GT3 Manufacturers...

[Rodger Davies]

We'r really seeing a contraction of the numbers of GT3 cars this year. People seem to have realised that privately built machines can't compete with the factories, either on price or competitiveness, despite BoP and this year we seem to have lost the Alpinas, the Camaros, the Jaguar and the Maserati (which may turn up in GT Open still, not sure) and will gain a Bentley later in the season. Reiter-Lamborghini seems to be struggling to recruit more buyers too.

Pity to see.

On the US manufacturers point, I'm really surprised that they haven't attempted to join the party with their official builders; I'd have thought P&M in particular have enough respect that they'd sell a good number of GT3 Corvettes internationally, but I guess up until now the local ROI hasn't justified them doing so.

The other point is whether they could offer the same level of support as the customer programmes of the German manufacturers. I remember the guys from Ecurie Ecosse being surprised that, upon buying a second hand GT3 Z4, they were able to get support from the BMW factory in setting up and running it and I know Aston Martin has really stepped up in this regard too. I'm sure, along with its ease of driving and awesome reliability record, this is one of the main reasons for Audi's success with the category. Remember that Audi are the biggest provider of support in GT3 too, supporting Spa, Nurburgring and, this year, Daytona efforts with quasi-works teams; effectively advertising their car and customer programme.

Sorry, I started rambling there.

[HORNDAWG]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

On the US manufacturers point, I'm really surprised that they haven't attempted to join the party with their official builders; I'd have thought P&M in particular have enough respect that they'd sell a good number of GT3 Corvettes internationally, but I guess up until now the local ROI hasn't justified them doing so.

When the new standards for 'GT' are brought on line then maybe P&M will also build the GT3 on this side of the pond. Possibly with Callaway continuing on that side with the same single build design.





L.P.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

and this year we seem to have lost the Alpinas, the Camaros, the Jaguar and the Maserati (which may turn up in GT Open still, not sure)

These cars you name have never attracted many buyers and except for the Alpina had no success.

[Rodger Davies]

aye, I know that - but the variety was very nice - now there are 9 cars, but pretty much each is part of a manufacturer's effort to sell to customers, rather than a privateer's decision to build a car. All I meant is it's a lot let less varied now, which is a pity.

[zanfo zanfagni]

tuners like reiter, matech, kessel or small automotive factories like ascari and mosler were the main producers of gt3 cars during the early years of the class, but from 2009 when the GT1 class started to decline, GT3 class gained more and more popularity attracting manufactures attention. Manufactures cars have big updates year by year that tuners can't develope with the same frequency and not less important manufactures can support private teams in a way that tuners won't never be able to do.

[IndyMeister]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

aye, I know that - but the variety was very nice - now there are 9 cars, but pretty much each is part of a manufacturer's effort to sell to customers, rather than a privateer's decision to build a car. All I meant is it's a lot let less varied now, which is a pity.

The early days certainly were a bit more experiemental. The Morgans, the Venturis or the Mustangs are long gone. Not a lot of succes but nice grids with a lot of international brands-

Right now one gets the impression that except for McLaren German brands are occupying the GT sector with Mercedes, Audi and BMW... factory resources during development and works support are nothing independent tuners can offer (Matech tried that too on a smaller scale but did not succeed).

And the regulation of annual updates seem to favor the ones with more ressources - i.e. the big manufacturers...

[Starfish Primer]

In BOP regulated competitions small manufacturers can always be helped by less weight and wider restrictors to overcome the RD. IMHO the service provided by the big manufacturer is the key. In the service I would include accessing the works drivers roster.

[zanfo zanfagni]

gallardo lp600+ is made by reiter, audi r8 lms by audi sport, both share a similiar aluminium space-frame chassis and virtually the same engine. You all know that bop has always been favourable to gallardo, much lighter and wider restrictors than r8, but even with these helps r8 lms has always been clearly a more performant and better car. Why? audi sport developes year by year new update parts (give an eye to 2013 model, closer to a GT1 concept) and supports constantly with work engineers and drivers, private and semi-official teams. Reiter just developes poor evolutions of their models (lp560->lp600->lp600+, gallardo gt3->lp520) for aficionados teams like rhino's but nothing more! the only support that reiter can offer is peter kox. For tuners is a fight against windmills.

[urdragon]

The Camaro GT3 wins at the Austria GT cup with Rosina.

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...nce-17764.html

[urdragon]

JRM partner's with Öhlins to develop Nordschleife suspension packages for GT3 customers wishing to use their cars in specific events such as the VLN and Nürburgring 24 Hours:

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...cus-17944.html

[Speed-King]

Ford/Lambda seems to be back in the game... very dominant performance in GT-Masters at Spa so far this weekend, and if it was possible at all, they've made it look even better over the winter:





It's ridiculously low and wide by now, really reminds me of the GT1 Saleens in a way.

[urdragon]

Way prettier than the saleens (like the road car) that seem more like a DTM car or a maserati MC12 than a Ford GT.

They could have painted half front spoiler to make it a little more discrete... I take the Rodrive's livery by miles.

[TF110]

Definitely very low of a car. Its quite astonishing how low it is compared to other cars, even the bmw.

[Nick6]

Are the Lambda cars updated Matech' s or new builds?

[zanfo zanfagni]

Matech, like his owner, is dead. Lambda purchased some of their chassis and parts and developed his own ford GT version. The 2013 one in my opinion doesn't look like mc12 or s7r, but is just an other gt3 made fatter and wider with a giant splitter. Is a sort of limbo between the old lambda gt3 and the matech gt1.

[rich07]

If you were to paint that splitter to blend in with the rest of the car it would probably look more like the GT1 car that Matech built. Great result for the 'new' Ford GT, hopefully we see some out and about around the world.

[zanfo zanfagni]

Very unlikely, like the callaway corvette the lambda ford GT is a car made by a tuner. Tuner that can't assist their customers like manufacturers like audi, bmw, mercedes, ferrari and porsche do.

[urdragon]

Somehow that's the grandeur of the GT3, lots of car competing with fairly some similar conditions without an obsession to an upgrades race, since aero updates here don't apply to road cars (factories), and leaving I+D to where it has purpose, endurance.

[TF110]

A 2:19.3 at Spa in qualifying is very quick.

[Mt. Lynx]

Originally Posted by TF110

A 2:19.3 at Spa in qualifying is very quick.

Best GTE time was 2.19.203. So very quick indeed.

[LambdaRacing]

Originally Posted by alexkiller8

lambda - modified ford gt matech cars

The 2013 Lambda Ford GT GT3 is a fully new car. Aerodynamics, Engine, Gearbox, Suspension, Breaks, Exhaust - all new. This has nothing in common with the old Matech Ford GT.

And the Lambda Ford GT won in Spa-Francorchamp in the GT Masters Series last weekend.
http://www.adac-gt-masters.de/uk/art...kechele-168478

[TF110]

Thanks for the info. Great to see the car do well.

[Nick6]

Originally Posted by LambdaRacing

The 2013 Lambda Ford GT GT3 is a fully new car. Aerodynamics, Engine, Gearbox, Suspension, Breaks, Exhaust - all new. This has nothing in common with the old Matech Ford GT.

And the Lambda Ford GT won in Spa-Francorchamp in the GT Masters Series last weekend.
http://www.adac-gt-masters.de/uk/art...kechele-168478

Thanks. This was the answer I was looking for.

[Racenut]

Well its really only Jaguar and Lotus that dont have a current spec GT3 car. How long til we see a F-Type jage or V6 Exige on track? The Jag could be nice with the supercharged V6 engine rather than the V8.

[urdragon]

Ratel claims GT3 evolutions frozen till end 2014:

http://www.endurance-info.com/versio...nce-18544.html