After their disappointing run at Le Mans in 1997, TWR and Nissan pledged to return in 1998 with an uprated R390: more speed and improved reliability was the order of the day. The R390 programme…
Read MoreConverting racing prototypes into road-going specials has produced some of the most exciting cars in history. Up until the late 1960s, when most competition machinery was still equipped with…
Read MoreDespite having been arguably the most consistent supporter of Prototype and GT racing during the second half of the 20th century, no other manufacture simultaneously had such a destructive impact…
Read MoreOn April 28th 1996 Porsche showed up at Le Mans Pre-Qualifying with a new car that went completely against the spirit, if not the letter, of the GT1 regulations. To stimulate manufacturer…
Read MoreAlthough the McLaren F1 was never designed with racing in mind, a GTR competition version was eventually created as the result of pressure applied by existing and potential customers. This first…
Read MoreAfter McLaren’s sensational debut victory during the sodden Le Mans 24 Hours in 1995 there was no question a strong contingent of the cars from Woking would look to attend 1996’s running of the…
Read MoreSince 1946 a series of winter Temporada races had been hosted in South America. These high profile contests had typically been organised for single seat machinery and normally attracted a stellar line…
Read MoreAs had been the case in 1995, McLaren planned to build a batch of nine new F1 GTRs for the 1996 season. Of these, one was to be retained for research and development duty while the remaining…
Read MoreFor 1985, Toyota decided to embark on a factory Sportscar programme with the intention of becoming the first Japanese manufacturer to win at Le Mans. However, the Group C era could not…
Read MoreBMW Motorsport created the original E30 M3 as a Group A homologation special for Touring Car racing and Rallying. Between 1986 and 1992, the M3 proved extremely effective and claimed a huge…
Read MoreLike the R32 GT-R, the new-for-1995 R33 variant was available in a choice of different specifications. Least expensive of these was the base model R33 GT-R which nevertheless offered scintillating…
Read MoreTwo key factors led to the transformation of sports car racing in the early 1990s. As the 1980s drew to a close, the cost to compete in the World Sportscar Championship began to rise inexorably. New…
Read MoreFollowing his acquisition of the Bugatti naming rights in 1987, Romano Artioli re-established the firm and built a state-of-the-art factory in Campogalliano, Italy. Artioli also funded the…
Read MoreAfter Mercedes-Benz abandoned sports car racing at the end of 1991, they focused on the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) which, from 1993, was contested by highly modified Class 1…
Read MoreThroughout the 1980s, the World Sportscar Championship and top flight prototype racing in general had been in rude health; an abundance of manufacturers were taking part and competitive cars for…
Read MoreMcLaren’s F1 GTR was easily the most successful GT1 racing car of 1995. In addition to ten wins in the BPR GT Championship, it also achieved a historic outright victory at Le Mans. Not only were…
Read MoreBy 1994, the re-emergence of GT racing was fully underway and, after the Le Mans organisers had opened the race up to production-based cars, it was no great surprise that one wealthy privateer…
Read MoreWhen McLaren began to design the F1 road car, no thought was given to building a competition version. At the time, the World Sportscar Championship was organised exclusively for out-and-out…
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