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Michelotto

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Michelotto Automobili
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1969
FounderGiuliano Michelotto
Headquarters
Key people
Cristiano Michelotto
ProductsRacing cars
Number of employees
Over 40
WebsiteMichelotto Automobili

Michelotto Automobili is a automotive design, development, and race car constructor based in Padua, Italy. Founded in 1969 by Giuliano Michelotto as a Ferrari dealership, the company entered Italian auto racing series in 1971 before they became an outright constructor of racing cars when they co-developed with Ferrari the 308 Group 4 rally cars in 1978. Since then Michelotto has developed or built nearly all of Ferraris racing cars in the sports car and rally disciplines, as well as assited Ferrari in the development of production supercars such as the Ferrari F40. Michelotto has also developed sports prototypes for Osella.

History

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Models

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One of five Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluziones
A Ferrari F40 LM
A Ferrari F430 GT

Since their initial development of the 308 Group 4 in 1971, Michelotto has been involved in the development or construction of the following road and racing cars.

Model Year
Ferrari 308 GTB Group 4 1978
Ferrari 308 GTB Group B 1983
Ferrari 308 GT/M 1984
Ferrari 288 GTO 1984
Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione 1985
Ferrari F40 1987
Ferrari F40 LM 1988
Osella PA16 1992
Ferrari F40 CSAI-GT 1993
Ferrari 348 GT Competizione CSAI-GT 1993
Ferrari F40 GTE 1994
Ferrari 348 GT Competizione LM 1994
Ferrari 333 SP 1997
Ferrari 360 GT 2000
Ferrari 360 N-GT 2003
Ferrari F430 GT 2006

References

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Category:Companies established in 1969 Category:Ferrari

Mirage GR8

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Mirage GR8
CategoryGroup 5 sports prototype (1975)
Group 6 sports prototype (1976-1979)
ConstructorGulf Racing Research Company
Designer(s)Len Bailey (chassis)
John Wyer (bodywork)
John Horsman (bodywork)
Technical specifications
ChassisAluminium monocoque
Suspension (front)Double wishbone suspension with coil springs over dampers
Suspension (rear)Single upper and dual lower link suspension with dual radius rods and coil springs over dampers
EngineFord Cosworth DFV 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in) V8, naturally-aspirated
Renault-Gordini 1,997 cc (121.9 cu in) V6, turbocharged
TransmissionZF 5-speed manual
WeightAppr. 900 kg (2,000 lb)
TyresGoodyear
Competition history
Notable entrantsUnited Kingdom Gulf Racing Research Company
United States Grand Touring Cars
Notable driversUnited Kingdom Derek Bell
United Kingdom David Hobbs
Belgium Jacky Ickx
France Jean-Pierre Jarier
France Jean-Pierre Jaussaud
France Jacques Laffite
France Jean-Louis Lafosse
France Michel Leclère
France François Migault
United States Sam Posey
Australia Vern Schuppan
Debut1975 24 Hours of Le Mans
Last season1979
RacesWinsPoles
611

The Mirage GR8, also known as a Gulf GR8, was a pair of sports prototype racing cars developed and built by Gulf Racing Research Company, a joint venture between financial backer Gulf Oil and John Wyer's auto racing team. The two GR8s were designed specifically to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which Wyer and Gulf had previously won as partners in 1968 and 1969. The cars were designed around Cosworth-developed Ford V8 engines. Planning and construction of the first GR8 began in 1974 as Gulf Racing were phasing out their previous GR7 designs, with testing continuing until the two cars made their competition debut at Le Mans in 1975. Despite issues with vibrations from the Ford Cosworths damaging the cars, Briton Derek Bell and Belgian Jacky Ickx won the race in their GR8, a lap ahead of a Ligier and followed in third by the second GR8. Gulf withdrew funding for the project following the Le Mans victory, and the cars were sold to American Harley Cluxton III for his Grand Touring Cars team. The Cluxton's GR8s returned to Le Mans in 1976 where Frenchmen Jean-Louis Lafosse and François Migault finished in second place to Porsche's new 936.

A change to Renault turbocharged V6 engines for Le Mans 1977 continued the GR8's success as Australian Vern Schuppan and Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jarier finished in second place, once again behind Porsche. The GR8 bodywork was redesigned for 1978, leading to the cars being renamed Mirage M9. Renault's own entries dominated the event alongside Porsche, and the M9 could only manage a tenth place result. A second revision was carried out for 1979, as well as a reversion back to Ford Cosworth motors, but the Mirage M10 design failed to earn a result at Le Mans. The cars were retired from use shortly thereafter.

Background

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A Gulf GR7 at the Nürburgring in 1974

John Wyer and John Willment founded JW Automotive Engineering in 1967 to campaign Ford GT40s before switching to Porsche 917s in 1970. JW Automotive had success in the International Championship for Makes, assisting Ford's championship title in 1968 and Porsche's 1970 and 1971 championships. The team also was victorious at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning with Ford in 1968 and 1969. Outside of running the racing team, JW Automotive also developed their own racing cars under the Mirage name, starting with modified GT40s before creating their own designs from scratch. Rule changes for the International Championship made the 917 no longer legal for the 1972 season, so a new prototype was developed by the company, the Mirage M6. Involvement from Gulf Oil, who had financially supported all of JW Automotive's efforts since 1967, also increased as the team was renamed Gulf Racing Research Company. The M6 proved competitive against Matra, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo, winning the Spa 1000 km in 1973. Mirage improved on the M6's design with the Gulf GR7 in 1974, finishing second in the International Championship behind Matra despite not achieving a victory that season. By the end of 1974, Gulf was looking to withdraw their motorsports funding but Wyer was able to convince the company to have a final attempt at Le Mans for 1975.

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References

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  1. ^ Nye, Doug (October 2010). "One Chassis, Five Le Mans". Motor Sport.

Group C

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Group C sports cars was a category of racing car defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as two-seat competition automobiles for use on closed circuits. In 1982 the FIA reorganized their categorization structure for racing cars as defined in the Appendix J, with Group C introduced as a replacement for the former Group 5 and Group 6 sports cars. In contrast to the former sports car regulations which limited engine dimensions and output, Group C allowed automotive manufacturers freedom to develop any motor they chose but limited the amount of fuel that each car could use over a race distance, requiring a balance between overall pace and fuel economy and giving rise to the development of engine control units. The closed bodywork cars were given a defined minimum weight and maximum dimensions, but the rules encouraged the use of underbody ground effects to achieve high levels of downforce.

Fuel economy regulations shifted over the years, initially limiting the number of pit stops for refueling for a car over a given race distance before the 1984 regulations simply defined the total volume of fuel that could be consumed over a distance. A second Group C category, known as Group C Junior or Group C2, was created in 1983; these cars were given smaller fuel tanks and lower limits on fuel usage, requiring far more economy over pace. In 1989 the FIA announced a shift in the Group C categories with the introduction of new regulations that set a limit of 3,500 cubic centimetres (210 cu in) of engine displacement for all motors while forgoing limitations on fuel, identical to the engine regulations for Formula One. These new regulations would coexist with the fuel economy formula regulations until the end of 1991 when the new engine formula became the sole set of regulations. The new regulations received early manufacturer support but quickly waned by the end of 1992, leading the FIA to eliminate the category in 1993. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, continued to regulate former Group C cars into their own categories until the end of 1994.

Over the span of a decade, the Group C category garnered factory-supported programs from automotive manufacturers in Europe, Japan, and the United States, who competed in various international and national racing series, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA World Sports-Prototype Championship, FIA Sportscar World Championship, All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship, Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, Supercup, and BRDC Sportscar Championship.

History

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Early fuel economy racing

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1982-1983

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A Nimrod NRA/C2-Aston Martin, one of the first cars built to the new Group C regulations
1982–1983 Refueling regulations
Race distance or duration <165 km (103 mi) 165 km (103 mi)–330 km (210 mi) 330 km (210 mi)–500 km (310 mi) 500 km (310 mi)–665 km (413 mi) 665 km (413 mi)–830 km (520 mi) 830 km (520 mi)–1,000 km (620 mi) 12 Hours 24 Hours
Maximum refueling stops No stops 1 stop 2 stops 3 stops 4 stops 5 stops 12 stops 25 stops

1984-1988

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A Porsche 962C being refueled during an event
1984–1988 Fuel allowances regulations
Race distance or duration 180 km (110 mi) 360 km (220 mi) 800 km (500 mi) 1,000 km (620 mi) 9 Hours 12 Hours 24 Hours
Fuel allowance (1984–1985) 425 L (112 US gal) 510 L (130 US gal) 830 L (220 US gal) 1,105 L (292 US gal) 2,210 L (580 US gal)
Fuel allowance (1986–1988) 100 L (26 US gal) 190 L (50 US gal) 425 L (112 US gal) 510 L (130 US gal) 830 L (220 US gal) 1,105 L (292 US gal) 2,550 L (670 US gal)

1989-1991

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1989–1991 Category 2 fuel allowances regulations
Race distance or duration 430 km (270 mi) 480 km (300 mi) 24 Hours
Fuel allowance 219 L (58 US gal) 245 L (65 US gal) 2,550 L (670 US gal)

1992-1994

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A Lola-Judd leading a Mazda during the 1992 Sportscar World Championship. Both cars were developed specifically for the 3.5-litre formula.
A new Le Mans Prototype (Kremer K8 Spyder) leads a former Group C prototype (Porsche 962C GTi) during the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans

Group C2

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1984–1989 Fuel allowances regulations
Race distance or duration 180 km (110 mi) 360 km (220 mi) 800 km (500 mi) 1,000 km (620 mi) 9 Hours 12 Hours 24 Hours
Fuel allowance (1984–1985) 275 L (73 US gal) 330 L (87 US gal) 495 L (131 US gal) 715 L (189 US gal) 1,430 L (380 US gal)
Fuel allowance (1986–1987) 65 L (17 US gal) 120 L (32 US gal) 275 L (73 US gal) 330 L (87 US gal) 495 L (131 US gal) 715 L (189 US gal) 1,650 L (440 US gal)
Fuel allowance (1988) 130 L (34 US gal) 305 L (81 US gal) 365 L (96 US gal) 545 L (144 US gal) 785 L (207 US gal) 1,815 L (479 US gal)
Fuel allowance (1989) 133 L (35 US gal) 296 L (78 US gal) 370 L (98 US gal) 1,815 L (479 US gal)

Data

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Group C/C1

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1982-1983
Weight 800kg
Capacity 100L
<165km 0
165km-330km 1
330km-500km 2
500km-665km 3
665km-830km 4
830km-1000km 5
12 Hours 12
24 Hours 25
1984
Weight 800kg
Capacity 100L
800km 425L
1000km 510L
9 Hours 830L
12 Hours 1105L
24 Hours 2210L
1985
Weight 850kg
Capacity 100L
800km 425L
1000km 510L
9 Hours 830L
12 Hours 1105L
24 Hours 2210L
1986-1988
Weight 850kg
Capacity 100L
180km 100L
360km 190L
800km 425L
1000km 510L
9 Hours 830L
12 Hours 1105L
24 Hours 2550L
1989-1990
Cat 1 Cat 2
Weight 750kg 900kg
Capacity 100L 100L
360km Free 184L
800km 408L
1000km 510L
24 Hours 2550L
1991
Cat 1 Cat 2 Rotary Cat 2 Piston
Weight 750kg 880kg 1000kg
Capacity 100L 100L 100L
Fuel 102 RON 100 RON 100 RON
360km Free 184L 184L
800km 408L 408L
1000km 510L 510L
24 Hours 2550L 2550L
1992
C1 FIA Cup
Weight 750kg 700kg
Capacity 100L 100L
Brakes Carbon Steel

Group C Junior/C2

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1983
Weight 700kg
Capacity 55L
<165km 0
165km-330km 1
330km-500km 2
500km-665km 3
665km-830km 4
830km-1000km 5
12 Hours 12
24 Hours 25
1984
Weight 700kg
Capacity 55L
800km 275L
1000km 330L
9 Hours 495L
12 Hours 715L
24 Hours 1430L
1985
Weight 700kg
Capacity 100L
800km 275L
1000km 330L
9 Hours 495L
12 Hours 715L
24 Hours 1430L
1986-1987
Weight 700kg
Capacity 100L
180km 65L
360km 120L
800km 275L
1000km 330L
9 Hours 495L
12 Hours 715L
24 Hours 1650L
1988
Weight 700kg
Capacity 100L
360km 130L
800km 305L
1000km 365L
9 Hours 545L
12 Hours 785L
24 Hours 1815L
1989
Weight 750kg
Capacity 100L
360km 133L
800km 296L
1000km 370L
24 Hours 1815L