1975 FM Cerberus 1800 Group 4
1994 FM Horizon Super Tourer
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#54 Bresko Typ 6C 230E
The 1956 Bresko Type 6C was many things. It was bold. It was a risktaker. For sure, it was a dangerous venture from a company that had little knowledge of motorsports and racing. 5 endurance models were made during its lifespan, with an additional 2 models made specifically for qualifying, of which only 1 remains. The one brought to this year’s Donington Historics is Production Model No.1, #54, which was driven by none other than Mateo Bresko, one of the two founding brothers of Bresko Motors. Unfortunately, it never won a race, though it had several podium finishes.
Brief History of Bresko Motors
Bresko Motors started out in life as an engine supplier for boats and utility vehicles in Austria during WW2, founded by two Argentinian brothers that had moved to Europe due to their home country's refusal to import the heavy machinery needed to manufacture substantial amounts of engines. Soon after the war ended, they set their sights on something that had taken quite a bit of traction over the years; motorsport. Specifically, automobiles built for the sole purpose of going fast. Filled with grandiose plans and high expectations, Bresko Motors began calling out to other manufacturers and gathering information on how to build a competitive racing machine.
Details and Photos
This 1956 Bresko 6C, is the manufacturer’s first attempt at an endurance racer for the World Sports Car Championship. It sports an advanced fiberglass shell over a steel ladder chassis. Due to the lack of rigidity, additional bracing had to be implemented under the bodywork.
Sitting under the car are 4 standard racing cross-ply tyres, connected to the chassis by a 4-wheel independent suspension consisting of Double Wishbones at the front, and Semi-Trailing Arms at the back. High quality steel drum brakes with metallic pads gave it enough stopping power to rival that of Mercedes’ own 300 SLR.
Powering it all was Bresko’s own flagship engine at the time, its 3.5L Inline 6, destroked to 3 liters to conform to regulations. The head, originally consisting of a direct acting overhead cam, has been changed for a high performance double overhead cam unit, but keeping its two valves per cylinder in an attempt to maintain reliability. This new head, now made from aluminum instead of cast iron, allowed the engine to tip the scales at a mere 240 kg, which was a feat for its highly complicated new head, large displacement and long block. Tuned for endurance, it made 230 BHP at 6000 RPM, but in qualifying it could make up to 260 BHP.
The number 54 is also symbolic, as it’s the amount of horsepower their first ever engine had. As such, it became BM’s racing number.
4 Likes
#61 1968 Scagliati 385LM
The mid to late 1960s was a golden era for Scagliati, with the company’s road cars the darling of the rich and famous the world over, and the company’s motorsports teams enjoying success in every major series. 1968 marked the debut of the all-new 385 LM sports prototype car, which was built to continue Scagliati’s assault on sports car racing after the three-litre displacement cap hobbled the fastest Group 6 cars following the 1967 season. The requirement to build 25 cars meant for the first time, Scagliati was able to give top-level sports prototype cars to teams outside the factory-run Squadra Scagliati team.
Powered by a 4.6-litre version of Scagliati’s brand-new Mirano Due V12, the 385 LM was a force to be reckoned with, though teething troubles in early rounds of 1968 ultimately cost Scagliati the constructor’s victory in the International Championship of Makes. Nevertheless, the 385 LM set the sports car racing world on notice, especially during the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the #61 car set a trap speed of 364.5 kilometres per hour on the Mulsanne straight.
Driven by Luigi Baghetti and Werner Muller, the #61 385 LM was run by the newly-formed Scuderia Scagliati, a semi-factory team bankrolled by Scagliati’s American dealer network. Running in both the World Sportscar Championship and other American events - the reason why the car runs two sets of numbers on the side - the #61 385 LM retired from the 24 Hours of Daytona, but placed well in the rest of the rounds of the WSC, often beating the faster but less reliable 415 LMS cars that factory-run Squadra Scagliati entered.
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1997 LMC Maladus M200 GT1
LMC entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Maladus M200 GT1 for the first time in 1994 and later the FIA GT Championship in 1997. The car was further modified every year to keep pace with the rapidly changing field. Opting for a traditional FR layout, The M200 GT1 was powered by a N/A 5.8L V10 producing approx. 630 hp. The all-carbon body went through extensive changes year after year and by 1997, there was little resemblance to the production car outside of the lights. By 1998, the cars struggled to compete with the near prototype mid-engine competitors.
17 Likes
#16
The Rossa R65C of 1965
For “Endurance 60s” class
The name means Rossa 65 Corsa and well… i’m not sure about the last part of the name 
.
The lights must be around 50 fixtures each (guessing) because the inside of the housing is made, of cource, out of multiple flat body moulding fixtures and the same with the crome edge.
The back isn’t as elaborate however, the grilles are body moulding stuff. The main party piece at the back is the rear lip spoiler thing which you will now notice is made of 11 spoilers so that it carries on the stripe.
Also the exhausts are rather nice i think.
There is quite a lot in this picture.
The wheels are racing specific wheels with pins in the middle that i painted gold coz… P3…no, inspiration.
The rear glass has vents in the glass made of cutout patchwork that i feel add a realism to the cooling that cannot be achieved without a…
Full interior which i think went rather well with the little bracing i did.
Finally i carried on the stripes over the behind-glass grille.
In this picture, and previous side pics, you can see the “Mc Drive-Thru Windows” (thanks Quotex) or racing slide-y wide-y (thin, too thin-y) windows.
In my description of the car i only directed your attention to the design and even then only the areas where it is good. Therefore please critique my design and plausibility.
22 Likes
1995 Tristella Noctua GTR
#43 Linea Vitale
During the 1994 NYIAS, Tristella unveiled its Noctua supercar, along with their plans of racing it in the 1995 season. With a carbon fiber construction and powered by a 5.2l V10, the Noctua GTR was rumored to be making at least 640HP in race spec, while weighing in just over 1000 kilos. This one, was one of the four examples entered into the 1995 Le Mans season, piloted by Sebastian Morgenstern, Veeti Takala and Marco Drago. The Noctua would continue to race in later year of GT1, though needing heavy upgrades to keep up in the later years.
Additional Images
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1997 #36 Clockwise Voltari Paragon GT1
Driven by 
Hugo Ekström and 
David Williams
GT1 Class
The Voltari Paragon GT1 was the racing variant of the Paragon road car, based around a screaming naturally-aspirated V12, a lightweight frame made of aluminum and carbon fibre, and featuring a truly pure driving experience. In GT1 spec, the Paragon’s 6.3L naturally-aspirated V12 made 690 horsepower, mated to a bespoke 6-speed manual, with that electrifying power being sent to the rear wheels. This Paragon GT1 had the 1997 season exclusive yellow and blue livery, a nod to Voltari’s Swedish roots. Seen here is the #36 Paragon GT1, the only remaining Paragon GT1. The other two Paragon GT1’s (#34 and #40) that raced with the example seen here, were both unfortunately totaled in the Paragon GT1’s final season in 1999. The crashes, and the resultant death of car #40’s lead driver, led to Voltari’s exit from racing in the new millennia, and they did not return until 2013. However, despite the unfortunate events that transpired towards the end of the Paragon’s lifespan, it took the GT1 constructor’s championship win twice, once in 1997 and again in 1999, as well as taking an overall season win in 1997.
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1990 #7 - Tengai Fuiji - GT-R Group A
During the infamous Group A in 1990, the Tengai Fuiji GT-R was introduced alongside with other Japanese with other brands such as the Nissan R32 Skyline. As did the R32 dominate in group A, so did the Tengai Fuiji with their AWD drive-trains and powerful I6 turbo engines. The car was based of a new revised chassis of the Tengai Fuji series, replacing the RWD drive-train with its new AWD system. The car itself weighs in at 1.3tons with the stock block capable of pushing well over 700hp. The official car ran just around 550bhp with this in mind, the car, needlessly to say, proved to be a capable rival to the Skyline.
Pictures!
14 Likes
Mostima’s Racing Heritages
1982 Mostima 2400 GT Gr.A “The OG of flying bricks”
Mostima 2400 GT Gr.A was the “special homologation” car based on the popular Mostima’s 2400 lineup.
Despite of controversy of the “Homologation model”, which Mostima actually build the Mostima 2400 GT with “Homologated” Group A parts for the installation within a short period prior to inspection, this 2400 GT model became one of the most popular of the Mostima lineup, apart from 130MX Turbo which released within the same year, while gathered one of the greatest victories that boosted the image for the Mostima, from being sedated family car to the car with dual personalities.
On the actual 2400 GT, which uses the 2.3 liters straight 4, but this 2400 GT Gr.A uses the special 2.1 liters turbocharged engine named “MS21FMT” with state of the art electronic fuel injection.
This actual car was based on the US exported version (as having the sealed headlights), but later become one of the Mostima’s legendary cars which took part in the major Group A events. One of the most remembered events is the Australian’s Bathurst which received the name “The darkhorse in underdog’s disguise”
This car appeared again in the British Touring Car Championship, and scored many success both to the company and the marketing.
1996 Mostima 8500 BTCC Car “The Legendary of 5 cylinders madness”
After the long-absent in motorsports, Mostima’s marketing team decided to boost the image again since the 80s to introduce the newest FWD platform car, the Mostima 8500 series.
Mostima 8500 was the first major design to become the worthy successor of the 2400 series. One of the major changes is switched to the Front Wheel Drive layout with a very unusual 5 cylinders engine.
This Mostima 8500 BTCC was based on the normal 8500 model within the BTCC regulation, selected from the 8500 model with 2 liters 5 cylinder engine, with help from renowned engine tuner had transformed into the racing monster.
The car appeared in the BTCC in 1996 season, this time the 8500 BTCC shocked many spectators again with success, and helped boosted the sales figure of the newly 8500 model. Also, the Mostima has a very special model based on the 2 liters 8500 Model as “Mostima 8500 Brands Hatch Edition” to commemorate the victory.
10 Likes
#83 1999 CMW Team GB FR280 ST
1999 marked the debut of an all-new CMW FR sedan, and the decision was made to use the car to make an all-out assault on the various European touring car series. Three separate programs were started within CMW Motorsport, to run cars in the British Touring Car Championship, DTM and the fledgling Scandinavian Touring Car Championship. By far, the most successful of these programs was the BTCC program, where the largely free rules allowed CMW Motorsport considerable latitude to change FR sedan as they saw fit.
A silhouette race car in every possible way, the FR280 ST shared little with the road-going FR, with the basic shape being about the only carryover between the two. Advanced materials in the chassis and body, sophisticated electronics and a purpose-built, 2-litre inline-6 engine producing well in excess of 280 horsepower made the FR280 ST a dominant force in the 1999 BTCC season. Many observers of the series noted that in the final years of the Super Touring formula, development costs spiraled out of control, and the FR280 ST was the final shot in that battle, prompting the organisers to abandon the formula shortly after.
The #83 FR280 ST was driven by Paul Mehler, the young German phenom who went on to a long and successful career in Formula 1 and later endurance racing.
7 Likes
12 hours remain.
Because I don’t want anyone missing out on getting graded, I am missing cars from the following users
@LinkLuke
@jameseydude
@mart1n2005
If car files are not into me before the deadline the cars will not be participating.
1996 Daylilly Wildcat GT1 #168
The mid 90’s presented an issue for Daylilly as their factory efforts became split between the GT1 Wildcats and the Group A rally Wildcats, both rolled into the same homologation special road-legal sports car. The GT1 version, however, is the ultimate Wildcat, producing more than twice the power of the rally car and, in this high downforce spec, enough grip to compete with the mid engine GT1s in the corners. The 4.6L DOHC V10 produced 620 hp, more than enough even with the added drag to propel the car past 200 mph.
The car in this spec was highly criticized for exacerbating the already escalating arms race that would lead to the prototype years of 1997 and 1998 in attempts to compete with the Porsches on pace. The car would be entirely redesigned in 1998 as a full mid engine prototype on the expectation that the category would continue as it had in the past, only to be modified for LMGTP after the end of the season.
Unfortunately, after being taken out of storage in 2018, it was discovered that the original lexan windshield had been caved in and warped beyond repair from nearly 20 years of repeated heat cycles and a large box of spares that had slid off of the roof of the car in storage. A new windshield and sunstrip, now bearing the Daylilly Historics name were produced and fitted to the car in order to present it to the public once again.
7 Likes
1988 Kaizen VSCs AWD Group A #66 Mikon
Context
In 1985, the 8th generation Kaizen SC luxury executive car was released. Naturally, the VSC high performance version was entered into various competitions, including Group A touring car racing. In 1988, a technical update was issued, adding variable valve timing to the intake cam. For the Group A version, a race modified version of the production AAV series 3.6L naturally aspirated inline 6 generated 367 hp and 279 lbft of torque, channeled to a race modified production spec 5 speed manual transmission with all wheel drive, housed in an widened body. Better known for sticking closer to production cars than competitors, the VSC mainly banked on its reliability and AWD traction, being slightly underpowered and overweight. This is the #66 car fielded by the Kaizen Victoria factory racing team and sponsored by Mikon, driven by then rising stars Nico Schmitz and Brady Gibbs.
8 Likes
My two entries:
For the CSC Category
MAHG Ksi Spéciale
Coming straight from the factory, this has then been modified by a local MAHG dealer ( hence the 72 number refering to LE MANS’ department number) to compete in the '59 Edition! Its body matches its country since it is Racing Blue!
For the Endurance 60’s
MAHG Omega Spéciale
Built for racing from scratch, this car wears the colour scheme of the Ksi to pay hommage to the first car racing on LE MANS from MAHG. This time it has a 2 tone body. They found out that the fourgonette (truckette) body improved top speed so they went for it! The V12 has been re-engineered and got mechanical FI top extract more power!
Halcón Automotive Industries pulls up to Donington Park with a full array of four of their race cars from over the years. The team is careful while unpacking them.
Competition Sports Car: 1957 Halcón Especial
The Especial was constructed over a period of two years from 1955 to the start 1957 by the two founders of Halcón Automotive Industries before the company was officially established. Their goal was to create a car that could compete in the local World Sports Car rounds in Spain, as well as the regional Mille Miglia. Focusing on the space frame construction of the vehicle, the two brothers purchased engines from various manufacturers, often engines that had already been used in a few different rallies or races that the team no longer trusted to stay in one piece. Most notably, this included using a three litre engine made by an Italian motorsports team, which the two brothers rebuilt and modified to fit their car better. This car represents the first generation of a limited number of Halcón built machinery. It's far from the most successful car in classic sports car racing, but it represented the two brothers' intent to create a recognizable sports car brand.
Group 5: 1982 Halcón Salvaje Azure
The Halcón Salvaje Azure comes from the base model Halcón Salvaje produced from 1980 to 1986. Its V6 in the front was replaced with a larger racing block V6 with twin turbos allowing the car to safely push to 640 HP. The miniature wheelbase of the Salvaje Azure made the car aerodynamically unstable at high speeds, but various iterations up to the 1982 Season helped to improve the situation for the drivers with a full floor and rear overhang to better harness the air moving around the car. The car continued to race in the IMSA GTO category for a few years after the fall of Group 5, with limited success.
Group C: 1987 Halcón HR87-GC
The Halcón Racing prototype of 1987 marked twenty years of the company having the Spanish based petroleum company, Gasól, as their main sponsor. Thanks to the racing development team of Halcón taking on various new aerodynamic designers during this period, the HR87 proved to be a formidable chassis in the right hands, powered by a bespoke small block V8 with twin turbochargers. The chassis found success at circuits such as Paul Ricard and Jerez. However, with the evolution of Group C moving quickly into the new decade, the HR87 chassis couldn’t keep up, and wound up being replaced by another prototype chassis before it ever saw its first win.
Group A: 1989 Halcón Petricor
Petrichor is usually used to describe the smell of rain on dry soil after a long drought, and for many Halcón consumers, that is what this new super saloon represented. Built at the tail end of the 80’s, the sedan was designed to be the company’s first journey into high performance saloons, a market segment they had often neglected, using smaller sensible sedans as their primary revenue stream to fund their motorsports endeavors. Putting an updated, naturally aspirated small block V8 into the car with information they learned from the HR87, they quickly found a potent and handsome package that enthusiasts ate up. The main drawback was that the complex valvetrain led to more frequent service intervals, even leading to a recall of over 20,000 Petricors for oil pump failure. Despite the drama with the road car, the Halcón Petricor found itself in the Group A touring car category against the very best, still sponsored by Gasól.
7 Likes
1957 Yorvik T-5 and 1962 Yorvik T-8
Yorvik are bringing 2 of their historic race cars, the T-5 and the T-8, to Donington for this event. Despite cars from the company capable of using numerous engines to succeed on track, both use the same Bramble 6 engine, yet compete in different eras, and indeed, in different classes.
1957 Yorvik T-5
The Yorvik T-5 is the larger of the two – it’s 2.4 litre (well, 2.45 if we’re being pedantic) engine powers the aluminium clad spaceframe chassis to nearly 150mph, while the all independent suspension leads the T-5 to corner just as well as it looks. 150 mph isn’t too impressive for a sportscar, but that wasn’t why the Yorvik was so successful. Instead, it relied on reliability, and a massive fuel tank – so big that the rear window had to be reduced in height to allow it to fit! With these two advantages, the T-5 would never take a win on any of the fast, speed dependent courses, but would instead excel on the endurance events that frequently took place in the fast fifties.
1962 Yorvik T-8
The Yorvik T-8 is the little brother, and has a little story of it’s own. Rumour has it that just 60 days before the 1952 Le Mans, Yorvik accepted the money to produce a car for the 2 litre and under class for Luigi Salamanca, a Spanish Businessman who had shown interest in sponsoring Yorvik if the car was a success. What Yorvik had not told Mr. Salamanca was that they had no car even in development to run in the 2-litre class! So they simply grabbed a Bramble 6, (which was now incredibly reliable, having been ran in competitions for half a decade by Yorvik at this point) destroked and sleeved the bores as required, then rammed it into a near-standard GT car they’d been prototyping for nearly 4 years!
This explains the T-8’s anachronistic style, including painted over indicators, and the bumper mounting holes used as extra cooling. Astonishingly, the T-8 did work remarkably well – it lasted 22 hours before the stock suspension gave up the ghost – not bad for a car called throughout the factory as ‘the bag of spares’!
5 Likes
2 HOURS REMAIN
Missing car files from a few people.
@LinkLuke
@jameseydude
@mart1n2005
@Alib
Don’t delay and please make sure your naming is correct, I’ve already had to drop 2 cars due to failing to comply to naming.
5 Likes
Zac Attack: Donington Historic 2020
An unmarked Thanos tractor-trailer arrives in the parking lot with a massive trailer. The door opens slowly, yet deliberately, as crossplane chugging, flat-six burbling, and flatplane whirring escape the chamber. Then come four cars, emerging one by one as the leader, a smooth copper sculpture, searches for some open spaces.
These cars, you may ask? Keep reading to find out…
1967 Zacspeed 875
In 1960, Silver-York released the Basillina. A clear success, with crowds of people clamoring to see one, owners of the car were plenty satisfied with what they got. Soon enough, however, letters came in inquiring about the luxury brand building a more performance-oriented version of the Basillina, perhaps one they could take racing. Zacspeed, at the time, was a performance company entering its eighth year in existence, and it was high time they expanded their range beyond flat-sixes of varying sizes.
Thus, in that same year, Silver-York and Zacspeed engaged in a partnership: the former would provide V8 engines to the latter, and the latter would provide performance services to the former’s varying products. These engines found their way into plenty of applications, though through the early half of the 60s, an itch manifested itself, one that could only be relieved by competing at the highest level in the World Sportscar Championship.
Unable to resist, the 875 was greenlit on January 3, 1964, though the one displayed at Donington this year is from 1967. In its fourth guise, the 875 features an experimental Silver-York 427 rumored to be put together in 97 days. This all-aluminum engine saw its pushrod head replaced with a two-valve, single-overhead-cam solution, and its Weber carburetors replaced with a drag car’s mechanical fuel injection system, then tweaked for endurance.
Affectionately called the “Bird of Prey,” this mad scientist’s project made 457 HP at 5,400 RPM and 480 lb-ft at 3,900 RPM. To fit this evolution, new fiberglass bodywork was installed - its mirrors integrated into the front fenders clearly indicate this commitment to refining how air flowed over and through the car. The tried-and-true four-speed manual appears again here, helping the 0.364-Cd vessel reach a maximum velocity of 212 MPH. Pairing its light weight - 1,108 kilograms - with 345-section rear tires ensured this car could tackle corners with confidence.
Dan Miles and Ace Barrett were tasked by the factory Zacspeed Racing team with keeping this #2 car under control. A copper-and-black blur on the track, it proved the team learned from prior attempts and were ready to apply newer technologies to challenge its opposition. This lead to strong results in several rounds, proving itself a formidable opponent in the endurance racing world at the time.
So impressed was Ace with the car’s performance that he requested a development chassis for himself. In 1970, while Zacspeed furthered its sportscar ambitions with the 408, Ace founded Sirius Aeromotive with three other people. Using the chassis as a basis for his own automotive experiments, including a custom wedge-shaped shell, he often brought his son, Rex, along to help engineer his cars. In 1971, however, he lost control of his test car at speeds approaching 200 MPH and passed away shortly after.
The aforementioned 408 would continue racing in the WSC until 1971, with 1972 mandating teams use engines of at most 3.0L displacement due to Group 6 regulations being used. A successor, the 248, would be employed to do battle in this new fifth group, but the old car would continue to find success in Can-Am. There, it rapidly evolved into a fire-breathing, power-chucking, turbo-whistling hellspawn infamously labeled “Turbohammer.” Even its drivers would sweat beads at the sight of it.
Meanwhile, the Zacspeed I entered its second generation in 1965. Rebranded as the ONE, it maintained the same rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, though the engine range used larger flat-sixes. As time progressed, technologies from these race cars, such as five-speed manual transmissions and mechanical fuel injection, trickled down into various upgrades. Turbocharging entering the range was inevitable.
Group 5 was shaken up again in 1976 with the “Special Production Car” category, and that was where all hell broke loose. This Falcon-sponsored car is not one of those first-year entries, but rather a more extreme science project. A water-cooled, twin-turbocharged, 3.2L flat-six now sat in the rear, and even more extreme bodywork was employed. No punches were pulled in its high-downforce design, including a rear end laying bare the turbochargers the engine was connected to.
Taking advantage of an overly rich fuel mixture, the engine pulsed out 645 HP at 7,400 RPM and 481 lb-ft at 6,400 RPM, and its turbo lag is a far cry from modern cars’ near-immediate response. Despite the absurd amounts of downforce this Group 7-derived fiberglass kit produced, the 3.2 was enough to manage 190 MPH on the longest straights in its cornering configuration, aided in part by a full undertray and 380-section rear tires. Such was its fearsome speed that just like the other blue turbo car, it received its own nickname - “Peregrine.”
This bird of prey’s two handlers? Derek Bellof and Johann Strommlen. In their sturdy hands, the #38 car’s silhouette was imprinted in opponents’ minds. Those hands needed to be sturdy, too, as it was often the case that the chassis would twist from this much power. Bellof, who later partook in many of Zacspeed Racing’s Group C antics, went on record declaring the ONE 5 as “the most delirious car” he ever drove. In one interview, Strommlen, a former 248 driver, described how it was “easier to drive at 130 MPH than it was at 30 MPH.”
Despite their complaints, it turned in many a solid result, often vying for outright victory. This specific ONE 5’s engine would serve as a template for race cars, including Group C’s 536. Naturally, the technologies innovated here eventually propogated through the entire road car lineup.
Eventually, Group 5 would be dissolved; in its place, Group C rose to prominence. Such prominence, in fact, that in 1991, its original, endurance-focused ruleset was replaced with one favoring F1-powered cars. Previous cars like the 442 and 536 were sandbagged with 100kg and banned outright the following year. Privateers scrambled with Group C2’s obliteration. Car counts were halved. Zacspeed Racing, with its crown-jewel endurance car in the crosshairs, was faced with a choice: adapt or face obliteration.
At a recent auto show, Bradford Designs showcased an open-top concept that drew many stares - some smiling, some grimacing. Nevertheless, Jerome Lee Stanner’s design attracted plenty of attention, enough to convince track engineer Rupert Hose into networking with Stanner. Explaining the situation, Stanner met with the team shortly after; to prepare a car in time for the first race, both companies would work together to crunch-build and refine the Ax-1 for the 1991 and 1992 seasons.
With 1993 on the horizon, plus how race distances were cut in half due to how much less reliable the engines were, it was clear to both teams that the championship now prioritized speed over endurance. In this newfound pursuit of grip, it was decided to co-develop that year’s Group C car with its Formula 1 car - the FZ93C. The open-topped alternate concept was modified with bodywork from the closed-top car, but more louvers were added to the front fenders. This was possible because of the radically-revised front end, aping the F1 car’s nose and front wing.
The 3500cc V8 heart, developed from the closed-top car, stayed, churning out nearly 570 HP, while weight sat around 875 kilograms. While its vmax did suffer from how downforce was fortified, this was part of the team’s strategy as well; with chicanes breaking Mulsanne into thirds, the car would already reach a slower top speed in one of those sections. 186 MPH was thought to be a fine compromise, allowing drivers to make the most of the radical body and its 350-section rear tires, not to mention the traction control, anti-lock brakes, and active suspension components from the FZ93C.
So closely-developed were the two open-topped cars that they even shared a driver - Alexandre Frost, who participated under the condition his F1 races would receive priority. Drivers Jack Hoff and Shige Ai - both from 1991 and 1992’s World Sportscar Championships - return. With three racing veterans, #22 was more than prepared to clench the championship.
Tragedy would strike, however, as the championship that year was cancelled. Despite this, Group C cars were allowed to race at Le Mans that year. With the week after Canada vacant, Frost was in the clear. Despite this variant lacking race experience, it brought the fight to the front grid. This interpretation of the new rules not only succeeded in terms of engineering, but it also ended up spawning a design that was ahead of its time. Within the next decade, Le Mans Prototypes would utilize multiple aerodynamic concepts experimented with here, including Zacspeed’s own P2K.
There to watch his father’s development and accident, Rex Barrett refused to let his efforts fade to dust. Inheriting Sirius, he and the other three started from a new chassis - a safer, lighter monocoque design - and fabricated wedge bodywork borrowing from his father’s design. Throw in a twin-turbocharged V8 of 4.5L, and the end result is 1979’s BX-1. Toured in various states of development, Rex’s first tasks were to acquire funds and employees.
With Sirius being the brightest star in the night sky, he only found it fitting for the company to shine brightest above all others, an American symbol of self-made success all could look up to. Eventually, the ball got rolling to building the BX-2 - Sirius’s first production car - and a successor - the BR-3 - which was the first Sirius to gain a cult following. With the WR-2, Rex wanted to tick off another box: building the first Sirius to go racing. Aware of how slowly his cars sold and how much they cost, Rex knew exactly who to contact.
Zacspeed set straight to work. When the car raced in IMSA GTO from 1992 to 1994, Group C2’s Zacspeed 375 proved central to the engine’s development. That car had a 3.0L V8, and to make matters simpler, the WR-2’s 4.1L V8 was destroked to just under 3.0L. Once packing over 700 horsepower, a different set of turbochargers were used, bringing power to just about 650 horses. It was still capable of revving beyond 9000 RPM (9500 RPM in this guise), though due to this engine’s unorthodox design, the crankshaft utilized a cross-plane design. Thus, its two exhausts dumped a most unnatural warble as it whooshed about.
Its design attracted plenty of attention as well, with IMSA GTO providing plenty of opportunities for the team to refine its aerodynamics. The idea was to ensure it looked and acted like no other car on the field - that way, people could immediately recognize it. In an era where curvier cars came to cleave the air, this car would batter it into its will. Thus, it would rise to prominence in IMSA while attracting plenty of passerby at the 1994 New York International Auto Show. Features in series like Racing Ambition would immortalize its unconventional design.
Present here is that exact one from the auto show, #32. With no factory teams present in the 1994 season, rather than being campaigned by Zacspeed Racing, Rex formed his own privateer team, Rexsport, to field it. Several drivers sat in it, including IMSA GTO driver Jacques Lafayette, IMSA GTP driver Baba Bouille, Alexandre Frost, Derek Bellof, and F1/DTM driver JJ Leno. For 1999, an all-new set of drivers would be brought onboard, leading to all three current drivers’ names being scraped off the rear pillars. Rex’s ambitions were cut short, however, when his company entered financial turmoil, leaving Sirius Aeromotive (and, by extension, Rexsport) to shut their doors.
Seeing widespread use among privateers, Zacspeed offered many upgrades to keep these cars toward the front pack. Even the factory team would campaign their own car in 1995 and 1996. In 1997, with Revello expressing interest to build a GT1 variant of their Monza supercar, Zacspeed Racing moved on from one wedge spaceship to another. Both provided vital experience for Zacspeed to release their own exploit in 1998, one so advanced it was relegated to prototype racing the year before the new millennium…
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ENTRIES ARE CLOSED
If you didn’t get a car in in time, I am sorry. I’ll get the confirmed entries done tomorrow night, as it is late and I have work tomorrow.
Lore posts are still allowed if you have not made one, but car files are no longer being accepted.
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