load the front tyres [5]. There was no real development programme, because he was also drawing the DN2 Can-Am car [5]. Oliver led the wet Canadian Grand Prix in DN1/6A and was classified third [1][0]. Brian Redman drove a third car at Watkins Glen [3]. Jean-Pierre Jarier retired DN1/6A in Argentina and DN1/5A in Brazil in January 1974 before the DN3 arrived [4][1]. Of the survivors, 6A raced in the 1976 ShellSPORT G8 series [1]. 4A went to Jarier in lieu of salary, and 5A stayed with Nichols for many years [0][7].

## Palmarès

Follmer scored sixth at Kyalami and third in Spain in DN1/2A [2][5]. Oliver was third in Canada in DN1/6A after leading in the rain [1][0]. Hill's best was ninth at Zolder in DN1/3A [2]. Shadow ended 1973 eighth in the constructors' table with 9 points, Follmer on 5 and Oliver on 4 [19][18]. In 1976 Lella Lombardi took DN1/6A to ninth at Brands Hatch in the ShellSPORT G8 series [1].

## What to check before you buy

Match the chassis plate against the oldracingcars.com race record and Allen Brown's ownership chain: Plates were reused in 1973 and a replica of 1A exists; only 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A have period races. Ask which tub the car carries and when it was last rebuilt or re-skinned: 4A was rebuilt after Zandvoort 1973 and 5A after a crash; 3A sat as a show car with a dummy engine until a 2008 rebuild. Inspect the steel rear bulkhead frame and radius-rod lugs for cracks and old weld repairs: These lugs cracked in period and were gas-welded in situ next to the fuel cell. Read the HTP, the condition-testing certificate and the fuel-tank certificate dates: Masters wants all three in date; a lapsed HTP means a new application through the ASN before entry. Confirm the DFV has a rev limiter set to 10,000 rpm on an original-style Lucas spark box connection: Masters checks DFV limiters with its own rev-limit checker and only accepts original Lucas spark boxes. Get the engine builder's last rebuild sheet and hours since: DN1/4A was sold with a zero-miles Phil Reilly DFV; period practice was a rebuild every 600 miles. List the spares: enveloping body panels, nose, airbox, uprights and gear ratios: The full-length body is unique to the DN1; 4A came with bodywork, suspension and ratio spares, which is rare. Measure cockpit width against the other survivors: Nichols said the Follmer tub was beaten out wider than Oliver's; it helps tell cars apart.

## Did you know

- Southgate drew the DN1 at a drawing board in his own garage in Bourne before Shadow had any premises [5].
- John Barnard first turned up at Shadow as a friend tagging along to Andy Smallman's draughtsman interview [5].
- The works cars ran UOP lead-free petrol as an advertisement for the sponsor; octane was the same as leaded fuel [5].

## Frequently asked questions

**How many Shadow DN1s exist today?** Six were built in 1973. DN1/1A and DN1/2A were written off at Zolder and Monaco. DN1/3A, 4A, 5A and 6A survive, plus a later replica of 1A recorded as DN1/1A-R. Oldracingcars placed 3A and 4A in Switzerland in 2023, 5A in the United States and 6A in the UK.

**Which DN1 did Graham Hill race?** DN1/3A, bought for his Embassy Racing team and assembled at John Thompson's workshop from Shadow parts. Hill started 12 Grands Prix in it with a best of ninth at Zolder. It became an Embassy show car, sat unraced until 2008, then raced in Masters, Monaco Historic 2021 and ran at Goodwood with Damon Hill.

**Can a DN1 race in Masters Racing Legends?** Yes. It falls in the Emerson Fittipaldi class for post-1972 non-ground-effect cars. You need a valid FIA HTP, an in-date condition-test and fuel-tank certificate, a DFV rev limiter at 10,000 rpm and the nominated Avon/Goodyear tyres. Each weekend has practice, qualifying and two 25-minute races.

**What did the DN1 achieve in 1973?** Two podiums: Follmer third in Spain and Oliver third in Canada after leading in the wet. Follmer was also sixth on debut at Kyalami. Shadow finished eighth in the constructors' championship with 9 points. The car's last Grand Prix start was Jarier's retirement at Interlagos in January 1974.

**What is the weak point of the car?** Vibration from the DFV. Southgate came from BRM V12s and under-damped the V8 shake, so mounts, instruments and radiators suffered. The rear bulkhead radius-rod lugs cracked in Spain 1973 and were welded on the spot. Cooling was marginal under the full-length body. Check all three areas.

**Which gearbox does it use?** The 1973 Autocourse specification gives a modified Hewland FG400 five-speed. Wikipedia lists a Hewland TL200. Ask the seller which casing is fitted and whether it matches the HTP, because ratio and spares sourcing differ between the two.

## Sources

- Shadow DN1 car-by-car histories — https://www.oldracingcars.com/shadow/dn1/
- Shadow DN1/6A race history — https://www.oldracingcars.com/shadow/dn1/6a
- Shadow DN1/3A race history — https://www.oldracingcars.com/shadow/dn1/3a
- Shadow DN1/4A race history — https://www.oldracingcars.com/shadow/dn1/4a
- Shadow DN1/5A race history — https://www.oldracingcars.com/shadow/dn1/5a
- Paint it black: How Tony Southgate created Shadow's first F1 car — https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2010/96/paint-it-black/
- Before We Lose Track — https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/may-1975/31/before-we-lose-track-8/
- Where are the remaining Shadow DN1 chassis? — https://forums.autosport.com/topic/21166-where-are-the-remaining-shadow-dn1-chassis/
- 1973 Shadow Embassy Hill Formula One car Chassis DN1/3A — https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/Details/123278/1973-shadow-embassy-hill-formula-one-car-chas
- Shadow DN1 F1 Car (chassis 4A) — https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/Details/106071/adler32
- 1973 Shadow DN1#6A — https://hallandhall.net/Stock/Details/13430/1973-Shadow-DN1-6A
- Ex-Hill Shadow returns in Grand Prix Masters — https://www.racecar.com/news/23750/market-and-auction/ex-hill-shadow-returns-...
- Hill's Shadow back on track — https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-2008/115/hills-shadow-back-track/
- Throwback Thursday: Servicing Cosworth DFV Formula 1 engines, 1975 — https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/throwback-thursday-servicing-cosworth-dfv-formula-1-engines-1975
- The Supertuners — https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1978/60/supertuners/
- Masters Racing Legends for 1966/1985 F1 cars, 2025 Technical and Sporting Regulations — https://cms.mastershistoricracing.com/files/uploads/2026/03/MRL-2025-Regs_FINAL.pdf
- Masters Racing Legends series page — https://www.mastershistoricracing.com/en/race-serie/masters-racing-legends
- Shadow-Ford DN1 at Brno Grand Prix Revival — http://brnogp.cz/en/shadow-ford-dn1-2/
- Video: Heaven is a Shadow DN1 at Road Atlanta — https://goodwood.com/grr/race/historic/video-heaven-is-a-shadow-dn1-at-road-atlanta
- Shadow DN1 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_DN1
- File:Jackie Oliver Shadow Ford 1973 Monza.jpg — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jackie_Oliver_Shadow_Ford_1973_Monza.jpg
- Cosworth to Remanufacture DFV — https://sportscardigest.com/cosworth-to-remanufacture-dfv/
- racingcarnetwork.com search 'shadow dn1' — https://racingcarnetwork.com/?s=shadow+dn1
- Shadow DN1-3A 1973 walkaround — https://www.asmonzaracing.com/photos-f1-70-and-80-walkaround-shadow-dn1-3a-1973.html

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