We have a thread for Rally cars… so how about one for all the other Race Cars?
Inspiration for this thread came from the rally car showcase by @ramthecowy
Same rules; post a photo (or more) of your favorite race car, or just something you find weird, funny, or you think is worth sharing.
My favorite is the Group A Nissan Skyline GT-R R32.
The R32 is one of the most successful cars of all time; dominating almost every race it entered, including all 29 JTCC races from 1989 to 1993, all 50 N1 Super Taikyu races from 1991 to 1997, the 1991 Spa 24 Hours, the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst for 1991 and 1992, and many more.
A sleek streamliner by the Auto Union already well known for speed, this one could supposedly hit 200 (even 250mph according to some sources)… can you imagine how bonkers that kind of speed and power would be with the suspension and tyre tech of the late 30’s? It had either had a 4.5L or a 6L naturally aspirated V16 (again, I’m not really sure) making over 400hp. Totally insane.
It’s a type C therefore it had a 6 L (single or twin) supercharged V16 and somewhere between 485 and 560 hp (Audi says 520-560 hp). Also the non-streamlined version did 340 km/h (211 mph).
Also the streamliner was the car Bernd Rosemeyer had his fatal accident in.
On the topic of old streamliner race cars I present the Mercedes T80
It is powered by the 3000hp, 44.5 liter, Messerschmidt V12 and had a targeted top speed of 750kmh (466mph). It was set to be tested in 1940 but unfortunately the war got in the way.
The Streamliner was the stuff of much eye boggling for me when I was a kid. I seem to recall that Audi attempted to build a replica sometime in the 90s or noughties but it just didn’t seem to go like the original one…
Speaking of stupidly overpowered race cars, here’s the quintessential example of going nuts with BOOOOSCHT:
The 1986 BMW F1 car powered by the M12/13 (the above driven by Gerhard Berger). Which was a 1.5L i4. Forget specific outputs of 200bhp/L, this is closer to 1000bhp/L (in qualifying trim) though it was impossible to tell just how much power the damn thing had because the dyno only did 1280hp. It also had stupid amounts of turbo lag, but anybody who’s abused the limits of turbo engines in Automation would be well familiar with what kind of power profile you get!
For being insanity after my own heart, it’s my first pick.
I think I’ve watched the YouTube video with this car blasting around Adelaide about 100 times over, and I still can’t get over it. That noise is insane, sounds like 10,000 angry wasps swarming at 150 mph. Phenomenal.
Oh gosh though, race cars. Where the heck do we start?
How about the March 88S, the definitive pink Group C racer!
Originally a Nissan, converted into a month of the year and then made to look like something out of Star Wars with those two headlights jutting out at the front and a wide, thin, road-eating intake in between. 3.2l V6 in the middle, weirdly enough being SOHC and only 12v! Blame Nissan I guess
Only ever finished one race, and only competed in three overall under March/Nissan. Still, it’s a personal favorite Group C car for the looks alone.
Another F1 car, but this time a normally aspirated one: the Ferrari F2002. This was, and still is, one of their most successful designs; it won 14 races during the 2002 season, and incredibly, it even notched up one more win the following year before it was finally replaced.
The current crop of F1 cars from 2017, with their wider tires and wings, seems to evoke memories of this and other early 2000s F1 cars, but surely none of them sound as good as this non-hybrid, V10-powered monster ever did:
Either as a shortdeck or aerodynamic longdeck, with your choice of powerful, high winding air-cooled H12 engines, the Porsche 917 was the undisputed king of Endurance/Sportscar Racing back in the day…and one of my personal favorites.
@ramthecowy Yeah, all the German race cars of the late 30’s were amazing. Mostly because they had virtually unlimited funding from Hitler. I remember watching a documentary about that… I recall the head engineer of Mercedes’ engines saying that money wasn’t even considered. They were allowed to take as much as they needed for as many projects as needed.
@rcracer11m I was always perplexed that the T80 never ran. You’d think it’d be good propaganda… especially considering what I just said above.
@strop I recall BMW using factory blocks left out in the elements for those; because you could tell if there were any casting flaws by how rust forms. I found that rather amusing.
Yeah; that 88S is quite the looker. If I recall correctly though, it was powered by a VQ30ET, so a 3 litre with a single turbo… but still a 2 valve SOHC.
You may like the Nissan R88C too;
She was powered by Nissan’s VRH30T; a 3 Litre, DOHC 32 valve, twin-turbo V8 producing over 740hp at 8,000rpm.
Here’s an onboard video of a very similar R88V. Listen to that blow-off valve.
@CadillacDave I share your sentiment about race cars being very similar to their street versions. That’s a major reason why I posted the R32 as my favorite.
@SpeedWarrior1 Yeah; the 917s were monsters. One of my favorite models that I own is a 917L in a Martini & Rossi livery.
Real;
Model;
Cue: another Japanese creation getting their tech banned for being too good.
Debate about rotaries aside, this thing went like stink, sounded other-worldly, and has a paint job from a clothing manufacturer. It doesn’t get much better than that.
@KA24DE Rumor has it that the BMW engineers also pissed on the blocks for a bit of good ol’ nitriding.
While it is certainly an impressive vehicle… I do agree with the fact that it’s engine capacity was incorrectly calculated. Shame that most motorsports don’t just have classes set by engine output and vehicle weight; while leaving all the rest up to the manufacturer to have fun with. Who wouldn’t want to watch a race between a car with a 6.0L N/A V8 with 600hp and a car with a 1.0L turbo I3 with 600hp and 200kg of ballast? lol.
Lol… well at least they didn’t use that other fluid and say they gave birth to that engine.
How about the flamin’ 80’s Nissan DR30 Super Silhouettes?
You can see why I said flaming. This one even has a blast from it’s wastegate;
Unfortunately though… these things may have spawned that awful Bosozoku fad.
What I’ve understood about this car’s race history is that the other makes in it’s racing class (DTM? idk.) got it banned because it was too damn good.
It never went racing, but the Koenigsegg CCGT takes the cake for me.
1,100kg, 600hp+, 600kg+ of Downforce, Fully carbon, and never raced because the regulations changed on them after the first few shakedowns. And the sound… Oh god the sound!.
@KA24DE I stand corrected. Man that R88C sounds good though, that blow off valve reminds me of the sound the Cybermen make in Doctor Who
And YES, SILHOUETTE RACERS. One of the best types of car to have ever existed frankly, and Japan certainly knows how to make them!
Now, who’s for a bit of Can-Am?
It’s the Shadow DN-4, a strong contender for best car name ever. The livery is very simple, but it looks fantastic. Doesn’t need any more than just black paint and white decals, and personally I think it makes it even more menacing.
8.0l Chevy V8 at the rear producing 800hp, weighs just 720kg, meaning the power to weight ratio is on par for some mid-noughties F1 cars.
1968 Toyota 7. Developed with Yamaha, the 3L V8 with awesome new DOHC 4v heads made around 296hp. But that wasn’t the end. Nah. Toyota went all out. 1969. What they did was stuff a 5L V8 in the middle of the car to give it an insane 592hp at 8000rpm… naturally aspirated.
It’s now 1970. What does Toyota do? Why, stick on two turbos, of course! (well they also made the rear wing bigger) This new version made well over 800hp.
This car only weighed 620kg.
Unfortunately the regulations for the JGP were revised, and there were two sad incidents where drivers died in the development of the 7 to race in CanAm. Toyota decided to pull the plug.
(in qualifying trim) though it was impossible to tell just how much power the damn thing had because the dyno only did 1280hp. It also had stupid amounts of turbo lag, but anybody who’s abused the limits of turbo engines in Automation would be well familiar with what kind of power profile you get!
