Here’s the final part of our four part trot through the constructors large and small that featured in the Group C era (in the inevitable occurrence that we have missed some please email the DSC Editor and we’ll update!)
With the 21 marques listed here from C1, C2 and C Junior that brings it to a total of 72, some raced infrequently, one or two not at all! And some graced the circuits of the world for years (and indeed many still do in historic racing).
Part One can be found here >>
Part Two can be found here >>
Part Three can be found here >>
Once again with thanks to John Brooks and to the photographers who have contributed to the invaluable racingsportscars.com
Porsche – Germany
By far the most successful marque of the Group C era with large numbers of the first Porsche 956 and later Porsche 962 C1 cars in the hands of both factory, and high-quality privateer entrants competing just about everywhere in a bewildering number of versions (and that’s even without mentioning IMSA GTP!).
the 956 scored 4 Le Mans wins in succession, followed by a further two for the 962 (and a further overall win in 1994 for the lightly adapted ‘GT1’ Dauer Porsche version of the 962!
There were five consecutive World Sportscar Championships too, plus three DRM Championships, six All Japan Sports Prototype Championships and a book full of race victories.
it took half a decade for the chasing factory pack to catch up, and even then the reliability of the 962 often paid off, the 956 and 962 were the cars that defined Group C!
Rieger – Switzerland
The Cosworth DFV-powered C2 effort contested the German Championship in 1983 and selected WSC events in 1983 and 1984.
ROC – France
The 1991 ROC 002 was powered by a 3.5 litre Ford Cosworth DFR, it was entered only for the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Magny Cours WSC race later that same year posting a pair of DNFs.
Rondeau – France
Active until 1988 with Ford Cosworth powered cars in both C1 and C2 there were some (very) early Group C successes for the M382C, taking the win in the very first race of the new era and a class win later in the season too from the marque that had taken an overall win at Le mans in the pre-Group C 1980 season.
A high profile effort at Le Mans with Ford France backing proved to be a disaster and the death of jean Rondeau in a road accident in 1985 effectively ended the factory development of the cars.
Royale – GB
The Argo-based Royale RP40 had a long and successful career in IMSA Lites, with the odd car also featuring (unsuccessfully) in GTP. Its Group C2 career was shorter and less successful but did include a start at Le Mans in 1987 plus a handful of WSC outings in the UK and elsewhere.
SARD – Japan
Toyota-powered semi-works C1s from 1986-88 was the modus operandi of SARD, the cars never raced outside of japan in period with runs in the domestic sportscar Championship and in the visiting WSC events.
Sauber – Switzerland
Early adopters of Group C, Sauber began with Ford, then BMW, then finally Mercedes Benz power with their privately entered, pretty, but not wildly successful machines. Backing from Kouros (men’s fragrances) started a turnaround with the C8 scoring a first World Championship win in the rain at Nurburgring.
By 1988 Mercedes Benz had taken notice and the new C9 took advantage of both much better downforce and factory-developed engines, Le Mans was a disaster that year after the cars were withdrawn, the downforce overloading the tyres, but thereafter it was an upward trajectory, 1988 saw 5 World Championship race wins and the two cars finishing second and third in the points. 1989 saw utter dominance from the C9s, failing to win just one WSC race en route top the World Championship and taking the win at Le Mans too. There was one more win in the first race of 1990 before the Mercedes Benz C11s took over.
Sehcar – Switzerland
Walter Brun’s exit plan from Sauber included acquiring a pair of Sauber chassis, one of which was equipped with a Cosworth DFL, the other a BMW turbo 6, neither of which were top performers, one car was destroyed in an accident and was rebuilt around a discarded Ford C100 chassis, the car though was a lemon, and the project was canned in favour of a customer Porsche.
Simpson – GB
Intended as an update kit for owners of older Chevron sports cars, the Simpson C2 remained a one-off, contesting a single WSC race and several Thundersports events in 1986 before an accident at the Birmingham Superprix saw the car burned out.
Spice – GB
A prolific constructor of C1 and C2 chassis, Spice emerged from the Group C era as one of the most successful marques of the period with three World Teams Championships, four World manufacturers Championships, five Le Mans class wins plus other successes in IMSA GTP.
The cars were the darlings of privateers worldwide but also saw tie-ins with manufacturers, notably Pontiac in C2 and Acura in IMSA.
The end of Group C also saw a decline for Spice which folded as efforts to diversify faltered.
Sthemo – France
With a marque named after its three founders (sort of!), Hubrt `streibig, Jacques Heuclin and Noel del Bello, the first four, then 6 cylinder engined lightweight C2 car campaign on and off for two seasons in 1983 and 1984 including unsuccessful outings at Le Mans in both years.
Strandell – Sweden
A ‘bitsa’ car using a TOJ monocoque, Lotec bodywork and Porsche 934-sourced powertrain, the car raced for just one season in 1985 with only one notable result, a C podium at Silverstone before being parked at the end of the season.
Stürtz – Germany
The BMW turbo-powered Stürtz C88 ran only in the German Supercup and later Interseries from 1988-1991 with only limited success.
Tiga – GB
Another outfit that built significant quantities of chassis, often servicing other marques listed in this A-Z – (including Spice who used Tiga underpinnings in a Championship-winning C2 effort and in the Lamborghini Countach QVX effort).
The cars were fitted with a bewildering array of powerplants in both Group C and IMSA competitions including, but not limited to, Buick, Chevrolet, Mazda Rotary, Ferrari, Ford, BMW and M-G Rover V6.
There were some good results too with race wins in both international and global competitions including a C2 class win at Le Mans in 1985 with the Spice Tiga.
TOJ – Germany
The Ford DFL-powered RC390 contested DRM and Interseries races from 1982-1984 with some podium success, plus a one-off and somewhat less successful WSC appearance at Nurburgring in 1984 posting a DNF.
TOMS – Japan
Responsible for the build of many of the earliest Toyota Group C efforts both at home in Japan and abroad up to and including the 1986 86C, often with design input from Dome.
Toyota – Japan
Now the dominant force in the present day FIA WEC, Toyota’s World Championship and Le Mans aspirations in the Group C era were all too often dogged by bad luck and poor reliability, always seeming to fall just short against high quality opposition.
After early Group C cars built by Dome, and then for a spell designed by Dome but built by TOMS, Toyota’s efforts moved in-house from 1987. Still thought there was little to brag about until 1992 and the first race for the 3.5 litre V10-powered TS010, a win at Monza, and an all Japan title the following year. Le Mans glory would have to wait a quarter of a century!
URD – Germany
Competing in C2 from 1982 to 87 with a series of neat and tidy cars with BMW power there were creditable if not headline-grabbing performances most notably a fine second in C2 and 11th overall at the 1986 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Veskanda – Australia
The one-off Veskanda – Van Elsen Special K AND A named for its owner and the K&A engineering company that built it, was Australia’s only Group C offering, the car completed in 1985, powered by a Chevy V8 and dominating the Australian Sportscar Championship for three seasons.
In 1988, with an uprated Chevrolet motor, the car competed with real credibility in the WSC round at Sandown, initially finishing 8th overall before being excluded for exceeding the permitted fuel allowance.
WM – France
WM’s Peugeot-powered C2s and C1s featured in the WSC and at Le Mans with little notable success (aside from a C2 podium in 1986), the pretty little cars’ most notable chapter in history being the 1988 push for a 400km/h top speed, a mark it exceeded but with catastrophic mechanical results – 405 km/h for the P88 (below) before subsequent cooling and electrical woes forced its retirement. The marque disappeared from competition post 1989 as Gerard Welter focused on the ‘day job’ with Peugeot before returning half a decade later as WR.
Zakspeed – Germany
Zakspeed retained a single ex Ford C100 and re-engineered the car with the same 1.4 litre turbo four that had seen successful service with the team’s mighty Ford Capris. The car took a pair of wins in the 1983 DRM before being re-engined again with a Ford Cosworth DFL V8. That change proved to be unsuccessful and the car was quietly retired.
