The time period ‘grand touring’ was coined in Italy within the Twenties. It was used to describe automobiles designed to cowl massive distances, typically at pace however with a cushty trip and a level of luxurious. Over time, the grand touring/grand tourer – GT – idea carried over into racing (minus the consolation) and allowed producers to reveal the reliability and efficiency of their sports activities automobiles.
Quick ahead to the late ’90s and early 2000s; GT racers had advanced with massive capability, naturally aspirated engines and excessive downforce, and so they dominated the endurance racing lessons of the period. These GT automobiles discovered followers within the youth of the time by way of video video games and have become the poster automobiles of the era. The latest Goodwood Members’ Assembly offered a possibility to stand up shut and private with a few of these motorsport heroes.
The GT1-spec Dodge (or Chrysler, relying on the area) Viper was extremely profitable in interval. A collaboration between Oreca in France and Reynard within the UK, the Viper GTS-R mixed a big however under-stressed engine and a good dealing with package deal to web dozens of victories.
In truth, so efficient was the Viper GTS-R on the Nürburgring 24 Hour race that there have been fixed makes an attempt to lower its efficiency by way of new rules.
The primary was by limiting gas hundreds, however the workaround that Zakspeed – who had been now operating Vipers – got here up with was a quick-change gas tank, which meant the extra frequently-required stops may very well be carried out faster. With the rear bodywork swung open, the close to empty tank may very well be eliminated through dry break connectors and a full gas tank was fitted instead, saving precious seconds.
The second new regulation problem was a reducing of the utmost engine capability to six.2L. Given the Viper got here with an 8.0-litre V10 engine, Zakspeed needed to suppose creatively. The brand new rule said that the unique engine block needed to be retained, however it didn’t point out whether or not all cylinders had for use. By plugging the V10’s first two cylinders and eradicating the corresponding rotating meeting, the Viper engine primarily turned a 6.2-litre V8.
Restricted success adopted with this setup although, because the GT subject had superior significantly. The Viper was retired, however by this level it had confirmed itself with accolades all around the world – IMSA in America, JGTC in Japan, the FIA GT Championship in Europe and the British GT Championship.
The Corvette C5-R was Common Motors’ response to the Viper GTS-R, and going by the variety of podiums it achieved, it was a vastly profitable rebuttal. That success has continued to this present day, with every passing era of Corvette accumulating GT race silverware. Each C5-R and C6-R variants took to the monitor in the course of the Members’ Assembly, and whereas the visible variations between the fashions was obvious, underneath the pores and skin they’re mechanically comparable.
The C5-R got here into the aggressive fold late into the manufacturing automotive’s lifecycle, which means the C5R and C6-R had been developed alongside each other. This in flip meant that lots of the motorsport adjustments trickled all the way down to the street automobiles in a short time upon the C6’s launch.
Prodrive was closely concerned with not only one, however two producers collaborating in GT racing. The primary, and arguably one of many best-looking GT automobiles, was the the Ferrari 550 GT1. Care Racing Improvement commissioned Prodrive (who we’ve visited earlier than) to show the 550 Maranello right into a automotive that might compete within the American Le Mans Sequence, the FIA GT Championship, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 5,500cc engine was enlarged to six,000cc and over 550kg (1,212lb) of weight discount carried out, together with a plethora of different chassis and physique adjustments. The efforts paid off, with over 50 wins (general or in school), together with a Le Mans GT class win in 2003 and an outright win on the 2004 Spa 24 Hours. The 12 Ferrari 550 GT1s that Prodrive produced competed in a complete of 343 races between 2001 and 2008 and achieved 60 pole positions, 69 victories and 151 podium finishes, additional cementing Prodrive’s repute of manufacturing world-class race automobiles.
If Prodrive may obtain all that from a meagre 16 weeks of growth, what may they do with 9 months? The Aston Martin DB9R is the reply.
Given the similarities in chassis and engine, classes learnt with the 550 had been utilized to the DB9, however provided that the Aston Martin wouldn’t solely exist as a manufacturing unit automotive but in addition be bought to privateers, a number of it was simplified within the curiosity of value and ease of upkeep. The standard of construct may be measured by the very fact the DB9 received the 24 Hours of Sebring on its very first outing.
600hp paired with 1,100kg and ‘old skool’ dealing with much less encumbered with electronics gave the Corvettes a tough time.
By the point the DB9R retired, it had received 28 of the 199 occasions it entered, together with the Le Mans 24 Hour twice.
The final three automobiles that rounded out the GT1 run group on the Members’ Assembly are lesser recognized however no much less attention-grabbing.
Saleen Automotive is extra generally related to Ford efficiency tuning within the US, however when the corporate’s proprietor Steve Saleen wished to go racing, he gathered an ensemble of specialists of their respective fields and the S7 was the end result. This was the primary authentic Saleen automotive.
The S7R racing variant got here quickly after, and with it some sporadic podium finishes. Probably the most notable efficiency was beating an overly-confident Ferrari on their house turf at Imola in opposition to the freshly launched Maserati MC12 GT1, in entrance of assorted VIPs and press.
Marcos first competed within the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 with the Mini Marcos, however it wasn’t till 1992 that the Mantara was launched. Via a collection of evolutions this turned turned the Marcos Mantara LM600, which is what was seen on the Members’ Assembly.
From humble beginnings in North Wales, the LM600 with its bulbous bodywork and front-mid mounted engine received the British GT Championship 3 times. Sadly although, success didn’t comply with it onto the worldwide stage.
Equally as obscure because the Marcos was the Lister GT. Lister was well-known within the late ’80s for modifying the road-going Jaguar XJS. Massive engines – 7,000cc, large pace – 200mph, and massive value tags – £100,000. Within the ’80s these numbers had been ludicrous.
Lister’s founder, Laurence Pierce, finally grew bored with tuning and as a substitute wished to create his personal flagship automobile. He known as it the Storm.
Via Pierce’s relationship with Jaguar, engine parts from the Le Mans-winning Jaguar XJR-12 had been bought and fitted, giving the Storm the most important manufacturing automotive engine since WWII. Sadly for Lister, the McLaren F1 hit the monitor in the identical 12 months the Storm competitors automotive first debuted at Le Mans, after which a 12 months later Porsche’s 911 GT1 joined the fold.
The Storm by no means really reached its stride till the GT1 class was disbanded, and finally discovered success in GT2, profitable FIA GT and British GT titles.
I can’t assist however suppose that after these automobiles slowly light from competitors, GT endurance racing misplaced its method for some time. The ingenuity and want to compete with one thing totally different had disappeared and low quantity producers had been nowhere to be seen.
Seeing any one in every of these automobiles in isolation can be an important day, however the drawcard of a GT demonstration at Goodwood Circuit because the solar set introduced again among the pleasure. For these of us not lucky sufficient to see these superb race automobiles competing the primary time round, all this did was reaffirm the obsession. Time to dig out these posters out once more.
Chaydon Ford
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