Tag Archives: race cars

Saleen S7-R

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2008 Saleen S7-R

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Boutique supercar manufacturers sometimes (and rightly so) feel the need to prove their cars at the track. It doesn’t happen all that often anymore, as the cost of entry with a halfway-decent GT-class entry at Le Mans is usually prohibitive for start ups. But that didn’t stop companies like Lister, Spyker, Saleen, and others from giving it a go.

Saleen’s S7 was sold between 2000 and 2009. The racing variant, the S7-R (and not the S7 LM, which is a re-launched road car) was produced until about 2008. Initial cars were built by Ray Mallock Ltd before Saleen took over production, with the final prep work being done by Oreca. This is the final of 23 example built, and it is powered by a 7.0-liter V8 that made 600-760 horsepower depending on the state of tune.

The competition history for this chassis,082, includes:

  • 2009 1000km Nurburgring – 23rd, 1st in class (with Roland Berville, Sebastien Dumez, Laurent Groppi)
  • 2010 1000km Spa – 31st (with Gabriele Gardel, Patrice Goueslard, and Fernando Rees)
  • 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans – 13th, 1st in class (with Berville, Gardel, and Julien Canal)

After that, the car remained with its campaigner: French racing team Larbre Competition. And that’s who is selling it. You can read more about it here.

Spyker C8 GT2-R

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2005 Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari might have “Scuderia Ferrari” but aircraft-themed company Spyker had the best factory racing team name of them all: Spyker Squadron. Spyker competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2002 through 2010, only missing the 2004 race. They entered their C8 sports car in the GT2 class.

What’s even cooler is that their second GT2 car was actually based on their Spyder road car. Meaning it was essentially an open-cockpit race car. Because why not. Power is provided by a 3.8-liter version of Audi’s V8, with output somewhere around 450 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis, 3046, includes:

  • 2005 12 Hours of Sebring – 31st, DNF (with Tom Coronel, Donny Crevels, and Marc Goossens)
  • 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans – 40th, DNF (with Coronel, Crevels, and Peter van Merksteijn)
  • 2006 12 Hours of Sebring – 18th (with Jeroen Bleekmolen and Mike Hezemans)
  • 2006 1000km of Spa – 38th, DNF (with Crevels and Jonny Kane)
  • 2006 1000km of Nurburgring – 20th-ish, DNF (with either Coronel or Crevels and Kane)

Spykers are weird. And that’s part of what makes them cool. They are also art. And the fact that the company decided to actually take that art racing? Awesome. Read more about this car here.

Jaguar XJR-12

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1991 Jaguar XJR-12

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Jaguar got into Group C early, and by 1990, they were on the XJR-12, which when fielded by the factory, wore Silk Cut liveries. The cars were introduced in 1990 and some competed in 1991 and 1992 before being supplanted by the XJR-14.

This chassis was built new for 1991. While the 1990 cars were powered by 7.0-liter V12s, the 1991 cars were powered by 7.4-liter V12s, which presumably made more power than the 730-horsepower, 7.0-liter units. The XJR-12 won the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans. The competition history for this chassis, J12C-891, includes:

  • 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans – 4th (with Derek Warwick, John Nielsen, and Andy Wallace)
  • 1992 24 Hours of Daytona – 2nd (with David Brabham, Scott Pruett, Scott Goodyear, and Davy Jones)
  • 1992 12 Hours of Sebring – 4th (with Brabham and Jones)

…a fairly successful run. This car remained with Tom Walkinshaw Racing until being purchased by its current owner in 2017. It’s been used at the Le Mans Classic and is ready to go. Click here for more info.

300ZX V8 IMSA

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1994 Nissan 300ZX V8 IMSA GTS

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | May 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

So this may be a purely purpose-built, tube-frame race car with composite bodywork, but it does have your standard Z32 road car tail panel, which is excellent. Nissan was around for the Group C era, and they eventually transitioned to the GTS class in IMSA.

Initially, they started campaigning second-generation 300ZX race cars with their twin-turbocharged V6s. But those became a little too dominant for IMSA’s liking (in 1994, a 300ZX won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring outright before winning their class at Le Mans). So for 1995, IMSA outlawed the twin-turbo V6.

And Nissan said “okay, we’ll raise you two cylinders.” The next season’s cars, including this one, were powered by a 4.5-liter V8. Two such chassis were so equipped, and the racing history for this one, #008, includes:

  • 1995 24 Hours of Daytona – 21st (with Steve Millen, Johnny O’Connell, and John Morton)
  • 1995 12 Hours of Sebring – 5th, 1st in class (with Millen, O’Connell, and Morton)

This is a pretty serious machine that I suspect would be terrifyingly fast at 50%. You can read more about it here.

Rondeau M482

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1983 Rondeau-Cosworth M482

Offered by Bonhams | Brussels, Belgium | May 13, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Jean Rondeau raced at Le Mans a few times before he decided he could do better designing, building, and competing in his own cars. The first Rondeau cars arrived at Le Sarthe in 1976, although they were branded as Inalteras due to their sponsorship with the wallpaper company.

The Rondeau M378 was the first Rondeau-branded car at the race, and the last would be this: the 1983 M482. It had power in-period from a 3.9-liter Cosworth V8. There is currently no engine installed, but a Cosworth DFV V8 accompanies the car. The competition history for this chassis, #003, includes:

  • 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans – 48th, DNF (with Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Philippe Streiff)
  • 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans – 46th, DNF (with Christian Bussi, Jack Griffin, and Marion L. Speer)

Only three M482s were built. And they did not do well at Le Mans in 1983. So bad, in fact, that Rondeau has to file for bankruptcy, which is how this car ended up in the hands of a privateer in 1985. Successful or not, the car carries a pre-sale estimate of $275,000-$390,000. Click here for more info.

Ferrari 312 PB

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1972 Ferrari 312 PB

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Big-time Ferrari prototype sports racers don’t change hands very often. At least not publicly. The 312 PB was a Group 6 prototype race car built and campaigned between 1971 and 1973. Fun fact, this car was technically called the 312 P, but Ferrari also had an older 312 P, so it’s been retroactively dubbed “PB.”

Another fun fact is that these cars took so much focus from Ferrari that their Formula One program had begun to suffer. So after the 1973 sports car season, they walked away from prototype racers to focus on F1 again. So this was sort of the last of the line for a while.

The car is powered by a 3.0-liter flat-12 that made 460 horsepower. It’s unclear how many were produced, but the catalog says this chassis, 0886, is one of six used as works racers during the 1972 season. Its competition history includes:

  • 1972 1,000km of Buenos Aires – 1st (with Ronnie Peterson and Tim Schenken)
  • 1972 12 Hours of Sebring – 2nd (with Peterson and Schenken)
  • 1972 1,000km of Monza – 3rd (with Peterson and Schenken)
  • 1972 1,000km Nurburgring – 1st (with Peterson and Schenken)

This car was then present at the Monterey Historics as early as 1975. Ferrari won the sports car manufacturer’s championship in ’72, with a huge helping hand from this chassis. It now carries a massive estimate of $15,500,000-$19,750,000. Click here for more info.

Tyrrell 020B

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1991 Tyrrell 020B

Offered by Bonhams | Brussels, Belgium | May 13, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Ken Tyrrell’s Formula One racing team had been around since the 1960s and entered the 1990s already struggling. The 1971 constructor’s champion was a far cry from the peak. Their 020 chassis was designed by Harvey Postlethwaite and George Ryton and debuted for the 1991 season.

For that year, the car had a Honda V10 powerplant. For 1992, they upgraded the 020 (including this chassis, 020-6), to 020B spec, which meant that it now used 3.5-liter Ilmor V10 that made 680 horsepower. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1991 Canadian Grand Prix – 10th (with Satoru Nakajima)
  • 1991 Mexican Grand Prix – 12th (with Nakajima)
  • 1991 French Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Nakajima)
  • 1991 British Grand Prix – 8th (with Nakajima)
  • 1991 German Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Nakajima)
  • 1991 Hungarian Grand Prix – 15th (with Nakajima)
  • 1991 Belgian Grand Prix – 23rd, DNF (with Nakajima)
  • 1991 Italian Grand Prix – 19th, DNF (with Stefano Modena)
  • 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Modena)
  • 1991 Spanish Grand Prix – 16th (with Modena)
  • 1991 Japanese Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Nakajima)
  • 1991 Australian Grand Prix – 26th, DNF (with Nakajima)

For 1992, it was used as a spare car for seven races. It later entered private ownership – sans V10 – and is offered as a roller out its current collection, where it’s been since 2003. The estimate is $55,000-$77,000. Click here for more info.

Ferrari 500 TR Spider

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1956 Ferrari 500 TR Spider by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Cernobbio, Italy | May 20, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Ferrari 500 TR was actually part of Ferrari’s Monza line of sports racing cars, and not part of the 250 Testa Rossa range (those had V12s). Produced for 1956, the 500 TR replaced the earlier 500 Mondial.

It shared the Mondial’s 2.0-liter Lampredi inline-four that revved to a pretty incredible 180 horsepower. It featured a coil-sprung suspension, which broke new ground for Ferrari, and a synchronized gearbox.

This example, which is the third of 17 built, was sold new to an Italian privateer, who took it road racing around Italy. It later spent time way up north, incurring damage at a race in Finland. The resulting repairs saw it gain a 500 TRC-style nose. An owner in the 1970s/80s used the car heavily in historic events.

It’s been with its current owner since 2011, and i’s now selling at no reserve. Click here for more info.

Fittipaldi F6

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1979 Fittipaldi F6

Offered by Bonhams | Brussels, Belgium | May 13, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Imagine Max Verstappen, or Sebastian Vettel, or Michael Schumacher, three years out from an F1 world championship arriving on the grid with a team of their own. It would be insane. But it’s exactly what Emerson (and brother Wilson) Fittipaldi did in 1975.

Emerson Fittipaldi won the F1 driver’s championship for Lotus in 1972, and Wilson drove for Brabham for ’72 and ’73. They started working on Fittipaldi Automotive in 1974. The team appeared on the grid in 1975 with Wilson driving the only car (and Arturo Merzario running in one race). Emerson would be the team’s main driver from 1976-1980, and the team’s final season was 1982.

The F6 was used for the latter part of the 1979 season (and, strangely, one race toward the beginning of the year). Two chassis were built, with Emerson driving one of them in seven races and Alex Ribeiro failing to qualify for three races in the other. The engine at the time was a Ford-Cosworth DFV 3.0-liter V8.

This chassis is lacking all running gear and is set up as a static show car. Apparently it doesn’t even really roll, and the suspension is listed as “not correct.” Still, it’s an interesting part of F1’s small history of “owner/drivers.” It has an estimate of $55,000-$75,000. Click here for more info.

Nissan R90CK

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1990 Nissan R90CK

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Mans, France | June 9, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

This is a pretty big deal car. Nissan’s Group C program got off the ground in 1983. In 1990, they launched a new series of cars starting with the R90C, which was based off of the previous R89C. The R90CK variant featured aerodynamic tweaks and revised styling. It was used during the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season and at the 24 Hours of Daytona in ’91 and ’92.

Six R90CK chassis were built, and this one carries number R90C/1. It’s powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter all-aluminum DOHC V8. In qualifying trim, output could hit 1,000 horsepower. Race trim usually dialed it back to under 800. But still. This car took pole at Le Mans in 1990, and its competition history includes:

  • 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans – 41st, DNF (with Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey, and Gianfranco Brancatelli)

It was retained by Nissan until 2000, spending some time on display at the Le Mans museum before private ownership came calling. The car is usable and has been present at various historic events over the last decade or so. Le Mans pole-winning cars don’t come around everday, nor do Group C legends. Click here to read more about this one.