Before we screw up the Apache threads with offtopic I thought this would be a proper topic and start of a thread here instead.
Fact is F40 was never intended to be a racecar per factory as the Rally B group got axed (because of Henri Toivonen and Italo-American Sergio Crestos death at Corsica) and sportscars was on the demise in road racing in general.
It was "just" a tribute to Enzo of his 40 yrs in the car biz and a opposite contender to Porsches 959 Hitech wonder.
It was not until the mid 90īs that privateers started asking about Factory support and firstly the Factory turned their backs because that car is a tube frame car wrapped in carbon sheets.
IMO If Ferrari wouldīve gone the racecar route from day one it woulda been a Carbon monocoque. Just like (earlier) Alfa Romeo with their 33 TT12 made instead of a tube chassis a cast magnesium monocoque (safe???) provided by Campagnolo.
F40 was considered to be a Rally car, what a bastard idea in itself as they are 2wdīs and have no chance against the Porsche 959, Audi S1 or Lancia S4īs.
Even in LeMans the Porsche 959 put F40 on the backburner, still I like the F40 more than a 959 and have witnessed it on a racetrack but mustered only times a homemade C3 smallblock Vette could do... although the CSBin
question RPMīs more than the F40 and sports a Guldstrand upgrade plus a T-56 and some minor modīs only (*minor in my eyes...).
But seeing it take of in full force on the Street was astonishing although Iīve been personally even in faster 4 door Malibus...or ElCaminos.
So the question of Ferrari asking Michelotto didnīt come from the request of Ferrari but the owners of F40īs who wanted to race and be competitive and especially after the production of F40 had ended.
A F40 had no chance against an McLaren. The 1995 LeMans just proves it when the F40 program was in full force and led by late Olofsson
and Della Noce.
One JJ Lehto made the fastest laps of the race at night...and F40 drivers faced a brick wall.
Some race results from the F40 years.
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1403/90s.htm
And a F40 registry with race info
http://www.qv500.com/ferrarif40p7.php
Therefore IMO the F40 is one of the perfect 80īs icons...theyīve had more show than go.
MikeyFIN
Thread: The Auto Racing thread...
Results 1 to 20 of 56
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09-05-2009 06:35 AM
Last edited by MikeyFIN; 09-05-2009 at 06:50 AM.
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09-06-2009 02:14 AM
Did the C3 Vette happen to have Bob Riley's name stamped on the chassis and John Paul's name over the door?!
I don't know much about the F40s but to be slower than a lightly modified C3 Ferrari must have really dropped to ball on the cars balance and geometry... Because you're average C3 is diabolical.
A guy I grew up with held the short course record at Watkins Glen in an A production Vette. He said it was the second worst handling race car he'd ever driven.
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."
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09-06-2009 02:58 AM
No names and hereīs a pick of it....
Although this is not how it looks like anymore, a bulge in the hood and lowered some and different set of wheels...
And yes a C2/C3 is the second worst car Iīve driven too and Iīve driven several of them.
Still I like them all from 1965-1972 the 65/66 being the best and as Coupes. A runner up would be a 69-72 Ragtop, all manual of course.Last edited by MikeyFIN; 09-06-2009 at 03:13 AM.
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09-06-2009 03:11 AM
And when we got into talking about bad handling cars Iīd think this suits the thread...
The Widowmaker ;
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09-06-2009 10:57 AM
I'll vote for the De Tomaso Pantera in IMSA trim as the worst handling race car ever.
I love the Vettes as well. Frankly the C3 is actually my favorite. I love the JP3 (Riley IMSA car) and the Greenwood cars. Of course my love of those cars doesn't change the fact that they were play-things compared to the later iterations of the 935.
I'll post pics that I think you'll enjoy when I'm on my office computer next.
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."
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09-08-2009 12:02 AM
Couple more...
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."
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09-08-2009 03:25 PM
Yah, we're planning on putting the x-ram on this Camaro...
That Vette is homebuilt, but built in the home of Bob Riley... Former NASA aeronautics engineer and future legend of sports car racing.
He doesn't build them out of his house anymore...
http://www.rileytech.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riley_&_Scott
Then again, Tony Cicale built a lot of high end Indy and prototype motors in his home garage!
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."
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09-08-2009 03:31 PM
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."
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09-08-2009 04:05 PM
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09-08-2009 05:21 PM
I figured you knew! I do know what you do for a "semi" living... Ha ha ha.
It doesn't entirely suprise me that the Panteras did well in europe. I don't know if it was a chassis set up philosophy difference or what, but back then, it seems like cars that worked over there frequently didn't work as well here, and vice versa. I think the Group C to GTP conversions were probably the most obvious example of that. Especially the TWR and Group 44 Jaguars.
Roger just said that the cars were sensationally unbalanced.
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."
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09-08-2009 05:22 PM
It also suprises me that with all of the people here who are in to high performance marine, very few also appear to be into sports car racing. This thread will likely only go on as long as you and I decided to prattle back and forth about it!
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."
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09-08-2009 09:50 PM
my car 900hp
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09-12-2009 11:13 AMPics from SCCA racing @ Daytona Motorspeedway
Taken July 2009
http://www.seriousoffshore.com/forum...ead.php?t=9280Some where in Kenya a village is missing an Idiot!
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09-28-2009 12:28 PM
Nice pics. I haven't been to an SCCA race in years. Probably since I stopped running IT and started running my AIX car with NASA.
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."
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10-16-2009 12:19 PM
Mikey, here you go... Race Pantera for sale.
http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/ot...55136553ss.htm
"Tear gas and draft beer don't mix."