Tag Archives: Zakspeed

Brand Presence – Dodge Viper GTS-R #C30

In order to promote it’s new for 1995 Dodge Viper GTS Coupé and compete in the plethora of GT Championships across the globe in the late 1990’s Chrysler sanctioned the construction of GTS-R race variant to be overseen and maintained by the French Race and Engineering team Oreca.

Chrysler Viper GTS-R, Florent Moulin, GT Legends, Silverstone Classic,

The bare chassis for the Oreca built GTS-R’s were fabricated by the British company Reynard who had a long established reputation for building open wheelers from Formula Ford all the way up to Indycars. There reputation was enhanced by the fact that every time they entered a new formula they won first time out.

Chrysler Viper GTS-R, Florent Moulin, GT Legends, Silverstone Classic,

The 8 litre / 488 cui V10 motors were lightly modified to improve output and reliability, in all 5 prototypes and a further 52 Chrylser Viper GTS-R’s were built between 1996 and 2005.

Chrysler Viper GTS-R, Florent Moulin, GT Legends, Silverstone Classic,

In the USA the cars were run as Dodge Vipers while in Europe where the Dodge brand did not have any official market presence the cars were run as Chrysler Vipers, with the exception being at the 2007 Nurburgring 24 Hour race where ’99,’01 and ’02 winners Zakspeed entered their Viper, which finished second, as a Dodge to mark the arrival of the Dodge brand in Europe.

Chrysler Viper GTS-R, Florent Moulin, GT Legends, Silverstone Classic,

Today’s featured car chassis #C30, seen at Silverstone in the hands of Classic car dealer Florent Moulin, appears to have been built in for the 2000 season and raced by Viper Team Oreca in the US, as a Dodge and Europe, as a Chrysler, by Jean-Philippe Belloc, Anthony Beltoise, Ni Amorim, Tommy Archer, David Donohue, Marc Duez, Patrick Huisman and Boris Derichebourg.

#C30’s best result was in the 2000 Grand Prix of Sanoma where Tommy Archer and David Donohue recorded a class win and 8th overall in the Dodge branded racer.

The Truck That Jack Built – ROUSH Nitemare F-150

After graduating with a Masters in Scientific Mathematics from Eastern Michigan University in 1966 Jack Roush, born in Covington Kentucky, went to work for Ford until 1970 and after a short spell with Chrysler set up his own engineering business which was to become Roush Enterprises.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

Roush teamed up with Wayne Gapp to build up a successful Drag Racing team G & R High Performance in Livonia, Mich which amongst other vehicles built a $25,000 150 mph ’73 Ford Pinto pro stocker powered by a Cleveland V8 driven by Ken Dondero and a pro stock Maverik driven by Wayne Gapp called “Juana Taxi”.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

Building on his success on the Drag Strip Roush entered a partnership with the German Ford tuner Zakspeed to build successful road racing vehicles for Ford in the Trans Am and IMSA GT Series.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

In 1988 Jack entered the NASCAR arena with a young Mark Martin and since has survived two aeroplane crashes, in 2002 and 2010, while Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch won back to back Cup titles, in 2003 ans 2004, for Roush. Matt also won two Daytona 500’s in 2009 and 2011. In the second tier Nationwide Series Gregg Biffle (2002), Carl Edwards 2007, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr 2011 and ’12 have all won driving for “The Cat in the Hat” as Jack is affectionately known. Gregg Biffle also won the 2000 NASCAR Craftsmen Truck Series in a Roush F-150.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

Along side all his racing success Roush Enterprises has produced all manner of performance parts under the Roush Performannce banner and in 2004 Jack introduced the first in a trickle of limited edition Roush Mustangs known as the 440A.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

Following the release of the 2007 Black Jack Mustang Roush Performance turned it’s attention to a limited edition truck based on the 2007 11th edition standard cab F-150 with the flaredside bed.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

Just 100 2007 Roush Nightmares were built and so far as I can tell from the head light cluster and rear wheel arches the example seen here, at Thruxton last year, is one of them. In 2008 a second series of 100 Nightmares was built with less chrome in the head light clusters and larger flares on the rear wheel arches.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

Along with the performance enhancing Roushcharger™ the 445 hp 5.4 litre / 329 cui V8 features 3 valves per cylinder, bespoke intake manifolds, intercooler, radiator, and air induction system. The vehicle is fitted with an electronically-controlled speed limiter which restricts the top speed to 105 mph.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

Options included the decorative hood scoop, Roush sport lowered suspension, locking lug nuts, GPS and NASCAR inspired rear spoiler seen below.

ROUSH Nitemare F-150, Thruxton

Available only from ROUSH-authorized Ford dealers beginning June 2007, the ROUSH Nitemare cost $41,750, comparable to a discounted Dodge SRT 10 performance truck, and was covered by ROUSH’s industry exclusive 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Truck That Jack Built” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a 9.2 litre / 563 cui chain drive Mercedes. Don’t forget to come back now !

Harald’s TOJ – Lotus Europa Turbo

Today’s post is the last of the present series of Group 5 Lotus racing cars, featuring the unique Lotus Europa Turbo driven by Austrian Harald Ertl.

(Photographer / Copyright Holder Unknown, photo will be credited or removed by request.)

Harald Ertl was a motoring journalist and broadcaster and considered a ‘gentleman’ racer who in the late 1970’s reached Formula One where he raced with the Hesketh, Ensign and ATS teams.

Harald much more successful driving saloon / sedan cars being crowned Deutsche Rennsport Meister (German Racing Champion) in 1978 driving a BMW 320 Turbo.

In 1979 Harald was contracted to drive a Ford Capri for Zakspeed Racing and during this time it appears he took on the Lotus Europa Turbo project on his own initiative.

Unlike the Group 5 Ark Racing Lotus Elan and Morfe Racing Esprit of Richard Jenvey Harald’s Europa used a chassis from a TOJ sports car to which was attached a small piece of a Lotus Europa chassis in order to comply with the Group 5 unlimited lightening of the original chassis rule.

Harald fitted a Zakspeed Turbo motor sourced from the Zakspeed Capri programme and the semblance of a Lotus Europa body on steroids.

The Europa Turbo’s first race was the 1979 Nurburgring 1000 kms where the car entered by Zakspeed Racing qualified 19th a distant third in class and failed to finish after electrical problems.

The Europa started at least 4 more races in 1979 with Harald scoring a best 6th place finish in an Interserie race at Hockenheim where the car is probably seen in the photo above.

Mario Ketterer, entered by the Immo Klein Racing team, drove the Europa Turbo at its last ‘in period’ appearance in the DRM Nurburgring Super Sprint. Mario qualified 6th, Ertl was on pole, failed to finish. This unique car has been seen competing in historic events in recent years.

After scoring several class victories driving his Zakspeed Ford Capri in 1979 and 1980 Harald Ertl was killed in a plane crash piloted by his brother in law in 1982 aged 33.

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