The Birth of the Echidna

Every era has its mad geniuses, and for American sports-car racing in the 1950s, that crew came out of Hibbing, Minnesota. Ed Grierson, Bill Larson, and John Staver didn’t just want to go racing, they wanted to build something that could actually beat the fancy imports that strutted around the SCCA paddock. The result was the Echidna, a homegrown Chevy-powered beast that was as scrappy as it was fast.

Why the Name?

It’s not every day you name a race car after a spiny little Australian critter. The echidna is shy, tough, and a little mythical when you really dig into it, which fit the car perfectly. Only three Echidnas were ever built, but those three carried enough fight to push around Jaguars, Ferraris, and Maseratis in the golden age of sports-car racing.

Chevy Bones, Racer’s Heart

Here’s where the story gets good for us bowtie fans. The Echidna wasn’t built from exotic parts or some unobtainable factory kit. These guys grabbed Chevrolet passenger-car pieces and went to work. The chassis? A chopped-up Chevy sedan frame from ’56-57. Suspension? Chevy ball joints with a double A-arm setup. Brakes? Corvette drums. The power? A snarling small-block Chevy hooked up to a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed.

Add in a roll bar for stiffness, a Devin fiberglass body slathered in baby blue paint, and you had a car that looked slick but fought like a street brawler.

Taking on the World

The Echidna wasn’t a garage queen. It went straight at the heavy hitters of the time—Jaguar D-types, Ferrari Testa Rossas, Maserati 450s, and even other Corvettes. Behind the wheel, guys like Staver, Grierson, and Larson showed no fear. Staver took the 1959 SCCA B-Modified Championship with one of these cars, proving this wasn’t just some backyard project.

Across 35 starts, the Echidnas finished 25 races, pulled off five wins, and racked up nine podiums. That’s consistency and guts, the kind of record that still earns respect.

Echidna 2 and the Lasting Legacy

Of the three, Echidna 2 stands tall as the survivor that keeps the story alive. Built in ’59 with Chevy’s Rochester fuel-injection setup, it was a weapon in its day and still brings fire to historic events like the Rolex Monterey Reunion at Laguna Seca. When you see it on track today, you’re not just watching a car, you’re seeing a chapter of American racing history roar back to life.

In fact, the Echidna remains a living legend. At the 2018 Spring Classic at Laguna Seca, it was back on track once again, mixing it up in historic racing groups. The photo I captured there is proof that this car isn’t just a relic—it’s still stretching its legs, echoing its glory days every time it dives into the Corkscrew.

On the Track

The Echidna’s highlight reel is short but sweet. In 1958, Staver hustled the car to an 8th-place overall at Road America’s June Sprints, and by ’59, the team found its stride. At Sioux Falls, Staver won a Preliminary and finished 2nd in the Feature, while Grierson and Larson added podiums of their own. The crown jewel came at the 1959 Road America 500, where Staver and Grierson shared car #64 to finish 7th overall and 1st in B-Modified, toppling Ferraris and Jags in their class. That same year, Staver scored an outright Road America victory and locked down the 1959 SCCA B-Modified National Championship.

The 1960 season saw tougher luck with DNFs in Nationals, but Larson still bagged a 9th-place finish in the Road America 200 Mile and Grierson snagged a runner-up spot at Mankato. All told, the Echidnas combined for about 35 starts, winning between 5 and 8 overall, with as many as 17 class wins, depending on whose records you trust.

Why the Echidna Still Roars

The Echidna is proof that racing greatness doesn’t have to come out of Italy or England. Sometimes it comes out of Minnesota, built with Chevy parts and pure determination. The car’s success was a victory for every underdog American team that dreamed of toppling the so-called giants of sports-car racing.

Echidna 2 belongs in the conversation with the best of the best, not just for what it won but for what it stood for. Every lap it turned was a defiant reminder that American grit and a Chevy small-block could stand toe to toe with Europe’s finest. Even today, when it rolls out at vintage weekends, you can feel that same energy ripple through the crowd—the underdog that once rattled Ferraris and Jaguars still has the bite to make fans cheer.