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::
Chevrolet Corvette GTP Pictures :: |
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Corvette GTP in garage |
Corvette GTP right side |
Corvette GTP front |
Corvette GTP left side |
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Corvette GTP at museum |
Corvette GTP on track |
Corvette GTP flying by |
Corvette GTP team |
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::
Chevrolet Corvette GTP Video :: |
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::
Chevrolet Corvette GTP General Info :: |
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Produced in |
1986 |
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Curb Weight |
xxx lbs |
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Length |
xxx in |
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Width |
xxx in |
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Wheelbase |
xxx in |
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Layout |
Mid Engine RWD |
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Drivetrain :: |
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Engine |
V8 4
cam |
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Displacement |
10.6
liter 410 cubic inches |
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Valvetrain |
Unknown |
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Fuel Fed |
Unknown |
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Aspiration |
Naturally
Aspirated |
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Gearbox |
Unknown |
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::
Chevrolet Corvette GTP stats :: |
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Horsepower |
956 hp
@ 6200 rpm |
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Torque |
Unknown |
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Redline |
Unknown |
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Power to weight ratio |
Unknown |
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0-100 km/h | 0-60 mph |
Unknown |
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0-160 km/h | 0-100 mph |
Unknown |
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400 m | 1/4 mile |
Unknown |
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Top Speed |
Unknown |
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:: Chevrolet Corvette GTP Additional Info :: |
Source Wikipedia
Development
Prior to 1984, Chevrolet naturally-aspirated V8s and Buick turbocharged
V6s were popular engines
in the GTP class for privateer teams. However General Motors (GM) saw the
opportunity to enter the
IMSA GT Championship for themselves in the 1984 season in an attempt to
bolster their image by
fighting against Jaguar, Porsche, Nissan, and Mazda.
General Motors turned to Lola Cars International of the United Kingdom,
who had previous
experience building cars for Mazda, to build their own chassis, termed the
Corvette GTP in an
attempt to improve the Corvette image. Following testing on an older Lola
T600 with a Chevrolet
V8, an all new car was built, termed the T710. The first chassis were
delivered to General Motors in
1984 and outfitted with a 3.4 litre turbocharged V6, similar to the Buick
unit previously used. A
second chassis, known as T711 used the alternative 5.8 litre
naturally-aspirated V8, and arrived at
GM before the close of 1984. This would allow GM to be able to keep on
pace with at least one car,
dependent on which engine better suited a track.
The cars featured bodywork similar to a Chevrolet Corvette C4 at the
front, with a long pontoon-
style tail featuring Corvette tail lights. Large side intakes would feed
the radiators while the
turbocharged chassis had a snorkel built into the top of the fender to
feed the turbocharger.
Later chassis
Following the first full season for the Corvette GTP in 1985, the cars
were replaced with new chassis
for 1986. Termed T86/10 by Lola, the new cars featured evolved bodywork
which included a smaller
opening for the side radiator. The rear pontoons were also able to be
removed on the new chassis
for courses that did not require longer tails. GM mostly abandoned the use
of the naturally
aspirated V8, opting instead for the turbocharged V6, now at a smaller 3.0
litre displacement.
A third chassis was also built in 1987 which introduced modifications made
by GM subsidiary Lotus.
Termed T86/12 by Lola, this car featured an active suspension system that
would allow the car to
alter its suspension stiffness during the race. The car was used in
competition only once where its
suspension system failed. It was then retained by GM mostly as a
developmental prototype.
Two more chassis were added to the Corvette GTP fleet over the next few
years, with one built at
the end of 1987 for use in 1988, while the other would be completed midway
through 1988. Both
would regain a naturally aspirated V8, now running at 6.0 litres, but
feature only minor mechanical
and visual differences from the T86/10s.
Eagle 700
Following the abandonment of the project at the end of 1988 by General
Motors and the end of
privateer competition by Peerless Racing in 1989, the decision was made to
take Peerless' car into
international racing, entering the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car was
used as a platform for
Eagle Performance to attempt to use a 10.2 litre V8 engine to take on
large manufacturers at Le
Mans. The car was extensively modified to the point that Eagle chose to
rename is the Eagle 700,
losing all Corvette branding in the process. Beyond the modifications
necessary to house the large
V8 engine internally, the tail of the car was also modified with a new
rear wing and shorter tail to
better cope with the speeds at Le Mans.
Racing history
Debuting in 1984 at the Grand Prix of Miami, the first Corvette GTP was
run under the Racing
Systems team name in a mostly all white paint scheme. The car managed to
finish 13th overall
after starting 29th. However the car would only appear two more times in
1984, failing to finish at
Riverside and taking another 13th place finish at Sears Point.
For 1985, the second Corvette GTP chassis was initially given to Lee
Racing for its debut at the 24
Hours of Daytona but would suffer gearbox problems and not finish. This
was followed by a seventh
place finish at Miami, then another failure to finish at the 12 Hours of
Sebring. This would be
followed by a string of failures at Charlotte, Mid-Ohio, and Watkins Glen.
However by Road America,
NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports would take over the former Racing Systems
car, becoming the
factory-backed team with GM Goodwrench sponsorship and leading driver
David Hobbs.
Unfortunately the team did not manage to finish any races by the end of
the season, although Lee
Racing did rebound to score an eighth place finish at the second race at
Watkins Glen and then
tenth at the Daytona season finale.
Into 1986, Hendrick Motorsports and Lee Racing would continue their
campaign with mixed results.
Although both teams failed to finish the first three races of the season,
Hendrick would manage to
take the first victory for the Corvette GTP at Road Atlanta for Doc Bundy
and Sarel van der Merwe.
However by that time Lee Racing abandoned their effort. Hendrick would
continue on and manage
a fourth place finish at Charlotte, seventh at Lime Rock, and third at
Mid-Ohio. The Corvette GTP
would follow this with its second victory on the streets of Palm Beach,
defeating a Porsche 962 by
four tenths of a second. Unfortunately the car would fail to finish at
Watkins Glen, but return for an
eighth place finish at Portland. By Sears Point, Hendrick would purchase
Lee racing's former chassis
to start a two-car campaign. Unfortunately Hendrick would not be able to
see the same success by
the end of the season, leaving Chevrolet to take third in the constructors
championship to Porsche
and Jaguar
Hendrick started 1987 the same way they had 1986, failing to finish the
first three races of the
season, even suffering from a fire during the Miami event. Unfortunately
Hendrick continued to
have problems until they were finally able to finish a race at Laguna
Seca, the sixth round of the
season, and managing a second place result, then a third and eleventh for
the two car team at
Mid-Ohio. Following a short stint of problems, the duo would finish fourth
and seventh at Portland,
followed quickly by a lone third at Sears Point. One final third came in
the streets of San Antonio
before Hendrick would close out the season with a series of problems.
However, problems at Jaguar
helped Chevrolet secure second in the manufacturers championship, once
again losing to Porsche.
By 1988, the Corvette GTPs were becoming slightly more consistent as the
team managed to
overcome their mechanical woes, helped by a switch to the naturally
aspirated V8s. The season
again began slow, with an eighth place finish at Road Atlanta be the first
finish by a Corvette GTP
that season. A seventh at Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio would be followed by a
third at Watkins Glen,
tenth at Road America, and finally ninth at Sears Point before the
Hendrick team would be joined
by the new Peerless Racing squad, using the newest Corvette GTP chassis.
Peerless would take a
fourth place at Columbus, followed closely behind by Hendrick in fifth.
Hendrick would close the
season with a fifth at Del Mar. Chevrolet would however manage to finish
fourth in championship.
After the 1988 season, General Motors chose to cancel their funding for
the Corvette GTP project,
and Hendrick Motorsport did not return to IMSA GT. Peerless Racing would
attempt to continue into
1989, but a series of accidents led to them failing to finish any of the
races they entered, forcing
them to quit midway through the season. Peerless' car would later be used
by Eagle Performance
as an experiment with their large 10.2 litre V8 engine, entering it in the
24 Hours of Le Mans. The
car would however suffer electrical problems during the qualifying
sessions and would not be able to
make the race, marking the end of the Corvette GTP.
Chassis
In total, seven cars would be built under the Corvette GTP name, although
nearly all had different
designations by Lola.
T710-HU01
* Racing Systems (1984)
* Hendrick Motorsport (1985-1986)
Winner at Road Atlanta (1986)
T711-HU02
* Lee Racing (1985-1986)
* Hendrick Motorsport (1986)
T86/10-HU01
* Hendrick Motorsport (1986-1987)
Winner at Palm Beach (1986)
T86/10-HU02
* Hendrick Motorsport (1986-1988)
T86/12-HU03
* Hendrick Motorsport (1987)
Equipped with Lotus active suspension
T87/10-HU01
* Hendrick Motorsport (1988)
T88/11-HU01
* Peerless Racing (1988-1989)
* Eagle Performance (1990)
Wikipedia
Source page
Riverside Raceway
Time Grand Prix of Endurance
April 1986
HERE'S A COUPLE OF SHOTS OF THE CORVETTE GTP AT RIVERSIDE RACEWAY
IN APRIL 1986. THE
TEAM STARTED 7TH AND DIDN'T FINISH DUE TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IN
TURN ONE. DOC BUNDY
TRIED TO MAKE IT THREE WIDE GOING INTO THE HIGH SPEED TURN ONE,
WHICH RESULTED IN
CARS FLIPPING THROUGH THE AIR AND TAKING ALL THREE CARS OUT OF
THE RACE. LYNN ST.
JAMES IN THE FORD PROBE AND CHIP ROBINSON IN THE JAGUAR XJR-4
WERE ALSO INVOLVED IN
ONE OF THE HAIRIEST ACCIDENTS IN GTP HISTORY. LUCKILY, ALL THREE
WERE ABLE TO WALK
AWAY UNINJURED. THE RACE WAS WON BY ROB DYSON AND PRICE COBB.
THE GTP CORVETTE ENDED A 16 RACE WINNING STREAK BY PORSCHE WHEN
IT WON AT ROAD
ATLANTA AND LATER AT WATKINS GLEN. THE VETTE ALSO WON POLES AT
DAYTONA AND MIAMI.
THE TEAM TIED FOR 10TH IN POINTS IN 1986.
SAREL IS AN EXCELLENT ROAD RACER AND EXCELS AT QUALIFYING, TAKING
THE POLE IN SEVEN
RACES IN 1986. AT THE END OF THE SEASON, SAREL HAD 4 IMSA WINS
INCLUDING THE 1984 24
HOURS OF DAYTONA.
DOC BUNDY SHARED DRIVING CLORES WITH SAREL FOR THE 10TH PLACE
POINTS FINISH. DOC
HAD SIX CAMEL GT WINS UNDER HIS BELT WITH THREE COMING AT THE
WHEEL OF THE GROUP 44
JAGUAR IN 1983 & 1984. DOC ALSO GOT A GTO WIN IN A MUSTANG AT THE
1985 24 HOURS OF
DAYTONA.
INFORMATION COMPILED FROM THE 1986 & 1987 RIVERSIDE RACE
PROGRAMS.
There is actually a GTP corvette for sale as of 2004 February 7
that I found this info
GTP Corvette (Ex Peerless Racing) IMSA LeMans history, driven by
Villeneuve, Goodyear, Hobbs,
Baldwin. 10.6 Liter Eagle 4-Cam V-8, 956 H.P. @ 6,200 RPM. Some
spares including 410 cu.in.
Donavan short block engine, extra front ends and mold. This car
is as it came off the track at
LeMans in 1990. Very good condition and part of Corvette's racing
history, one of six built and 2nd
of 2 V-8s built. (805) 466-3893.
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