Tag Archives: GLAPOT

3,362 Miles – Audi R15 TDI Plus #204

After the disappointment of losing their first Le Mans in six years to Peugeot in 2009 Audi returned in 2010 with R15 TDI Plus cars developed by a team led by Ulrich Baretzky.

Audi R15 TDI Plus, Cholmondley Pageant of Power

The immediately obvious difference between the new challenger and the 2009 R15 TDI were the new head light configuration and the loss of some bodywork panels to reveal the front crash structure.

Audi R15 TDI Plus, Cholmondley Pageant of Power

Less obvious differences included lower front wings and a ‘simplified’ approach the previous years aerodynamics.

Audi R15 TDI Plus, Cholmondley Pageant of Power

Despite restrictions mandated to reduce the 2010 Le Mans Cars power by reducing the size of the restrictor plate and reducing the boost pressure of the turbochargers the R15 TDI Plus Audi engineers claimed the output of the 2010 5.5 litre 335 cui Turbo Diesel V10 was around 590 hp as it had been in 2009.

Audi R15 TDI Plus, Cholmondley Pageant of Power

Today’s featured chassis seen at Cholmondley Pageant of Power last year is believed to be #204 which was completed in time for Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller to qualify 2nd for the 2010 Spa 1000kms race in which they finished 5th.

Audi R15 TDI Plus, Cholmondley Pageant of Power

For the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours a month later the same trio qualified 5th, fastest of the Audi’s, but over two seconds slower than the pole winning Peugeot.

To their advantage the Audi team had better economy and ultimately better reliability so that when the final Peugeot retired Audi were left to sweep the podium with today’s featured car #204 finishing ahead of team mates, André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer in the #8 TDI Plus with Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello finishing third in the #7.

Astonishingly given that the Le Mans track has been slowed down with the addition of chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight and numerous new corners between the pits and Tetre Rouge all three Audi’s covered a greater distance than the Porsche 917 driven by Gils van Lennep and Dr Helmut Marko in 1971, with the winning car raising the record from 3,107.7 miles to 3,362.061 miles, both records requiring 397 laps of the differently configured track to be completed.

#204 made one final appearance during the 2010 season at Petit Le Mans where Allan, Tom and Rinaldo qualified 4th and finished 3rd behind two Peugeot’s.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘3362 Miles’ edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Le Mans competitor from Triumph. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Smaller, Lighter, RHD – Cunningham C6R

After experiencing less than outright success at Le Mans with the Cadillac Le Monstre Cunningham in 1950, Chrysler powered Cunningham C2R in 1951, similarly powered C4R in 1952 and C5R in 1953 Briggs Cunningham decided that three short comings of the previous designs had to be addressed.

His next new project the C6R, had to be smaller, lighter and right hand drive to optimise weight distribution on a circuit with predominantly right hand corners.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The C6R was also originally intended to be powered by a race bred 340 hp 4.5 litre / 274 cui Ferrari V12 motor of the type more commonly found in a Ferrari 375MM of the type he had run at Le Mans in 1954 for Phil Walters and John Fitch.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Responsibility of the design for the body of the C6R was handed over Herbert “Bud” Unger who had worked on the bodies of the Cunningham C4R and C5R Cunningham’s as a metal worker.

In correspondence with me, about the design, Mr Unger said; “The engineers wanted maximum air flow to the brakes front and rear…” These were 13 inch air cooled drum brakes, prone to fading when hot. “I made the front air intake as large as possible and also extra air intakes on both sides beside the main grille air intake.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Next, I tapered the side of the body in from the front fenders all the way back to the rear fenders and by large air scoops to get maximum ram air into both rear brakes.”

By the time the car appeared at Sebring in 1956 with it’s unpainted aluminium body, crafted by “a man form Europe that was an expert with the (English) wheel.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Briggs, for reasons unknown, compromised the original design criteria by fitting a modified 3 litre Indy 500 engine running on petrol instead of the usual alcohol brew.

Le Patron shared the driving at Sebring with John Gordon Bennett and they retired from the race on the 54th lap after the clutch disintegrated.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

When the C6R appeared at Le Mans the body had some alterations including a single smaller front intake and a D-Type Jaguar like headrest and rear fin and the car ran over the weekend with the rear brake cooling intakes in open and blanked off configurations.

During the course of it’s second race Briggs and Sherwood Johnson found the C6R started loosing gears and it retired from 13th place after 18 hours after the engine had enough of pushing the car round in forth, top, gear only.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Briggs Cunningham raced the car one more time in 1955 at Road America where the Offy motor again expired for good.

The car did not run again until 1957 by which time a 3.8 litre 6 cylinder Jaguar six cylinder motor had been fitted.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Briggs raced the car on four occasions with a best known result of 9th at Lime Rock in June 1957.

The car was permanently retired to Briggs Cunningham’s collection thereafter which has since become part of the Collier Collection. It is seen here at recent Goodwood Festival of Speed meetings.

My thanks to Mr Unger, Cunningham Motorsport Historian Lawrence W. Berman, Paul Kierstein from the photo archive and Sondre Kvipt in Norway who facilitated my correspondence with Mr Unger. Thanks also to Herbert at The Nostalgia Forum who brought up the subject of the C6R’s blanked off rear air intakes.

Thanks for joining me on this “Smaller, Lighter, RHD” edition of “Gettin’ A L’il Psycho On Tyres” I hope you will join me for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Broken Wrist – Lotus Ford T 91 91/7

After the controversy of the 1981 season with the twin chassis Lotus 88 the Lotus team upgraded it’s conventional single chassis Lotus 87 for the 1982 season giving it the Lotus T 91 tag. Still powered by the by now venerable Ford Cosworth V8 the Lotus 91 was one of the more attractive entries on the grid.

Lotus Ford 91, British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch

The 91 was a modest improvement on the Lotus 87 Nigel Mansell scoring a seasons best 3rd place finish on his debut in the model in the Brasilian Grand Prix. At the Canadian Grand Prix Nigel Mansell broke his wrist in an accident and after sitting out the Dutch Grand Prix where he was replaced by Roberto Moreno who failed to qualify. Nigel came back for the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch where he is seen in today’s photographs.

Lotus Ford 91, British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch

Unfortunately Nigel was not fully recovered and he could only qualify 23rd on the grid in chassis #91/7 before retiring from the race due to the discomfort from his wrist. While waiting for his wrist to recover properly Nigel missed the following French Grand Prix where Geoff Lees stood in and finished 12th.

Lotus Ford 91, British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch

Team mate Elio de Angelis scored a famous victory with his Lotus 91 at the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix where he held off, eventual 1982 champion, Keke Rosberg and his Williams to win by just half a cars length. The 1982 Austrian Grand Prix was the first, of two, for de Angelis, the last for a Ford Cosworth powered Lotus and the last for Colin Chapman who succumbed to a heart attack in December 1982.

Thanks for joining me on this “Broken Wrist” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Cruise Control & Central Locking – Lotus Type 89 Excel s.e.

Last Saturday I looked at the prototype 1982 Lotus Excel today I’m looking at a couple of Lotus Excel s.e. models built with in months of each other.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

Between 1982 and 1987 numerous modifications were carried out which included the introduction of a louvred bonnet with body shell coloured bumpers and rear spoiler in 1984.

Lotus Excel s. e., Family Clubs Day, Castle Combe

In 1985 the wider wheel arch profiles, larger boot aperture, VDO intrumentation, front fog lights were introduced with a 15 inch road wheel option were introduced.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

For 1986 the s.e. option with raised engine compression and an adjustable steering column was announced.

Lotus Excel s. e., Family Clubs Day, Castle Combe

The S A Automatic option was launched for the 1987 model year with cruise control, central locking.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

Of the 400 plus Excels known to be in the UK, only one was ever built to US specification, more than half are no longer on the road.

Thanks for joining me on this “Cruise Control & Central Locking” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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What’s In A Tooth ? – Lotus Ford 49 #R2 & #R3

The Lotus 49 consolidated the principle of using the motor that as an integral structural component of the design that was first seen on the BRM P83 and Lotus 43 which were both powered by the novel BRM H16 motor in 1966. The 49, designed by Maurice Phillipe however was powered by the then brand new, and much simpler Ford sponsored 3 litre / 183 cui 8 cylinder Cosworth DFV that was the brainchild of Keith Duckworth and Mike Costin.

Lotus 49, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Despite many faults that would surface and be ironed out over the ensuing seasons the Lotus 49’s made a dream debut at Zandvoort for the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix with Graham Hill qualifying on pole and Jim Clark who had never so much as sat in the car before the first practice qualifying 8th. During the race Clark driving chassis #R2, seen above with Jackie Oliver at the wheel at Goodwood, used his legendary speed and mechanical sympathy to well judged victory while Hill experienced timing gear failure with two teeth next to each other on the timing gear breaking. After the race it was discovered Clark’s car had experienced a similar failure however a single tooth remained between the two broken teeth on Clarks timing gear ensuring just enough drive to make it to the finish.

Clark used Chassis #R2 to win both the 1967 British and US Grand Prix before being converted to 49T spec for the Tasman Series of races in Australasia which required an engine capacity of 2.5 litres / 152.5 cui which was achieved by fitting a different crankshaft with a shorter stroke to the DFV motors making them DFW spec. Jim won 4 races in the 8 race Series with the 49T spec chassis #R2 which combined with a couple of points paying places was enough to win the Championship from Chris Amon in his Ferrari 246 Dino.

Chassis #R2 was then loaned to Rob Walker racing during 1968 to replace chassis #R4 which driver Jo Siffert had crashed on his debut in a non championship race at Brands Hatch. Although #R4 was not damaged beyond repair by that accident it was subsequently destroyed in a workshop fire at Rob Walkers premises necessitating the loan of #R2. Once Walkers team had built up a new car, chassis #R7 now in B spec with the tall rear wing, which Siffert used to win the 1968 British GP.

Once chassis #R2 was returned by Rob Walker to Lotus it was immediately pressed into service again after Jackie Oliver had a comprehensive accident in #R6 at the 1968 French GP. For the British Grand Prix #R2 was repainted in Gold Leaf Team Lotus colours and fitted with the winged 49B spec nose cone and high rear wing. The car received further B spec upgrades for the German Grand Prix. Oliver would use chassis #R2 for the remainder of the 1968 season scoring a best 3rd place finish at the season finale in Mexico.

Lotus 49, National Motor Museum Beaulieu

The car seen above at Beaulieu National Motor Museum is chassis #R3 which featured subtle differences to chassis #R1 and #R2 to aid the distribution of loads under braking at the front and to aid access to the brake balance adjuster which had previously only been possible by two mechanics picking up a third smaller mechanic and lowering him into the cockpit upside down ! Note the sculpture of Graham Hill on the plinth to the left of the car in this photo.

Lotus 49, National Motor Museum Beaulieu

Chassis #R3 first appeared at the 1967 British Grand Prix with Graham Hill at the wheel, he qualified 2nd behind Clark but while leading the race first an allen screw dropped off the rear suspension and after it was replaced the engine failed while he was making up good time. Chassis #R3 has the second longest track record of the 12 Lotus 49’s built.

After Hill scored a season best 2nd place in the 1967 US Grand Prix, behind Clark, and opened his championship winning 1968 season with another second place, again behind Clark at Kyalami chassis #R3 was sold to Rhodesian John Love who used the car to win the last two of six consecutive South African Formula One titles in 1968 and 1969, his successor Dave Carlton won the 1970 South African Championship driving the Lotus 49 chassis #R8 which was built to the final C spec.

Lotus 49, National Motor Museum Beaulieu

The 400 hp Ford Cosworth DFV was to become the mainstay of Formula One right through the 1970’s, it was far in advance of the Lotus 49 chassis and would only be toppled by the hugely more expensive turbocharged motors in the early 1980’s after 155 Grand Prix Victories. One of the triangular aluminium top engine mountings can be seen bolted with three bolts on the leading edge of the cam cover tapering into the back of the monocoque to which it was attached by a single bolt. Three further such mountings were all that were required to integrate the motor into the structure of the car.

Lotus 49, National Motor Museum Beaulieu

The rear suspension and drive shafts and gearbox would repeatedly prove trouble some for team Lotus as they got to grips with having such a powerful motor. The ZF gearbox in it’s original form was not strong enough and required additional strengthening which can be seen in the form of the thick vertical plate into which the drive shaft disappears. The ZF gearboxes were replaced on the 1968 B spec cars with Hewland units which were much easier to maintain trackside.

Lotus 49, National Motor Museum Beaulieu

The vestigal nudge bar was added to the back of the ZF gearboxes after the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix win in order to comply with a regulation about the dimensions between the end of the exhaust pipe and the back of the car. In other words when Jim Clark won the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix his Lotus 49 did not comply fully to the letter of the existing regulations.

Chassis #R3 is the only one of the Lotus 49’s never to run in B or C spec. Since it has been in the care of the National Motor Museum it has been involved in two serious accidents. The first, on a demonstration run, involved a tree in the Beaulieu grounds where it is kept in 1999 further details of the accident damage can be seen on this link. The second accident with the same driver occurred at a Silverstone Press Day in 2009 fortunately the damage was restricted ‘only’ to the left side suspension as can be seen in these linked photo’s.

Thanks for joining me on this “What Is In A Tooth ?” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at a GSM Delta. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Thirty Year Restoration – Lotus Mark 6 #JZ 7890

The Lotus Mark 6 represented Colin Chapman’s first attempt at building a vehicle which customers could purchase in kit form.

Lotus VI, Bristol Classic Car Show

Chassis #JZ 7890 was one of the first eight built, therefore one of the first 13 Lotus cars ever built. The car was originally assembled with a 4 cylinder Ford Consul motor and Austin Gearbox by Patrick Stevens for owner Denis Wilkins. Wilkins competed in the car at numerous events in England during 1953 and in 1954 took the car to Ireland where he shared it with Ian Titterington. It’s best result that I could find is a third place at Kirkistown in an Open Handicap Final in June 1954 with Wilkins at the wheel. In 1955 the car returned to England and competed in the hands of George Pitt, Rodney Bloor and Ken Coffey before being sold, in 1963, to an owner in Bristol who intended to fit a six cylinder motor from a Ford Zephyr.

Lotus Mark 6, Bristol Classic Car Show

Despite the original engine and gearbox being stripped out and sold on the conversion was never completed and the current owner bought the engineless remains in 1976 and then spent thirty years piecing it together with another Ford Consul engine and an MG TC gearbox. A couple of months after returning it to the road in 2006 he drove it to Le Mans in France.

Lotus VI, Bristol Classic Car Show

110 Lotus Mark 6 kits were eventually sold, including a one off trials version, scoring many competition victories and establishing Lotus as a specialist vehicle manufacturer.

Thanks for joining me on this “Thirty Year Restoration” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me for a Drag edition tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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