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85-862: The Mosler MT900 is a high performance sports car built by now-defunct American automotive manufacturer Mosler Automotive . Three submodels were produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being an optional performance package. The original MT900 was introduced in 2001 and the MT900S finished production in May 2011. Components for 25 MTs were produced as of January 2005, though only about 35 road cars and 50 racing versions have officially been completed (c.20 of which are MT900S). The MT900

170-434: A Triumph Spitfire and Ferrari 488 Pista can be considered sports cars, despite vastly different levels of performance. Broader definitions of sports cars include cars "in which performance takes precedence over carrying capacity", or that emphasise the "thrill of driving" or are marketed "using the excitement of speed and the glamour of the (race)track" However, other people have more specific definitions, such as "must be

255-399: A controversial choice for a "purist" sports car. The Elan sold poorly and was discontinued after three years. The 1996 Lotus Elise , a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive roadster, was much more successful and remained in production until 2021. Roadsters enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s, including the 1989-present Mazda MX-5 , the 1995-2002 BMW Z3 (succeeded by the 2002-2016 BMW Z4 ),

340-423: A fixed roof (which were previously considered grand tourers ). Attributing the definition of 'sports car' to any particular model can be controversial or the subject of debate among enthusiasts. Authors and experts have often contributed their ideas to capture a definition. Insurance companies have also attempted to use mathematical formulae to categorise sports cars, often charging more for insurance due to

425-399: A pressed-steel chassis, a gated 4-speed transmission, pushrod-actuated overhead inlet valves , a honeycomb radiator, low-tension magneto ignition , a long wheelbase, a low center of mass and a very effective suspension system. The overall result was a "safe and well-balanced machine" with a higher performance than any other contemporary production car. At the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup ,

510-427: A production Simplex 60 hp was entered only due to a specially-built 90 hp racing car being destroyed in a fire; the 60 hp famously went on to win the race. The 1910 Austro-Daimler 27/80 is another early sports car which had success in motor racing. The 27/80 was designed by Ferdinand Porsche , who drove the car to victory in the 1910 Prince Henry Tour motor race. The Vauxhall and Austro-Daimler —like

595-663: A third in the five race season, enough to finish third in the championship standings. The team also entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans , finishing third in class behind a factory Corvette C6.R and Aston Martin DBR9 . 2007 brought a new C6.R to the team, and both cars were campaigned in the Le Mans Series, but added the FFSA GT Championship to their season. Three second-place finishes were earned in FFSA GT, while

680-620: A two-seater or a 2+2 seater" or a car with two seats only. In the United Kingdom, early recorded usage of the "sports car" was in The Times newspaper in 1919. The first known use of the term in the United States was in 1928. Sports cars started to become popular during the 1920s. The term initially described two-seat roadsters (cars without a fixed roof), however, since the 1970s the term has also been used for cars with

765-494: Is a type of car that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling , acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1910s and are currently produced by many manufacturers around the world. Definitions of sports cars often relate to how the car design is optimised for dynamic performance, without any specific minimum requirements; both

850-452: Is an iconic sports car of the early 1960s, due to its attractive styling and claimed top speed of 241 km/h (150 mph). The E-type was produced for 14 years and was initially powered by a six-cylinder engine, followed by a V12 engine for the final generation. In 1962, the MG B introduced a new era of affordable lightweight four-cylinder roadsters. The MG B used a unibody construction and

935-406: Is notable for using a three-seat layout, where the front row consists of a centrally-located driver's seat. The location of the engine and driven wheels significantly influence the handling characteristics of a car and are therefore crucial in the design of a sports car. Traditionally, most sports cars have used rear-wheel drive with the engine either located at the front ( FR layout ) or in

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1020-520: The Audi RS 2 Avant . Ford Europe withdrew from the sports car market at the end of 1986 when the Capri was discontinued after a production run of nearly two decades. There was no direct successor, as Ford was concentrating on higher-performance versions of its hatchback and saloon models at the time. In 1989, a new generation of Lotus Elan roadster was released which used a front-wheel drive layout,

1105-541: The BMW 303 , Citroën Traction Avant and Fiat 508 — offered similar handling and comfort to the more expensive sports cars. Powerful, reliable, and economical (although softly suspended) American saloons began to be imported to Europe in significant numbers. Sports car ownership was increased through models such as the Austin 7 and Wolseley Hornet six , however many of these sports cars did not offer any performance upgrades over

1190-569: The Belcar championship. The car earned a season's best finish of second place at one of the series' events at Spa . The team also entered the Spa 24 Hours later that year as part of the FIA GT Championship , and managed to finish in 18th place overall. 2004 saw a similar result, with a best finish of second once again at a Spa round, as well as a couple of thirds. 2005 however would see

1275-623: The Bentley Speed Six (1928-1930), with the former famously described by Bugatti's founder as "the fastest lorry in the world". Between the Great Depression and the World War II the pre-war era was a period of decline in importance for sports car manufacturers, although the period was not devoid of advances, for example streamlining . Cheap, light-weight family sedans with independent front suspension— such as

1360-595: The C6 generation Corvette for 2005 led to an all-new race car, termed the Corvette C6.R , which the factory team used at the beginning of the 2005 season. In total, Corvette Racing's C5-Rs would earn 31 class victories in the American Le Mans Series, three class wins at Le Mans, and one overall victory at Daytona. Initially, Corvette C5-Rs were built exclusively for the factory Corvette Racing team. It

1445-702: The Grand American Road Racing Championship . The entry finished the year ninth in their class championship. For 2002, the French Perspective Racing team would become the full-season entry in Grand American and saw an improvement in performance. At Daytona the MT900R finished 13th overall and fifth in their class before winning at the next round at Homestead-Miami Speedway , helping the team to third in

1530-501: The IMSA GT Championship 's Corvette GTPs had seen some support until they ended competition in 1989. With the fifth generation Corvette however, GM chose to show the performance capabilities of the new car by using a more production-based racing car instead of the "in-name-only" Corvette GTP. Their intentions were to take on Dodge and Porsche , who were already running in the category at the time. General Motors chose

1615-520: The Jensen FF became the first sports car to use all-wheel drive . The Ford Capri is a 2+2 coupe that was produced from 1968 to 1986 and intended to be a smaller European equivalent of the Ford Mustang. A main rival to the Capri was Opel Manta , which was produced from 1970 to 1988. The 1973-1978 Lancia Stratos was a mid-engined two-seat coupe that was powered by a Ferrari V6 engine. This

1700-465: The Pratt Miller group of Michigan to build and develop the new racing cars, as well as to organize the racing team in preparation for a debut in 1999. Riley & Scott also assisted in the project, running a second team for a year. Since regulations in place at the time limited the team to using elements of production Corvettes, Pratt Miller and GM used heavily modified road car mules to test out

1785-822: The Spanish GT Championship . The Moslers would struggle in British GT and score no wins, but Balfe was able to earn two victories in Spanish GT, winning the drivers' championship by a mere point. 2005 would see Balfe entering the FIA GT Championship , although the car was not homologated and could not fight for points. Rollcentre would go on to win the Britcar 24 hours at Silverstone . Escuderia Bengala and Escuderia Motor Terrasa would compete in Spanish GT, while Eclipse Motorsport and Cadena GTC took over British GT competition. Launched in late 2006,

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1870-403: The 1905 Isotta Fraschini Tipo D, the 1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost , the 1908 Delage , the 1910 Bugatti Type 13 , and the 1912 DFP 12/15 . Early motor racing events included the 1903 Paris–Madrid race , the 1905-1907 Herkomer Trophy, the 1908-1911 Prince Henry Tour and the 1911–present Monte Carlo Rally . The Prince Henry Tours (which were similar to modern car rallies) were among

1955-495: The 1921 Coppa Florio . Another approach— such as that used by Morris Garages— was to convert touring cars into sports cars. The first 24 Hours of Le Mans race for sports cars was held in 1923, although the two-seat sports cars only competed in the smallest class, with the majority of cars entered being four-seat fast touring cars. "This race, together with the Tourist Trophy Series of Races , organised after

2040-404: The 1948 Ferrari 166 S . A new concept altogether was the modern Gran Turismo class from Italy, which was in effect unknown before the war: sustained high-speed motoring from relatively modest engine size and compact closed or berlinetta coachwork. The 1947 Maserati A6 1500 two-seat berlinetta was the first production model from Maserati. In Germany, the motor industry was devastated by

2125-499: The 1980 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft and Giro d'Italia automobilistico marathon. The Montecarlo was a basis for the silhouette racing car , Lancia Rally 037 . In the 1970s, turbocharging began to be adopted by sports cars, such as the BMW 2002 Turbo in 1973, the first Porsche 911 Turbo in 1975, and the Saab 99 Turbo in 1978. Turbocharging became increasingly popular in the 1980s, from relatively affordable coupes such as

2210-452: The 1980–1986 Renault Fuego and 1992–1996 Rover 220 Coupé Turbo , to expensive supercars such as the 1984-1987 Ferrari 288 GTO and 1987-1992 Ferrari F40 . In the late 1980s and early 1990s, several manufacturers developed supercars that competed for production car top speed records . These cars included the 1986–1993 Porsche 959 , 1991–1995 Bugatti EB 110 , 1992–1994 Jaguar XJ220 and 1993–998 McLaren F1 . The 1980-1995 Audi Quattro

2295-506: The 1990s, all-wheel drive has become more common in sports cars. All-wheel drive offers better acceleration and favorable handling characteristics (especially in slippery conditions), but is often heavier and more mechanically complex than traditional layouts. Examples of all-wheel drive sports cars are the Lamborghini Huracan , Bugatti Veyron , and Nissan GT-R . Rear engine layouts are not typical for sports cars, with

2380-529: The 1995-2002 MG F , the 1996–present Porsche Boxster and the 1998–present Audi TT . Chevrolet Corvette C5-R The Corvette C5-R was part of a plan by General Motors and their Chevrolet brand to create a factory team to participate in grand touring races not only in North America, but also elsewhere in the world, most notably at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. GM had previously been against approving factory support for Corvette racing programs, although

2465-598: The 50th anniversary of the Corvette. Prodrive did not return to the American Le Mans Series for 2004, allowing Corvette to sweep the entire season and earn their fourth straight championship. Although Prodrive did compete at Le Mans, Corvette Racing was able to avenge their loss and add their third class victory at the event. This season was the final one for the C5-R under the Corvette Racing banner. The development of

2550-666: The ALMS. The Corvette team managed to upset the Viper squad at Texas as well as the Petit Le Mans . Even though the C5-Rs ran only a partial season, the team earned third place in the GTS class championship. 2001 once again saw improvement at the opening of the season at Daytona. The C5-Rs outlasted the prototypes in the field and earned themselves the overall race victory. The race also saw

2635-553: The C6.R, including air conditioning systems for driver comfort and a rear view camera on the bumper and monitor in the cockpit to overcome the lack of a rear window. With two cars completed, Corvette Racing entered the 1999 24 Hours of Daytona for the United States Road Racing Championship . The Corvette C5-R of Canadian Ron Fellows and Americans Chris Kneifel and John Paul Jr. managed to finish

Mosler MT900 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2720-580: The GT3 category. MT900R GT3's use the LS7 7.0L V8 (427cui) rather than the LS1 5.7L (350cui) version from the original MT900R. The MT900 underwent several changes to become the MT900S , with 435 hp (324 kW) from its Corvette Z06-derived LS6 V8. The car weighs 998 kg (2,200 lb) without fuel. An early prototype MT900S, despite being up 177 kg (390 lb) and down 65 hp (48 kW) from

2805-468: The Mercedes Simplex 60 hp— were production fast touring cars. The 1912 Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII is also considered one of the earliest sports cars, as it was a "purpose built, high performance, two-seater production automobile". The model was named after King Alfonso XIII of Spain , a patron of the car's chief designer and an enthusiast for the marque. Other early sports cars include

2890-683: The Mosler MT900 GT3 was an attempt by Rollcentre Racing to adapt the MT900R for compliance to the new FIA GT3 category used in various championships. However, the lack of production Moslers led to the FIA rejecting the homologation and forcing Rollcentre to turn elsewhere. The car is allowed into the International GT Open , Australian GT Championship and Belcar series along with the British GT championship which runs to GT3 rules, but has not been approved for other series which use

2975-466: The United States. The price was set at $ 189,000 with two examples having been built as of January 2005. American filmmaker George Lucas took delivery of the first street-legal MT900S in December 2006. A MT900S Photon variant is available which adds a Hewland transmission , thinwall subframes, Dymag carbon fiber magnesium wheels, titanium springs, and carbon fiber seats and bodywork, reducing

3060-479: The car appeared during the next year or two, all conforming to the same basic design and earning for themselves a reputation second to none for fast and reliable travel. The 60-h.p. cars were announced late in 1902. The cars were possessed of a very real performance superior to anything else which could be bought at the time... and the model achieved an almost invincible position among the fast cars of its day. The Sports Car: Development and Design The basis for

3145-539: The car take control of the Belcar series, as SRT won the opening round at Zolder . SRT went on to win four more events that season, including the 24 Hours of Zolder , and won the overall BelCar championship. An eighth place was also earned at the Spa 24 Hours . At the end of 2005, SRT bought a former factory C5-R to complement their existing car. Both entered in the French FFSA GT Championship

3230-487: The car's weight to just under its initial target at 898 kg (1,980 lb). As of January, 2011, a second Photon had been built and was sold for use in the United Kingdom. In 2010, Mosler announced they would release a facelifted version of MT900, based on the MT900M which participated in 2010 Super GT season . A rendering was made of the facelifted MT900 which was as far as the redesign progressed. In May 2011 production

3315-568: The championship. Rollcentre Racing and Balfe Motorsport (with aid from Rollcentre) would bring the Moslers to Europe in 2003, starting the British GT Championship year strong with three straight one-two finishes, before finishing the year with four more victories. The Rollcentre squad edged out Balfe for the championship that year. In Grand American, the Moslers were moved to the faster GTS class, but Perspective Racing improved on

3400-675: The circuit's Mountain and Conrod Straight's (both over 1 km in length), with Short finding he was able to match the speed of the Holden Monaro 427C 's which used an Australian developed version of the larger 7.0L (427cui) V8 engine used in the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R 's at Le Mans , as well as the 6.0L V12 powered Lamborghini Diablo GTR . Rollcentre and Balfe would continue in the British GT Championship in 2004, although Balfe would also enter

3485-459: The closest competitor in their class. Corvette Racing did not return to the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2002 due to rule changes in that event's championship, but they did continue their run in the American Le Mans Series. Corvette won nine out of the ten events, including their first class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring . Their only loss came to the new Prodrive Ferrari team. Corvette secured their second win at Le Mans in 2002 as well. 2003 saw

Mosler MT900 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3570-411: The development of performance cars such as the 1910 Vauxhall Prince Henry , 1910 Sunbeam 12/16 , 1910 Talbot 25 hp , 1910 Straker-Squire 15 hp and 1913 Star 15.9 hp . Following the halt in sports car production caused by World War I , Europe returned to manufacturing automobiles from around 1920. It was around this time that the term 'Sports Car' began to appear in the motor catalogues, although

3655-660: The driving squad. PSI also entered the Spa 24 Hours , finishing in eleventh overall. PSI remained in FFSA GT for 2007, once again earning a race victory, this time at Nogaro . The C5-R was also entered in a few rounds of the FIA GT Championship as part of the Citation Cup. One of the last C5-Rs sold, an ex-factory chassis was bought by French Olympian Luc Alphand for use in the Le Mans Series in 2006. The car earned two second-place finishes and

3740-400: The early 1920s, the cost to produce a racing car was not significantly higher than a road car, therefore several manufacturers used the design from the current year's racing car for the next year's sports car. For example, the 1921 Ballot 2LS based on the racing car that finished third at the 1921 French Grand Prix. The Benz 28/95PS was also a successful racing car, with victories including

3825-493: The endurance event in 18th overall, 34 laps behind the class-winning Porsche . After failures at the 12 Hours of Sebring , Riley & Scott ran a few more rounds of the American Le Mans Series to finish off the year. A lone C5-R finished second in class behind a factory Dodge Viper at Sears Point , and again at Laguna Seca . In 2000, Pratt Miller took over as the sole Corvette team, once again starting

3910-493: The engine and other equipment that the racing cars were to use. Later, the actual race chassis were built, sharing only basic key structural elements with the road cars. A firewall was placed immediately behind the driver's seat in the cockpit, eliminating any rear visibility inside the car. A large diffuser and wing were added to the rear, while a splitter and vents on the hood were added to the front. The front headlights were also replaced with protruding permanent units in place of

3995-463: The exact origin of the name is not known. The decade that followed became known as the vintage era and featured rapid technical advances over the preceding Brass Era cars . Engine performance benefited from the abandonment of " tax horsepower " (where vehicles were taxed based on bore and number of cylinders, rather than actual power output) and the introduction of leaded fuel , which increased power by allowing for higher compression ratios . In

4080-472: The first supercars . Other significant European models of the 1960s and 1970s which might be considered supercars today are the Ferrari 250 GTO (1962-1964), Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (1963-1964), Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (1966-1968), Maserati Ghibli (1967-1973), Ferrari Daytona (1968-1973), Dino 246 (1969-1974), De Tomaso Pantera (1971-1993), Ferrari 308 GTB (1975-1980) and BMW M1 (1978-1981). In 1966,

4165-528: The first World War by the R.A.C. , appealed to the public imagination and offered to the manufacturers of the more sporting cars an excellent opportunity for boosting sales of their products." The classic Italian road races— the Targa Florio , and the Mille Miglia (first held in 1927)— also captured the public's imagination. By 1925, the higher profits available for four-seater cars resulted in

4250-613: The first challenge to Corvette Racing's two years of dominance in their class. Prodrive chose to enter their Ferrari 550 GTS' in the full ALMS season as well, and although they were not strong early in the season, they managed to win the last four events of the season, including Petit Le Mans. Corvette Racing was however able to secure their third championship by a mere four points over the Prodrive team. The Ferraris would strike another blow though as they managed to end Corvette Racing's Le Mans streak, an event in which Corvette Racing celebrated

4335-545: The first drives by Dale Earnhardt and Earnhardt Jr. in both the 24 Hours and the Corvette C5-R, with their car finishing fourth overall. Feeling that the C5-R was a capable winner anywhere, Pratt Miller ran their first full season of the ALMS and earned six class victories, including their second at the Petit Le Mans. The C5-R also took its first victory at Le Mans, finishing eighth overall and 34 laps ahead of

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4420-799: The inherent risk of performance driving. There is no fixed distinction between sports cars and other categories of performance cars, such as muscle cars and grand tourers , with some cars being members of several categories. Traditionally, the most common layout for sports cars was a roadster (a two-seat car without a fixed roof). However, there are also several examples of early sports cars with four seats. Sports cars are not usually intended to transport more than two adult occupants regularly, so most modern sports cars are generally two-seat or 2+2 layout (two smaller rear seats for children or occasional adult use). Larger cars with more spacious rear-seat accommodation are usually considered sports sedans rather than sports cars. The 1993-1998 McLaren F1

4505-573: The late 1920s were AC Cars , Alfa Romeo , Alvis , Amilcar , Bignan and Samson, Chenard-Walcker , Delage , Hispano-Suiza , Hotchkiss , Mercedes-Benz and Nazzaro . Two cars from the Vintage Era that would influence sports cars for many years were the Austin Seven and MG M-type "Midget". Successful sports cars from Bentley during this era were the Bentley 3 Litre (1921-1929) and

4590-518: The mass-produced cars upon which they were based. The highest selling sports car company of the 1930s was Morris Garages , who produced 'MG Midget' models of the M-Type , J-Type , P-Type and T-Type . The K3 version of the K-Type Magnette was a successful racing car, achieving success in the Mille Miglia , Tourist Trophy and 24 Hours of Le Mans . The Bugatti Type 57 (1934-1940)

4675-537: The middle of the vehicle ( MR layout ). Examples of FR layout sports cars include the Caterham 7 , Mazda MX-5 , and the Dodge Viper . Examples of MR layout sports cars are the Ferrari 488 , Ford GT , and Toyota MR2 . To avoid a front-heavy weight distribution , many FR layout sports cars are designed so that the engine is located further back in the engine bay, as close to the firewall as possible. Since

4760-476: The modifications were changes to the bodywork's aerodynamics in an attempt to increase downforce. The hood design was changed during the 1999 season to replace the small slat vents with a large open gap allowing air to exit more freely from the front grill. The third and fourth chassis built during 2000 were actually different from the initial two, due to being built three inches wider to improve cornering grip. Later modifications included some technology developed on

4845-428: The next season. SRT managed a season best of second at Nogaro . 2007 saw only one C5-R entered in FFSA GT, earning five third-place finishes. The team's second C5-R would run in the FIA GT Championship 's Citation Cup for amateur drivers, winning three races for that category, as well as finishing tenth overall at the Spa 24 Hours . American Tom Figge purchased the second customer C5-R in 2004, although this chassis

4930-809: The notable exception of the Porsche 911 . The front-wheel drive layout with the engine at the front ( FF layout ) is generally the most common for cars, but it is not as common among traditional sports cars. Nonetheless, the FF layout is used by sport compacts and hot hatches such as the Mazdaspeed3 . Sports cars with an FF layout include the Fiat Barchetta , Saab Sonett , or Opel Tigra . The ancestor of all high-performance cars had its origin in Germany. The 28-h.p. Cannstatt-Daimler racing car of 1899

5015-456: The philosophy of achieving performance through minimizing weight and has been rated as one of the top 10 sports cars of the 1960s. The Elan featured fibreglass bodies, a backbone chassis, and overhead camshaft engines. A different style of roadster was the AC Cobra , released in 1962, which was fitted with V8 engines up to 7.0 L (427 cu in) in size by Shelby . The Porsche 911

5100-405: The pop-up headlights on the road car. The C5-R initially used a 366 ci (6.0 liter) V8 engine based on the road car's LS1 . This was replaced with a larger 427 ci (7.0 liter) engine several months later during the 1999 season, and became the standard engine for the C5-R for the rest of its career. Katech Engine Development constructed the C5-Rs engines, although they retained elements of

5185-554: The previous year's Daytona effort with a ninth-place finish and the class victory. Mosler Automotive would take one more victory that season. Martin Short's Rollcentre Racing team also took their MT900R to a second-place finish in the inaugural Bathurst 24 Hour in 2002 at the famous Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst , Australia . Rollcentre backed this up in the 2003 race with a fifth-place finish. The MT900R proved very quick on

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5270-433: The production LS1 units. Eleven C5-R chassis were built by Pratt Miller between 1998 and 2004, with ten being used directly by Corvette Racing and one built purely for privateer use. A twelfth car C5-R frame was built, but served merely as a test mule for the C6.R. As the C5-Rs competed over the years, numerous modifications were carried out in an attempt to improve the C5-R's capabilities against stronger competitors. Among

5355-423: The production of two-seat sports cars being limited to smaller manufacturers such as Aston-Martin (350 Astons built from 1921 to 1939) and Frazer-Nash (323 cars built from 1924 to 1939). Then by the late 1920s, the cost of producing racing cars (especially Grand Prix cars) escalated, causing more manufacturers to produce cars for the growing sports car market instead. Significant manufacturers of sports cars in

5440-436: The production version, posted a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12 seconds flat. A newer edition with 600 bhp (447 kW) accelerated 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in 3.1 seconds in a Car and Driver test in early 2006. In June 2005, Mosler announced that they had reached EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification on the MT900S, allowing road car sales to begin in

5525-435: The redline. The MT900 pulled 1.02 g on the skidpad. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated 19 mpg ‑US (12 L/100 km; 23 mpg ‑imp ) and 28 mpg ‑US (8.4 L/100 km; 34 mpg ‑imp ) in city and highway driving, respectively. The car had a somewhat plain exterior designed for aerodynamics , with a low 0.25 coefficient of drag . List price

5610-558: The season at Daytona. The Corvette of Fellows and Kneifel, now joined by Brit Justin Bell , greatly improved on their previous result by finishing in second place overall, a minute behind a factory Viper and easily outperforming various prototypes . However the team was not able to match the performance of the Vipers at Sebring, nor at their debut at Le Mans . The team rebounded though, as they earned their first class victories upon returning to

5695-454: The season at the Spa 24 Hours , once again finishing in third place but only three laps behind the winners. Following the departure of Pacific Coast Motorsports from the American Le Mans Series, their car was offered for sale. The Belgian PSI Experience team purchased this car as well as a C6.R for use in 2006, entering both in the FFSA GT Championship . The team's C5-R earned a victory at Lédenon , with French singer David Hallyday part of

5780-523: The season fourth in the teams championship, the highest placed team running only a one car entry. For 2006, the team chose to move to the Belcar series while their brand new C6.R concentrated on FIA GT. The team won on their debut to the series. In 2007, the Dutch Carsport Holland half of the team separated, leaving PK-Carsport to continue on their own with the C5-R, choosing to return to FIA GT. The team had one of their best finish of

5865-493: The series. For the Corvette C5-R's first full entry in the FIA GT Championship , the Belgian-Dutch GLPK-Carsport team purchased another former factory chassis. The team earned two victories in their debut season, at Imola and Zhuhai , as well as a fourth-place finish at the Spa 24 Hours , although this result was later taken away due to disqualification. The two victories aided the team in finishing

5950-558: The sporting events of the period, bringing renown to successful entrants. The Prince Henry Tours started the evolution of reasonably large and technically advanced production sports cars. In England, the development of sporting cars was inhibited by the Motor Car Act 1903 , which imposed a speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h) on all public roads. This led to the 1907 opening of the Brooklands motor circuit , which inspired

6035-408: The sports car is traced to the early 20th century touring cars and roadsters , and the term 'sports car' would not be coined until after World War One. A car considered to be "a sports-car years ahead of its time" is the 1903 Mercedes Simplex 60 hp , described at the time as a fast touring car and designed by Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler . The Mercedes included pioneering features such as

6120-476: The sports car, but also the most important and diverse technical developments [and] very rapid and genuine improvement in the qualities of every modern production car; assisted by new design and manufacturing techniques a consistently higher level of handling properties has been achieved." In Italy, a small but wealthy market segment allowed for the manufacture of a limited number of high-performance models directly allied to contemporary Grand Prix machines, such as

6205-478: The war, but a small number of manufacturers returned it to prominence. In 1948, the Porsche 356 was released as the debut model from Porsche. The significance of the Porsche 356 and its successors was described in 1957 as "future historians must see them as among the most important of mid-century production cars". The 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is another significant car from this era. The 1961 Jaguar E-Type

6290-411: Was US$ 164,000. Sales were certainly slow, and only a single prototype was produced. Introduced at the same time as the basic MT900 was the race-ready MT900R. It was designed for use in various international motorsports series for an estimated price of $ 119,000. The MT900R made its competition debut at the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona , and would be campaigned by a factory Mosler team for the full season of

6375-415: Was a pioneering all-wheel drive sports car. The 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo (993) saw the 911 Turbo model switch to all-wheel drive, a drivetrain layout that the model uses to this day. The BMW M3 was released in 1986 and has been produced for every generation since. The 1993-1996 Mercedes-Benz W124 E36 AMG was the mass-produced AMG model. Audi's equivalent division, called "RS", was launched in 1994 with

6460-684: Was an unusual arrangement for a car used to compete in rallying, nonetheless it was very successful and won the World Rally Championship in 1974 , 1975 , and 1976 . The Lancia Montecarlo was produced from 1975 to 1981 and is a mid-engine two-seater, available as a coupé or a targa-top. It was sold as Lancia Scorpion in the USA. Its racing variant, Montecarlo Turbo, won the 1979 World Championship for Makes in its division and overall for 1980 World Championship for Makes and 1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes . Montecarlo also won

6545-627: Was another significant sports car of the pre-war era and is now among the most valuable cars in the world. The T57 was successful in sports car races, including winning the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans . Another successful Bugatti sports car was the Bugatti Type 55 (1932-1935), which was based on the Type 51 Grand Prix racing car. The decade following the Second World War saw an "immense growth of interest in

6630-446: Was mounted upside down to allow the engine to sit in front of the rear axle. The original MT900 weighed 1,175 kg (2,590 lb), much more than the target weight, but could still accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds according to Car and Driver . The MT900 they tested could also do a 12.0 second quarter mile at 118 mph (190 km/h), and they recorded a top speed of 150 mph (240 km/h), limited by

6715-438: Was not a new car but instead a former factory car. Plans were made to use the car in the 2005 American Le Mans Series season for his Pacific Coast Motorsports squad. Although they were not expected to compete with the factory Corvette Racing team, they struggled against other privateers like ACEMCO Motorsports' Saleen S7 -R. The team finished on their class podium only once in seven races before eventually deciding to abandon

6800-489: Was not until 2001 that Pratt Miller would enter discussions with teams looking to purchase their own C5-Rs. The British Atomic Kitten Racing squad initially planned to purchase two brand new cars in 2001, but were unable to come to a deal. It was not until 2003 that the first C5-R was sold to an outside team. The first C5-R customer was Belgian Patrick Selleslagh, who ran the Selleslagh Racing Team (SRT) in

6885-694: Was produced until 1980. Other successful lightweight roadsters include the Triumph Spitfire (1962-1980) and the Alfa Romeo Spider (1966-1993). The Fiat X1/9 (1972-1989) was unusual for its use of a mid-engine design in an affordable roadster model. A late entrant to the affordable roadster market was the 1975 Triumph TR7 , however by the late 1970s the demand for this style of car was in decline, resulting in production ceasing in 1982. The original Lotus Elan (1962-1975) two-seat coupe and roadster models are an early commercial success for

6970-675: Was released in 1964 and has remained in production since. The 911 is notable for its use of the uncommon rear-engine design and the use of a flat-six engine . Another successful rear-engine sports car was the original Alpine A110 (1961-1977), which was a successful rally car during the Group 4 era. In 1965, the BMW New Class Coupes were released, leading to the BMW 6 Series which remains in production to this day. The Lamborghini Miura (1966) and Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale (1967) mid-engined high-performance cars are often cited as

7055-563: Was stopped and the factory closed down. In 2010 Super GT season, the MT900M made its debut at the second round of the season in Okayama by Thunder Asia Racing, a GT300 team based in Singapore . Unlike the other MT900 entered in previous Super GT seasons, it uses a 3.4-liter V8 Judd -powered engine and an aero kit specified for the GT300 class regulations. Sports car A sports car

7140-590: Was the replacement for the Mosler Raptor . The MT900 was designed by Rod Trenne, who previously worked on the Corvette C5. The initials were for Mosler, Trenne, and the car's 900 kilogram (1984 lb) target weight. The MT900 used a carbon-fiber chassis with a LS6 V8 engine mounted amidships, powering the rear wheels. Power output is 350 hp (260 kW), with 350 lb⋅ft (470 N⋅m) torque . A ZF transaxle , designed for Porsche ,

7225-417: Was without a doubt the first attempt to give real performance to a road car. Many of its features, such as a honeycomb radiator and gate gear change, were continued on the much improved version which Paul Daimler designed in 1899-1900. This was of course the famous Mercedes. It also laid down standards of chassis design which were to be followed, almost unthinkingly, for the next thirty years. Several variants of

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