Angus Automobile - Verdun V8
The Verdun V8 was designed by Angus Automobile in 1967 and launched on the Canadian and American markets in January 1975. With 278hp and 321 lb-ft of torque, the 327 engine running on regular unleaded packed quite a punch. It was luxurious and comfortable, but with a styling that was unfortunately not as popular as expected.
The compact muscle car did not sell incredibly well due to its smaller size and styling compared to competitors, and the fact it tended to oversteer at lower speed due to its short back design. However, it did very well on the track with the R/T version released the same year.
Verdun Octane R/T Cup
The R/T trim was launched in 1975 as well and was homologated by Octane Racing for NASCAR. In 1976, Octane Racing released a modified version as a Cup Car for Le Mans - and thus the Verdun Octane R/T Cup was born.
With enlarged wheel wells to account for the wider rear tires, sleeker side mirrors and door handles, stripped interior with a bucket seat and rollbars, extra headlights, an enlarged 354 cid engine producing 329 hp and a astounding 380 lb-ft of torque, and a top speed of 289km/h, this Canadian beauty roared on the oval all season and is now ready for the ultimate challenge : La Sarthe.
Note: I used mods, like everyone, for fixture styling - hope that’s ok. I did one stock version without all the moded fixtures tho. I did not put any aero components at all. Engine reliability is slightly under 50 - without redoing a whole new engine or starting earlier, I couldn’t bring it above. Fuel econ is 22.3 L/100km on the cup car version, better than the 23.9 on the street version - quite fond of that high torque 354 engine.