#1991 Erin Scarlet (Mk 2)
I think this might be the most requested car Iāve ever made. 3 entire people have asked when I was going to release thing so far. Three!
Overview
1991 saw the original Scarlet end production and a new one replace it, marking the beginning of Erinās 90s rennaissance. In the 5 years since it debuted, however, a lot had changed - a wave of new Japanese rivals challenged its position in the sports car hierachy and its arch nemesis the 911 was better than ever.
Erin responded with what was essentially an evolution of the original car that improved in multiple ways and turned the Scarlet into a true high-end sports car.
Design and Styling
From the outside, the Mk 2 was very similar to its predessor, but donāt let that fool you. The front was tidied up, more distinguishing features like side vents flared wheel arches were added to the sportier X trim and, underneath, the car had been completley reworked. Various steel alloys developed from the Group C Development Program made there way onto the chassis of this car, while computers were utilised once more to improve on the sleek, aerodynamic shape.
The result a reworked version of the original that was cleaner on the outside and more advanced underneath. That said, there was one distinguishing feature: the strip rear light. Itās the only car in Erinās history to have such a feature.
Detail shot showing some of the extra fixtures found on the X trim
Power and Performance
The entry-level Lex trimās 3.0l i6 (formerly the S trim) was replaced by the 2nd Gen 3.3l V6, a new version of the legendary engine that powered the Nasaro X, while on the X trim, another legend was born: Erinās 3.8l V8. It would see service on the Mk 2 and Mk 3 Scarlets, as well many of the race versions that competed in the 90s, and was recently redesigned for the Mk 4 Scarlet.
Producing 296 hp, it rocketed the car from 0-60 in 4.8 seconds and could push it all the way up to 170 mph - the only 911ās that could keep up with that were the turbo charged models. Whatās more, the X trim was 50kg lighter than the Lex trim, and was far sharper than the previous model. The Mk 2 X is often seen as the sharpest of all the Scarletās as a result; it was a car that truly rewarded being pushed to the limit.
The original 3.8l V8
Results
The Mk 2 was well received by the automotive press, with its only real criticism stemming from it being harder to drive than the previous generation. Despite this increased difficulty, it sold almost 20% more than the Mk 1 in the same 5 year period.
Its biggest impact, however, didnāt come from the road going version. It came from the race version.
Finally, in 1992, after over 15 years, Erin re-entered GT car racing properly with a homologated 2 door coupe. It would be the start of the career of Erinās most successful GT racer, beginning over in America in the IMSA Supercar and IMSA GTU series before making its Le Mans debut in 1993 and pushing the 911 rivalry to its max in 1994 with the start of the BPR Global Endurance Series.
Thereāll be more on this later, see end of post.
Specs and Stats
Lex Trim - No longer a GT-esque trim, but rather a soft-sports car. Balances comfort with performance in sublime fashion.
$22680
~$41700 in 2016
X Trim - Everything you could ever ask for in a sports car - sharp, powerful and exceptional to drive.
$29760
~$54750 in 2016
There we have it then! The Mk 2 has finally been released. Been waiting to release this car for well over a year and a half, just never got round to itā¦
As for the ErinSport/GT versions of this car, Iāll be doing a full post on the history of the Scarlet in GT racing, tracking it through the 90s and early 2000s. Iāve got quite a lot of things to incorporate into that post so that wonāt be for a little while, at least until Geneva is finished (do come along please if you havenāt already shown interest!)
Comments, critique, complaints, constraints, constitutions, constituents, constabularies and Confucianism theories are all welcome! And as before, please post/link any rivals to this car