Closed Top or Open Top Prototypes?

[mattcat]

I wanted to get a poll going on about this. Which do you prefer, the closed top or the open top prototypes? I am a fan of the closed top cars, particularly the Lola Aston Martin of Charouz. It's nice to see that the number of coupes seems to be on the rise in LMS (and hopefully this will carry over to the ALMS at some point). While at the 12 Hours of Sebring this year, I had a chance to see the Pug up close and on the track, and it is a thing of beauty in the flesh! I have always preferred the closed top look, but after seeing one in person, I was astonished at how sleek and fast it looked. So which is it for you?

[LeMans.pt]

Thats a difficult choice....

I grow up looking to the Group C golden years with the Porsche 956/962, the Lancia LC2, the Jaguars, Spice, Alba, Sauber, Gebhardts, Lola... and so on. I loved that cars... but i also i sympathy for the open top protos.

For me... if ACO really wants to separate LMP1 from LMP2, Works from Privateers, they should also separate open tops from close ones. Coupes to the LMP1 protos and Barchettas to LMP2.

[CTD]

^Which they was close to do!
what should have been the new 2010 regulation would have made all P1's closed and all P2's Open, unfortunately it wasn't going to be!
I hope they will do something to seperate the 2 classes, without destroying them! (like with the LmGtp)
But i love the closed cars!, in my mind they are the real Le Mans cars!

[dj choc ice]

i adore the closed roof and open roof cars but i have grown up with the open roof sportscars (ferrari 333SP, courage C36, courage C52, audi R8, zytek 04S, dome S101)and i must be honest the coupe's are cerainly prettier but the open roof cars look lower down, meaner and more menacing at racing speeds.

somehow i prefer the open roof car's we have currently and of the LMP675 and LMP900 era, i particularly loved the dome S101, that thing was so low and sleek it literally looked like it was glued to the road it sat so low compared to say a zytek 04S or an audi R8.

so for me, the open roof cars get my affection, the only closed roof prototype ive seen in person racing are the peugeot's and a silent but very pretty LMP doesnt do it for me, the bucking shrieking zytek 04S and yowling dome S101 get my vote everytime

[ss_collins]

I like the mix. If I were to race one I'd have a roadster, because thats what I like... but I like that there are Coupes too.

[AU N EGL]

Originally Posted by ss_collins

I like the mix. If I were to race one I'd have a roadster, because thats what I like... but I like that there are Coupes too.

I agree with Sam here

[zac510]

Yeah I'm bi for sure

[Justin Moran]

Ok but which cars do you like?


I love Coupes but as has been said I too would like to see Closed P1's and open P2's.

[minimangler]

If i was driving one, i'd say open, i wanna see where i'm going!
but i prefer the coupe look.

[brielga]

closed all the way...

[The Badger]

Even though my favourite sportscar era was Group C , I voted for the open topper . Its great to see thr driver working at the wheel ..... and GT is all closed , so its nice to have the variety .

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by brielga

closed all the way...

Yep!

[Jonerz]

I voted open only because closed top prototypes threaten something like the old GTX class, new EVO or even the old GT1 class.

If a closed top prototype looks like a prototype and drives like a prototype, great, just as good as any car in the world. Bottom line, prototypes should be F1 cars with fenders and or roofs, but with wider array of engines.

If a closed top prototype looks like a GT car and drives like a prototype it confuses the non-sports car fan public and makes the lower GT categories not as attractive to the public.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't make them too like GT's so as we can keep proper GT cars at Le Mans.

Chris

[mattcat]

Interesting responses so far. I don't dislike the open cockpit cars so much, but to me they look far less unique than in the late 90's / early 00's. I miss the open top cars like the Panoz LMP-1 and the BMW V12 LMR. I guess ever since they did away with the single roll-hoops they just haven't looked the same to me. The R8 was a great looking car too, in my opinion much better than the R10.

[rcarr]

Closed all the way but some cars are beautiful being open though, historically I mean. Some of the modern cars are Pug ugly, there is no style to them, I blame the rules really. As for closed cars, the Peugeot, Charouz Aston Martin and the Lola are such a breath to fresh air into the series.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by rcarr

Some of the modern cars are Pug ugly,..

Don't let Tom908V12 hear you say that.

[mattcat]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

Don't let Tom908V12 hear you say that.

Hahahahaha...that actually made me laugh out loud.

[HORNDAWG]

Originally Posted by Jonerz

I voted open only because closed top prototypes threaten something like the old GTX class, new EVO or even the old GT1 class.

If a closed top prototype looks like a prototype and drives like a prototype, great, just as good as any car in the world. Bottom line, prototypes should be F1 cars with fenders and or roofs, but with wider array of engines.

If a closed top prototype looks like a GT car and drives like a prototype it confuses the non-sports car fan public and makes the lower GT categories not as attractive to the public.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't make them too like GT's so as we can keep proper GT cars at Le Mans.

Chris

Hmm, I could of swore that this was Sports Car racing and that a Sports Car prototype should still look like a Sports Car and not a Grand Prix car with fenders. I thought that was the whole heritage of Le Mans and therefore the guiding tenants for the ALMS and LMS with their affiliation to Le Mans!

L.P.

[XJR88]

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

Hmm, I could of swore that this was Sports Car racing and that a Sports Car prototype should still look like a Sports Car and not a Grand Prix car with fenders. I thought that was the whole heritage of Le Mans and therefore the guiding tenants for the ALMS and LMS with their affiliation to Le Mans!

L.P.

Im with HORNDAWG on this one....F1's with closed cockpits? Bah. Never.

[Subaru_WRX_STi]

Originally Posted by ss_collins

I like the mix. If I were to race one I'd have a roadster, because thats what I like... but I like that there are Coupes too.

I agree, LMPs vs GTPs thats, GT-One vs V12 LMR, R8 vs Speed 8, and now R10 vs 908, and I wonder it will continue like this without the foolish idea to recreate a new groupe c era

[Aysedasi]

I think a mix is best (am I really saying this........? ) but I yearn to have a majority of closed protos as I'm simply bored to tears with the current open LMPs. I guess I get my love for coupes from my 'glory days' of Group C and the gorgeous GT1s of the 90s.

[ss_collins]

No Ayse you are wrong... I think..

For me the best looking LMP is the Honda. But my favourites are the Lavaggi and WR

[JAG]

Closed cars are REAL sports protoypes, the legends, 917, 962, XJR-9LM, GT-ONE..............908.

Open cars remind me of those dire WSC machines and God awful 70's 'home built' specials!

The last decent open cars were from the 50's, early 60's.

Plus it looks like closed cars have an inherent performance advantage, even if the figures don't neccesarily back that up.

Even in the LMP900/LMGTP days the closed cars with smaller tyres always seemed to have a performance advantage over the open cars.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Jonerz

I voted open only because closed top prototypes threaten something like the old GTX class, new EVO or even the old GT1 class.

If a closed top prototype looks like a prototype and drives like a prototype, great, just as good as any car in the world. Bottom line, prototypes should be F1 cars with fenders and or roofs, but with wider array of engines.

If a closed top prototype looks like a GT car and drives like a prototype it confuses the non-sports car fan public and makes the lower GT categories not as attractive to the public.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't make them too like GT's so as we can keep proper GT cars at Le Mans.

Chris

There's a simple, elegant, solution, one GT class for cars like the 911, 430 and M3.

Exotic as these cars are for the average man on the street, they look very different to a closed protoype, even one with road car styling cues such as the Mercedes CLR.

The same can't be said for supercars like the Maserati MC12 and Saleen S7-R.

So a closed P1 class with road car styling cues, open P2's as is, and a single GT class, for current GT2 cars, would be the ideal solution.

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by JAG

Closed cars are REAL sports protoypes, the legends, 917, 962, XJR-9LM, GT-ONE..............908.

What about all those alfs's and ferrari's from the 70's ?