Many memorable cars have raced at the LeMans24 but, for one reason or another, some remarkable machines never got the chance. james_newbold and KRT917 countdown the greatest sportscars that never competed in the endurance classic ⬇️
Endurance racing is enjoying a boom period as manufacturers flock to build cars for the new Hypercar class regulations with the aim of winning the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Besides, Audi and Nissan – whose GT-R Nismo GT500 we also considered for winning the Super GT title in its first season in 2008 and tallied a further four with various engine/aerodynamic upgrades – have other cars we deemed worthy of making the list…Motorsport Images Lotus boss Colin Chapman made changes, including having the rear wheels modified to the four-stud set-up, only for the officials to refuse again on the basis that, if the rears had been designed for six, they were now unsafe. Despite Chapman’s protestations the organisers did not budge.
A Lotus Elite did win the Index of Thermal Efficiency and the organisers admitted their error with the 23s, but Chapman vowed not to return to the 24 Hours and never did. Under the direction of Audi USA special vehicles manager Josef Hoppen, the cars were competitive on debut in Miami, where a transmission failure sidelined Stuck and Hurley Haywood was a blameless victim of a backmarker accident. Such was its impression that the car adorned the front cover of Autosport that week.
Dirk Muller scored the car’s first win at Jarama with Fredrik Ekblom, leading home a Schnitzer 1-2, but was never going to be in the title picture as they only received their mount for round three at Donington. Muller views the clean sheet four-litre V8 engine that produced close to 500bhp as “one of the really coolest engines” he’s encountered.
But Berger’s job share Mario Theissen wasn’t prepared to let it die. The M3 GTR made an underwhelming return at the Nordschleife in 2003 as Opel scored an improbable victory, but Schnitzer redeemed itself by winning the following two years, proving Muller’s point that the car “was built for those [long-distance] races”.
Lancia decided to withdraw from Le Mans, despite the ruggedness of the D24 having already been proven, but the 3.3-litre V6-engined design did contest the RAC Tourist Trophy at Dundrod. Alfa had played second fiddle to Ferrari and Matra in the first half of the 1970s but had things to itself when those giants withdrew, just in time for the T33/TT/12 – with a 12-cylinder engine instead of its predecessors’ V8s – to hit form.
Once again, Le Mans wasn’t part of the championship and again the Alfas weren’t present. That meant it wasn’t part of the epic contest between Porsche and Alpine-Renault. And that sums up the problem of how to place the Alfa on this list – although successful, it rarely proved itself against the best competition of the time.Photo by:Only a lack of stronger opposition prevents the last great IMSA GTP car of its era being higher up.
Davy Jones and the Jaguar XJR-14 won in dominant fashion at Road America and a wet Mid-Ohio but couldn’t sustain his challenge. A prang for Alex Wurz in Finland meant Schneider had to wait until the Nurburgring to avenge their Silverstone defeat. But after opening Mercedes’ account with a 1-2 on home turf, Schneider relentlessly picked up the points to overhaul Schnitzer’s early leaders Steve Soper and Lehto.
Its Lola-based design had won once in 1987, but Trevor Harris’s all-new ZX-Turbo moved the game on. His V6 turbo-powered design incorporated new front suspension and was estimated by Brabham to be 2.5 times stiffer than its predecessor. It boasted prodigious acceleration too, an invaluable asset in traffic.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Vanwall Hypercar suffering loss of power in Le Mans heatVanwall\u2019s Le Mans Hypercar has been suffering from a loss of power in the hot conditions seen so far in the build up to this year\u2019s Le Mans 24 Hours.
Read more »
Vanwall Hypercar suffering loss of power in Le Mans heatVanwall\u2019s Le Mans Hypercar has been suffering from a loss of power in the hot conditions seen so far in the build up to this year\u2019s Le Mans 24 Hours.
Read more »
Jani completes Proton's LMDh line-up for 2023 WEC seasonLe Mans 24 Hours winner Neel Jani will join Proton Competition\u2019s LMDh assault on the World Endurance Championship from July\u2019s Monza 6 Hours.
Read more »
Jani completes Proton's LMDh line-up for 2023 WEC seasonNeel Jani will be driving a Porsche LMDh after all despite his split with the German manufacturer. The Swiss driver has joined Proton's WEC line-up for the second half of the 2023 season:
Read more »
Rossi: Road to Le Mans class win great preparation for 24 Hours🗣️“It was the first victory together with BMW, and it was also a great experience to come here to prepare for next year’s 24-hour race.' What could ValeYellow46 achieve at the LeMans24 in 2024? ⬇️
Read more »
LMP2 class axed by WEC for 2024, but will stay at Le MansThe World Endurance Championship has officially announced the LMP2 class will no longer feature on the grid in 2024 as it moves to a two-class structure.
Read more »