The formula was born from Formula Vee, a racing class introduced in 1959. Formula Super Vee retained the Volkswagen engine philosophy but stepped up the specification: where Formula Vee used air-cooled Type 1 engines of 1200cc or 1600cc, Super Vee initially required air-cooled Type 3 engines displacing 1600cc. The first Super Vee was designed and built by Gene Beach, an established Formula Vee constructor, at the request of Volkswagen of America's Jo Hoppen. Beach's car was put on display at the Daytona 24 Hours race to help launch the formula, while a second example — the Caldwell D-10, built by Ray Caldwell's Autodynamics concern — was shown at the New York Auto Show. John Zeitler built his first cars around the same period, and it was Zeitler's driver who won the very first Super Vee race at Lime Rock Park in 1970, held alongside the Formula Ford class.
The original regulations specified a fixed-ratio Volkswagen gearbox and prohibited Hewland units. A European gearbox manufacturer called Metso found a loophole by building Hewland-style boxes that were technically not Hewland products; once this was discovered, the regulations were amended and true Hewland gearboxes were allowed, with Hewland offering start money to drivers running their equipment — a change that effectively put Metso out of business.
Aerodynamic development also progressed through the life of the formula. Early cars ran without wings and with drum brakes at the rear. Subsequent rule changes permitted 8-inch rear wheels and rear disc brakes in 1973, and rear wings were introduced in 1975. Tyre specifications moved from treaded racing rubber to slicks as the formula matured.
The most significant technical shift came when the regulations were opened to accept the fuel-injected water-cooled engine from the Volkswagen Golf (sold in North America as the Rabbit). The water-cooled units were decisively more powerful and rapidly rendered the air-cooled cars uncompetitive. Most teams converted existing air-cooled chassis, with some manufacturers such as Lola supplying dedicated conversion kits. The SCCA briefly permitted 1700cc air-cooled engines in the United States to extend their competitive life during the transition period.
In Europe, Formula Super Vee occupied a rung roughly equivalent to Formula Three or Formula Renault — a meaningful step below Formula Two and therefore a recognised pathway toward Formula One. In the United States the series served a different function, acting as a feeder for IndyCar and Can-Am. By the late 1970s, the American series had acquired the informal title of "Mini-Indy," reflecting its role as the primary road-racing stepping stone to the IndyCar ladder.
The American championship was structured around two parallel competitions: the VW-Bosch Gold Cup for Super Vee, which had an older history, and the professional SCCA Super Vee Gold Cup series. A separate USAC Mini-Indy Series also crowned its own champion each year. Ron Tauranac's Ralt RT1 and RT5 designs, developed from his Formula Three work, achieved a near-monopoly in the US series during this period.
Early constructors included established Formula Vee builders such as Zink Cars, while more prominent manufacturers including Lola quickly joined the grid. The formula attracted a broad range of builders given the relatively accessible cost structure. In Europe the series declined earlier than in the United States, losing momentum to Formula Three. The American championship continued running as a road-racing series until 1990, outlasting the European counterpart by several years.
Formula Super Vee produced a generation of drivers who successfully progressed to higher single-seater formulas. Its longevity — twenty seasons across two continents — reflected the effectiveness of its format as a low-cost but technically credible stepping stone. The series demonstrated how a manufacturer-backed formula could maintain a coherent ladder structure while also functioning as product promotion, a model that later series such as Formula Renault would replicate in their own right.