Group 7 was a set of regulations for

automobile racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organis ...

created by the

Commission Sportive Internationale Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anoth ...

(CSI), a division of the modern

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, International Automobile Federation) is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for ...

. There were two distinct sets of Group 7 regulations: * Group 7 two-seater racing cars (1966 to 1975) * Group 7 international formula racing cars (1976 to 1981)

Group 7 two-seater racing cars (1966 to 1975)

The FIA’s new Appendix J regulations for 1966 listed a category for "Group 9 two-seater racing cars" in its draft versions, but this was amended to "Group 7 two-seater racing cars" by the time of publication of the 1966 FIA Yearbook.''Part 6: Is it 1966 Already? Finally!'', atlasf1.autosport.com
Retrieved on 29 October 2014 The new Group 7 regulations specified that cars must be fitted with fenders, windshield, two seats, two doors, headlights, taillights, rollbar, a dual braking system and a self-starter and that they must utilize commercial gasoline. Group 7 cars were defined as "two-seater competition vehicles built exclusively for speed races on closed circuit".''Appendix J to the International Sporting Code 1968'', argent.fia.com
Retrieved on 1 November 2014 There was no minimum production requirement necessary to earn

homologation Homologation ( Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work ...

. As such, the regulations allowed manufacturers and teams freedom to create unique racing cars with no limitations on engines, tires, aerodynamics, or dimensions, as long as the car had room for two seats and was enclosed in bodywork. Races for Group 7 cars were generally short sprints, with few accommodations made for driver comfort. Although the formula only existed for ten years, Group 7 was embraced by several series around the world, with the

Sports Car Club of America The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional ...

running its United States Road Racing Championship for Group 7 cars from 1966 to 1968. Its

Canadian-American Challenge Cup The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987. History Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada (''Can'') and four races in the United ...

, better known as Can-Am, was also open to Group 7 cars from 1966 to 1974. In Europe, the

Nordic Challenge Cup Nordic Challenge Cup (NCC) was the predecessor of the popular and long-running sports car racing series Interserie, which is known as the "European Can-Am" and still exists today. NCC consisted of only three races in 1969 and was replaced by Interse ...

ran in 1969, replaced by the Interserie in 1970 before the series later adopted a Formula Libre format. Early editions of the Japanese Grand Prix were dominated by Group 7 cars built by Japanese manufacturers. Many manufacturers became involved in Group 7, with

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formu ...

and

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company ...

building the most dominant cars in the category. Manufacturers Lola,

Chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranea ...

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

, BRM,

Shadow A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two- dimensional silhouett ...

Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...

, Toyota, and Isuzu all built Group 7 cars, while big-block

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

and Ford motors were the engines of choice throughout the world. The formula was current through to 1975,''Appendix J to the International Sporting Code 1975'', argent.fia.com
Retrieved on 1 November 2014 with two-seater racing cars defined under Group 6 regulations from 1976.''Appendix J to the International Sporting Code 1976'', argent.fia.com
Retrieved on 1 November 2014

Group 7 international formula racing cars (1976 to 1981)

From 1976 the FIA used the Group 7 designation for ''international formula racing cars''. The new Group 7 encompassed International Formulae Nos 1, 2 and 3, better known as

Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

, Formula 2 and Formula 3 respectively. It remained current through to 1981.''Appendix J to the International Sporting Code 1981'', argent.fia.com
Retrieved on 1 November 2014

Groups 1-9

References

{{Class of Auto racing Racing car classes Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Sports car racing