Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Grastens

The JGTC Lancia 037

Recommended Posts

So I was browsing through some information on historic JGTC racers when I came across this video from Fuji 1994:



On-board the #3 GT-R, we see a Lancia 037 being overtaken!

Bits of information appear here: http://blog.bespokeventures.com/2008/02/20/jgtc-chevy-cavalier-and-others-you-might-not-know/

And here: http://www.classicscars.com/wspr/results/jgtc/jgtc1994.html

An archive from Racing Sports Cars: http://www.racingsportscars.com/type/archive/Lancia/037.html

According to the second one, this 037 was entered under 'Rosso Competition' and managed to finish 12th overall, 9th in Class 1. Who knows what modifications were made for road racing; the 037 was from the start not a very aerodynamic car, which would definitely be a hindrance at Fuji Speedway... It looks to have only been used for that one race, and is an Evo.2 model - unmodified, it could have only been putting out 325 hp while coping with high amounts of drag.

So eight years after the 037 is ousted from rally racing, it resurfaces in Japan as a touring car! The early days of the JGTC promoted some diverse machinery; the first non-video link talks about some oddities, while the second one and the video show the Taisan Porsche 962C winning among the GT racers making up the rest of the field.

Suddenly, Tamiya re-releasing the 037 on a touring car chassis makes sense... It looks like the main paint scheme is the same, with different minor sponsors and much larger-diameter wheels (that makes sense on the re-release, too!).

Anyways, I thought it would be interesting to share this oddity. I know my book on the 037 made no mention of this one-off entry!

Edit: Racing Sports Cars says the same chassis was eventually fitted with a Mazda rotary engine for a race in Finland? What a history! If only that car is still around...
  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There was also a shovel nosed onroad going Stratos too...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Stratos and 037 are not adapted to the touring tracks, they have not enough horses...

Max

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes but I'm not sure about the Stratos or 037 performances against a modern Skyline...

Max

Is that so Max ? i beg to differ

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lancia_Stratos_Tour_Auto_2014_Circuit_de_Dijon_Prenois_02.jpg

AND with 560 PS (412 kW) with a single KKK turbocharger in the most powerful of the Stratos it was more than a match for any other car of its era - and will beat many even today .

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The links say the 037 at Fuji held the second-slowest practice lap by several seconds, last place being only a Skyline that must have had mechanical issues since similar cars all lapped much faster than the rally car.

Max, do you mean the rally Stratos as well? Because neither a WRC Stratos nor an 037 will outperform a top JGTC car, but a Group 5 Stratos or Beta Montecarlo might be closer competition as bromvw may be suggesting...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes but I'm not sure about the Stratos or 037 performances against a modern Skyline...

Max

lol unfair comparison .Not only is there decades between them , one is a RWD mid engine coupe while the other is a 4wd high tech computer controlled road rocket saloon . Personally i'd still have the Stratos though on looks alone . :D

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The links say the 037 at Fuji held the second-slowest practice lap by several seconds, last place being only a Skyline that must have had mechanical issues since similar cars all lapped much faster than the rally car.

Max, do you mean the rally Stratos as well? Because neither a WRC Stratos nor an 037 will outperform a top JGTC car, but a Group 5 Stratos or Beta Montecarlo might be closer competition as bromvw may be suggesting...

Correct Grastens . A full spec Group 5 Stratos would - i think , be more than a match for most JGTC cars . Maybe not a Skyline but thats not a fair comparison as said above

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

lol unfair comparison .Not only is there decades between them , one is a RWD mid engine coupe while the other is a 4wd high tech computer controlled road rocket saloon .

But at Fuji 1994, that is what would have happened if a Stratos made the entry list. Unfair or not, a Stratos in any guise would have had to go up against a Skyline racer. For sure, a direct comparison between the two would be unfavourable yet in the context of a single race this would have happened. Even a Lancia 037, only a few years clear of the first R32 Skyline racers, proved overmatched for the older R31 models in attendance.

We must also consider that the Group 5 Stratos was developed from a rally car, unlike the Beta Montecarlo Turbo from which the 037 was generally developed. Rally cars are rarely if at all designed for top-end speed, which is why the 037 was not particularly aerodynamic (and hence more of my surprise at seeing it at the event). At Fuji 1994, we saw a pensioned-off rally car with no ostensible changes go up against dedicated road racers.

It is difficult to say, really, if a Group 5 Stratos would beat most JGTC machines, especially considering that the category became Super GT after a while - do we restrict that requirement to machines before the name change, or include the Super GT cars? Super GT was one of the fastest touring car categories in the world for a time due to liberal aerodynamic requirements, but who knows about the JGTC? I imagine this distinction is important because rule changes followed the name.

In their period-correct setups, I do not doubt a JGTC car would beat a Group 5 Stratos, but putting said Stratos on modern slicks...

I made a mistake earlier in believing the same 037 raced in Finland in 1998 after the Fuji 1994 event. But if only we had the story (or even a chassis number) of that car today...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Such a rare beast like that 037 shouldn't be entered in a race with common things like Skylines. I mean , it may get tapped in the *** .. or bent in someway running around in that field.

If they want to still run it at least the owner should put it into a hillclimb .. if they can't find an historic rally to enter

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It is possible that in 1994 the 037 was probably seen more as a clapped-out ex-racer until it was pressed into JGTC action. Even by 1985 it was not very competitive in Group B, and was supplanted by the Delta S4 for good reason. Lancia always figured the 037 had two or so years as a front-line rally competitor.

20+ years would give us enough time to appreciate its worth a little more! I wonder if the original JGTC chassis is still around today...

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry to revive this a year later.... I'm really surprised the owner didn't remove the rear spoiler. It's just bolted on externally (road and racecars alike).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This thread is revived for the inclusion of some more interesting reading:

In Competition: The Lancia 037 in the JGTC

The major modifications were more cooling apertures (notice the dented-in front grille panel) and large wheels. The article states that the 037 was off by as many as 10 seconds per lap on the lead car, and finished 12th on the merit of reliability (four cars behind it suffered mechanical problems).

Of interest is another road-racing 037: the Toleman GT special produced by Jim McGaughay, which was a Toleman F2 chassis but covered with genuine Lancia 037 body panels. This actually appears to be the Finnish car that raced later with a rotary engine!

The Toleman GT: F2 Racer with a Lancia Shell

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...