The company was founded by Don Nichols in California in 1968 as "Advanced Vehicle Systems"; the cars were called Shadows, designed by Trevor Harris and entered under the Shadow Racing Inc. banner. 

      Shadow Racing Cars was a Formula One and sports car racing team.

      The sports car racing team, competing in the CanAm series, was founded in 1968 and was based in the United States. The Formula One team was founded in 1973 and was                based in Northampton, the United Kingdom. The Formula One team held an American licence from 1973 to 1975 and a British licence from 1976 to 1980, thus becoming the          first Formula One team to officially change its nationality. Their only Formula One victory, at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix, was achieved as a British team.

      The Shadow name was revived by Bernardo Manfrè in 2020 as an Italian car tuning and luxury brand.

 

Headquarter: Northampton, United Kingdom

dn5b 1976

The Shadow DN5 was a Formula One car used by the Shadow team during the 1975 Formula One season. Updated to a 'B' specification, it was used through the 1976 Formula One season and for the first two races of the following season. It was qualified on pole position three times, and twice achieved a fastest lap in a race. Its best finish in a race was third (twice), both times driven by Tom Pryce.

The DN5 proved to be a fast car, which qualified well several times. In fact, for the first race of the season, the Argentine Grand Prix, Jarier, the team leader qualified the DN5 on pole.

The DN5 was updated into a 'B' specification for the 1976 Formula One season. However, while the reliability of the DN5B was much improved from its parent, it was not as competitive, at least during the latter part of the year. 

The DN5B continued into the 1977 Formula One season, driven by Shadow's new driver, Renzo Zorzi, in the two first races of the year. 

Shadow DN5B 1976 (youtube.com)

dn8 1977

The Shadow DN8 was a Formula One car used by the Shadow team during the 1976, 1977 and 1978 Formula One seasons. Driven by Alan Jones, it won the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix, Shadow's only Grand Prix victory.

The Shadow DN8 was conceptualised by Tony Southgate before he left the team to join Team Lotus. Dave Wass then completed the design work. It featured a low monocoque tub with hip radiators and an oil cooler positioned in the nose (but which would later be moved). Originally intended for the beginning of the 1976 season, a lack of funds following the withdrawal of major sponsor UOP the previous year meant the DN8 did not make its debut until late in the year, at the Dutch Grand Prix. Only one DN8 was produced for 1976, and it would not be until the third race of the following season that two DN8s were available for the drivers.

Southgate returned to the team in the summer of 1977, and this prompted development of the DN8; the chassis was slimmed down with the water and oil coolers reworked for the latter part of the season.

After the promise of this first race, it reverted to a midfield runner for the rest of the season. This continued into the early part of the 1977 Formula One season. After Pryce was killed during the South African Grand Prix, the team brought in Alan Jones as a replacement. Jones finished in the points in Monaco and Belgium, and scored a win in the Austrian Grand Prix, from 14th on the grid.

The DN8 remained in service for the early part of the 1978 Formula One season for the team's new drivers, Hans Stuck and Clay Regazzoni. Regazzoni finished fifth at Brazil, but both drivers failed to qualify for the next race in South Africa. The Shadow DN9 was introduced at the following race for Stuck's use, while Regazzoni got his DN9 the race after.

Shadow DN8 1977 (youtube.com)

1973–1975

1975–1976

1976–1979

1979–1980

1980–1981

2020–now