Tell me...
Well to me it's the Audi quattro , it's prove that AWD system wasn't just for big and heavy off roaders.

I think the R10 was pretty significant. It wasn't the first diesel racing car, but it did show that diesel isn't just for big trucks.

um... what kind of racing?

every kind it can be even go go karts to F1 but this cars need to be technologic important like the quattro for the cars world not just a winner like the 917 (i love this car but it don't contribute very much to the cars world.

Well, putting forward one car is a bit too hard. As monkey mentioned, one paticular car from such broad a field is silly. What's good for one motorsport, isn't good for another.

I'll put forward any car that Colin Chapman laid eyes on. That man came up with more innovations for pretty much anything. The FIA rulebook wouldn't be half as big if it wasn't with him.

For me,is easy the Ferrari f40

To me, i think the Sauber C9. Great car.

For me,is easy the Ferrari f40
sorry but I will be rude now;)...
RACE CARS!!!!! not road cars.
thanks

For me,is easy the Ferrari f40
The F40 was an awsome supercar, but what does it have to do with this thread? I don't think the F40 had any significant impact on racing, even the F40 LM.

No one has mentioned the 911 but surely no other car has as many race wins and in so many different categories.

The toyota 2000GT

...Audi quattro , it's prove that AWD system wasn't just for big and heavy off roaders.

Stirling Moss won a race in 1961 in the AWD FergusonFormula P99. Parnelli Jones raced a AWD Granatelli turbine car at Indy in 1967. Granatelli and Colin Chapman designed the AWD turbine Lotus 56 for the 1968 Indy race, qualifying 1st and 2nd(Graham Hill). Lotus(63) and Matra(MS84) built AWD F1 cars in 1969. So it's not as if Audi invented anything.

The only choice is the Porsche 911. From LeMans to Lowe's(parking lot autocross), from Monte Carlo to Dakar; 911s have raced and won in every type of competition for 40 years!

the ford gt40

just one thing I don't want just a winner car like the ford gt40 or the 917 I want car that made a revolution in the cars world , like the r10 (diesel in a race car!) or that mide engine f1 lotus that i can't remeber the name.

Audi wasn't the first diesel in a race car, either.

I said first at all..NO
the quattro was the first significant AWD rally car not the first at all and the same is aplyed to the R10 , I want to know revolutionari car that WORKED.

I can read the thread topic as "most significant racing car in all racing history."

I can't read your mind (I don't own a microscope)!

so tell me what I'm thinking right now?

The 911 is hands down the most successful car in racing history ever. There is nothing that comes even close.

The toyota 2000GT
That was a cool car. Rare as hell today and probably worth a fortune. Except I don't think it raced. Wasn't it just a road car?

The 911 is hands down the most successful car in racing history ever. There is nothing that comes even close.
Even more than the Corvette? The vette is a lot older and it did win a lot and still does.

The C5.R and C6.R are pretty important because it changed the GT1 class in American Le Mans racing, forever. Mazda Courage 787B probably one of the most important and best looking IMO proving that not only normal piston engines can win races but the smaller rotary engine can compete also. It was lighter than most of the competition and it had to be banned from Le Mans racing. The colors orange and green would be stuck in our memory banks.

Even more than the Corvette? The vette is a lot older and it did win a lot and still does.Two things... the Corvette is only 10 years older than the 911 and the 911 competes in races the Corvette wouldn't stand a chance in...

Two things... the Corvette is only 10 years older than the 911 and the 911 competes in races the Corvette wouldn't stand a chance in...Ezzactly, I can't imagine a Corvette running the the Paris Dakar Rally.

lol... no kidding!

A sidebar to the Dakar comment: When Porsche entered/won with their AWD 959 derivative; they needed something to move crew people to the next service ckpt at least moderately quickly. Their solution was to stuff a n/a 3L Carerra engine up the *** of a Vanagon(Bus). Alledgedly, it could do 135 on level straights.

C/D did choose a Vette to cruise the (then unpaved) AlCan highway in the late 70's. They raised it a bit and bolted on a few skidplates...

153 what? mph or kmh?

The toyota 2000GT

That car's awsome!!!

The 911 is hands down the most successful car in racing history ever. There is nothing that comes even close.

I agree. (is the 959 a 911?) The 911 has dominated almost every genre of racing, despite having the engine in the rear. It dominated rallying and road racing! The 959 pwned the Paris-Dakar rally to piss off Mitsubishi.

That was a cool car. Rare as hell today and probably worth a fortune. Except I don't think it raced. Wasn't it just a road car?

No, it raced in SCCA racing (blame Caroll Shelby) and also competed in the Paris-Dakar rally.....

the daytona charger

In my opinion the 1993 Renault Williams f1 car has to be my favorite of all time, so technologically advances, it was banned the next year. Including the first car to use real time active suspension. Completely dominated the 93 season.

In my opinion the 1993 Renault Williams f1 car has to be my favorite of all time, so technologically advances, it was banned the next year. Including the first car to use real time active suspension. Completely dominated the 93 season.
i like the word BANNED the next year. HAHA, that means the rest of the other teams just got the arse PWNED.

I know the 917 may be a bit cliche, however, after reading "The Unfair Advantage," which is the biography/autobiography of Mark Donohue's racing career, you have to consider it.

Before Mark Donohue flew to Germany and redeveloped the car along side Porsche's engineers, it was a piece of crap. For some reason Porsche couldnt get it to run real well with the turbos, but once Donohue started working on it, things changed and they were able to get the car to over 1,000 hp. (Although I dont know if it ever race with that much power.) This was a factor that led to cars with power limits in the Le Mans races, it was just too powerful. And also, this helped with later developements in turboed cars for Porsche.

Also, I believe I remember reading that it was the first racecar to run tires that were over 17 inches wide. (Dont quote me on that. I read the book like two years ago.)

Porsche 917, a real scary car, made men and legands of its drivers. Still has the fastest race ever at Le Mans.

I agree. (is the 959 a 911?) It's a 911 styled car.

the daytona chargerWhat has the Charger done for racing history? Are you referring to it's NASCAR heritage? lol

I'd say that Jaguar's C-Type Le Mans racer is definately one of the most significant, as it was Jaguar invented and used the first disk brakes on this car. Lap times were hugely decreased because of disk brakes. Disk brakes have changed how good a car is and safety as we know it today massively.

Audi's Quattro also had a big impact on racing, as has Audi's R10, proving a diesel racecar really is as effective as it was imagined to be.

153 what? mph or kmh?

Who said 153?

A sidebar to the Dakar comment: When Porsche entered/won with their AWD 959 derivative; they needed something to move crew people to the next service ckpt at least moderately quickly. Their solution was to stuff a n/a 3L Carerra engine up the *** of a Vanagon(Bus). Alledgedly, it could do 135 on level straights.

C/D did choose a Vette to cruise the (then unpaved) AlCan highway in the late 70's. They raised it a bit and bolted on a few skidplates...
i think that , you said 153

The Lotus 78 or Lotus 79. First true "ground effects" F1 cars. Not only did they look cool in the John Player Special livery, but they carried Mario to his F1 Championship.

Feff

The Lotus 78/79s were the first "passive" ground effects cars.

The first racecar that came to my mind was the 911, They have competed in many categories and won the majority of them at some point.

I cant really think of any other racecar that has had so much success in so many different race categories.

I think there was an old '84 VK Commodore Chassis that was undefeated (as in, nobody has beaten that particular car), but the same can be said of the 911 Cup cars rofl.

Probably something like the the Clubman/Lotus-Caterham 7 style kit car - it's been dominating Motorkhana's since the dawn of time, and is the default choice for an enthusiast keen for some fun at the hillclimb.

The Porsche 917/30.

I also read Donohue's bio The Unfair Advantage, about a year ago and it gave me a great appreciation for this car.
I'll put it this way- in qualifying trim, they would run with 39 pounds of boost- 1500 hp!!
And in race trim, to save the engine, they dialed it down to a lowly 1100 hp on low boost.
This car won every race it finished, simply dominated CanAm.
I just looked up specs for it-
0-60 in 1.9 seconds
0-100 in 3.9
0-200 in 10.9 -!!!!! (thats what most cars do to 60!!!)
Honestly, this car is significant becuase of what it is, not because of any technology. It signifies an era of no rules, where anything was legal. And this was the result. There has never another series like the CanAm, and there likely never will be. This car is just a legend.
http://www.race-cars.com/utility/photos/porsche/917-30.jpg

ford GT40 !!!!

The Porsche 917/30.

I also read Donohue's bio The Unfair Advantage, about a year ago and it gave me a great appreciation for this car.
I'll put it this way- in qualifying trim, they would run with 39 pounds of boost- 1500 hp!!
And in race trim, to save the engine, they dialed it down to a lowly 1100 hp on low boost.
This car won every race it finished, simply dominated CanAm.
I just looked up specs for it-
0-60 in 1.9 seconds
0-100 in 3.9
0-200 in 10.9 -!!!!! (thats what most cars do to 60!!!)
Honestly, this car is significant becuase of what it is, not because of any technology. It signifies an era of no rules, where anything was legal. And this was the result. There has never another series like the CanAm, and there likely never will be. This car is just a legend.
http://www.race-cars.com/utility/photos/porsche/917-30.jpg
I just love this car over every single other car that ever was , is will be built in the world.
guys tell me just one car just one that can beat this monster

Well, around a track a whole lot haha, its not fast by today's standards because of its dated suspension and engineering. But not much can beat it for just pure beast.

I just love this car over every single other car that ever was , is will be built in the world.
guys tell me just one car just one that can beat this monster

An F1 car would mincemeat it... What's your point? :-k

I'd say that the Cooper T51 Climax F1/F2 cars were the most important racing cars in history. I realize they weren't the very first mid-engined grand prix cars, but they were the most effective. I mean, after the T51's started winning, front-engined cars were a thing of the past.

the monkey did nor put his opinion so it is stupid topic , im just kidding lol,i don't know which car is that,in which type of racing, 24 hours , rally , F1 , WTC , DTM

Well, Ferrari F2002, Porsche 956/962, and all 917s in Le Mans. 959 in Dakar rally. The Brabham BT46B Fan car, The 1600cc 1200hp BMW F1 car and many others. - I can't choose.

Maybe my favorite is the 962.

^The Ferrari F2004 was the fastest F1 car of the modern era (doesn't that make it the fastest of all time?). All of the tracks on the F1 calendar nowadays bar a few have been set by either Barrichello or Schumacher in the F2004.

the monkey did nor put his opinion so it is stupid topic , im just kidding lol,i don't know which car is that,in which type of racing, 24 hours , rally , F1 , WTC , DTMlol... There is no ONE car that's the most signifigant in history. There's maybe one car in each racing genre but not overall...

^The Ferrari F2004 was the fastest F1 car of the modern era (doesn't that make it the fastest of all time?). All of the tracks on the F1 calendar nowadays bar a few have been set by either Barrichello or Schumacher in the F2004.

My guess to why he chose the F2002 would be because it was more dominating that the F2004 (2 losses compared to 3). It was also the first showing of pure domination in the modern era, and the first from Ferrari.

lol... There is no ONE car that's the most signifigant in history. There's maybe one car in each racing genre but not overall...

That's just it isn't it? While racing is racing, the different types of racing are so vastly different, that they are impossible to compare. It's like comparing two different sports all together, such as soccer and aussie rules footy. Same ideas, same concept, but totally incomparable.

Also, grey areas exists even within genres themselves. For instance, you can say that the first ground effect cars were the most significant in F1, as they pushed the boundaries of F1 beyond the limits, and helped shape the modern state of F1 in terms of safety and the image it has. You could also suggest the first cars to run wings in the mid to late 60s were the most significant, as they have become integral parts of the cars so much so that it would absolute madness not to use them. The first full carbon fibre chassis designed car is also of particular significance, as well as the first cars to use mid-engined layouts.

However, I believe for a car to be significant in its field, in needs to have changed the field it is in such that the effects are still present today. Cars such as the Brabham 'fan car', or the Tyrrell P34 6 wheeler, while being great achievements of thinking outside the square, aren't exactly significant in the grand scope of things, because they didn't exactly change they way the modern cars are designed except for having their respective devices banned from ever being used again.

The thing with race car design, and I suppose road car design as a whole, is that it is a very gradual process, and in turn, change happens very slowly. Also, because of this, and because racing has some of the greatest engineers working in the field, significant changes are often thought of by a number of different people at the same time, making it difficult to pinpoint any significant car.

Well, that's my spiel. Sorry bout the length :p

Well, that's my spiel. Sorry bout the length :pDon't be sorry, that was an excellent post.

My guess to why he chose the F2002 would be because it was more dominating that the F2004 (2 losses compared to 3). It was also the first showing of pure domination in the modern era, and the first from Ferrari.

Yeah, that's true. Ferrari had Hakkinen the year before to contend with but to be honest there was no touching Ferrari from 2002-2004, but after that things went pretty pear shaped, I guess. (Apart (arguably) from 2006 and this year, obviously.)

Don't be sorry, that was an excellent post.

Thanks Monkey. Just that some people seem to have problems with long post, so I was just covering my ass :D

Yeah, that's true. Ferrari had Hakkinen the year before to contend with but to be honest there was no touching Ferrari from 2002-2004, but after that things went pretty pear shaped, I guess. (Apart (arguably) from 2006 and this year, obviously.)

2002 and 2004, definitely. 2003, well, not so much. The MP4-17D and the FW25 certainly took the fight to the F2002, the point where the Williams was actually the best car in the field during the mid season. Unfortunately McLAren and Ferrari got back into it towards the end of the year, and Ferrari ended up taking both championships.

Oh the days of Williams winning races, how I miss thee! :D

As for post 2004, the F2004M and F2005 were horrible compared to the F2004 and 248 F1. I'm not sure why Ferrari decided to use a straight out modified F2004 for the first few races, because it obviously hurt them.

^Strange decision that, but it is understandable to be honest, as their F2004 was lightyears ahead of everything that anything could offer, so they might have decided to keep their 2004 car in a hope that the teams wouldn't have covered the gap, but not a lot of things went right that year. They introduced their 2005 car in Bahrain that year, a bit too early really, and things just went downhill from there which is disappointing.

And when was the last time Williams won a race, Brazil 2004? Seems like a long time ago.

Anyway I seem to be hijacking this thread, I'd just like to mention that the the Seat Racing Team in the BTCC are making a groundbreaking leap next year, as they're introducing a new diesel unit.

How about the Chapparal 2J? It was very innovative and was another result of the very loose restrictions in the CanAm series. It used two huge fans that would make a vacuum and suck the car to the ground. In other words, it created downforce at 0 MPH!

http://www.vicelford.com/gallery/23large.jpg

Very cool and interesting but it did nothing for racing or we'd be racing them now... lol

tha car could do smething for the cars world , but..it didn't do nothing (fia I hate you and your rules(and if wasn't fia I hate the other organization that make the rules for the canam series)).
if one day I build a supercar I would use this system.

Very cool and interesting but it did nothing for racing or we'd be racing them now... lol

well it kicked ass until officials put rules against it making it illegal.

.....What car is the most SIGNIFICANT racing car in all racing history?

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/7130/1995mitsubishieclipseee8.jpg

This car and this car alone changed the American motor hobby industry......Oh wow we suck

I know it's probably not the MOST significant in terms of technology or revolutionary in terms of being the first to REALLY do something. But to me, what is the best race car of all time? Hell, that's easy, the only one that I'd probably ever get to ACTUALLY race.

Mazda Miata :)

Don't believe me? Just ask these dudes if they think Mazda coming out with a fun to drive cheap car that they can compete against other NON-millionaires was a good idea.

http://www.motorsports-exchange.com/images/sm_laguna.jpg

.....What car is the most SIGNIFICANT racing car in all racing history?

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/7130/1995mitsubishieclipseee8.jpg

This car and this car alone changed the American motor hobby industry......Oh wow we suck
that's true but it isn't a RACE car.

He didn't say sanctioned racing.. he said racing. Street racing is a form of racing, unfortunately.

F&F had a big impact on the industry but I don't think it was the biggest.

I agree that the 911 is the most successful car in racing.

^^^ yes but was it a significant movement in racing?

i personally think the Audi Quattro has to be the most significant, mainly because of its Quattro Drive system it revolutionized the rally scene to what it is today.
(I shouldn't be so up-worthy of the competition :p)

It definitely was. Think about how much street racing sprouted up after that... it was primarily underground type stuff before. Think about the entire industry of rice burners out there.

^^^ in technicality the Eclipse in F&F wasn't even a race car it was basically what i'd call an actor, its like saying Adam West changed crime fighting :p

No, Attaus is right on that one. Just stop being so arrogant for a second and realize it. AFTER the fast and the furious, the world of street racing EXPLODED and is now all over the place. It was VERY significant. No it did not advance the level of technology of racing, or bring something new to the table. But it brought in TONS of people into cars and tuning and racing (though usually illegally) that never would have been there without this movie.

Ahh but wait... the Fast and the Furious did NOT make the world of street racing explode. Street racing hit it's peak in the late 80's early 90's and has been slowly declining since. What the F&F did was create a whole new genre of idiots who think a 10 second 1/4 mile lasts 30 seconds and is in slow motion... A bunch of ignorant asses who actually believe you can jump a car over an open draw bridge in a car that has 2 inches of suspension travel and still drive away...

That's what F&F did...

But there sure are a whole lot of them! I never said it created the smartest bunch, it just brought a whole buncha stupid retards together. I don't think American Idol is a good TV show, but I do applaud it's power in bring that many people together for one reason.

Also, I'd say street racing hit it's peak in the 70's. The early 90's definitely did change the face of street racing, but it just wasn't as neat. Also, with today's cars, you're more likely to tune your car with a company then you would with a crescent wrench, and that just kinda bothers me.

That bothers the crap out of me too. Back in the 80's and early 90's we were still drag racing in empty parking lots in industrial areas late at night and guess what? A large part of the guys that raced with us were off duty cops. On duty cops used to come and watch us on their breaks. It got to were the idiots who watched too much tv ruined it for us...

Here's the MAINEST part of Fast and the Furious that I didn't get. During the first race, they ALL get together in what appears to be an abandoned lot which is HUGE! Then when they decide to race, they all bet WAY to much money, and then LEAVE THE LOT!!!! WTF!?!?!?!?! Why didn't they just stay there? Oh well, in the end, stupid cars in cars that are in no way meant to go fast started racing each other on the road and getting into accidents that have caused the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of people since the movies conception.

Way to go!

I know it's probably not the MOST significant in terms of technology or revolutionary in terms of being the first to REALLY do something. But to me, what is the best race car of all time? Hell, that's easy, the only one that I'd probably ever get to ACTUALLY race.

Mazda Miata :)

Don't believe me? Just ask these dudes if they think Mazda coming out with a fun to drive cheap car that they can compete against other NON-millionaires was a good idea.

http://www.motorsports-exchange.com/images/sm_laguna.jpg

The MX5 (a.k.a. the Miata in the USA) isn't a racecar though... It's a sports car.

ok strret racing is a kind of racing but it's ilegal so it's out.
and yes monkey the new generation is just a bunch of ignorants that prefer to put they money in ugly vynils , in +20 in" wheels , a space like bodykit and in the engine and problably don't know even what is a brake or a suspension.oh and copy the cars from the movie because don't know what is creativity.

The MX5 (a.k.a. the Miata in the USA) isn't a racecar though... It's a sports car.

Ok, so is the Audi Quattro, the Porsche 911, and just about every other car people have named off. Those cars in the picture, ARE race cars.

"audi quattro " came to my mind at first,but perhaps it's just personal prefrence ,nothing objective!

Ahh but wait... the Fast and the Furious did NOT make the world of street racing explode. Street racing hit it's peak in the late 80's early 90's and has been slowly declining since.

With that in mind, I think the original Swamp Rat has to have my vote

Ahh but wait... the Fast and the Furious did NOT make the world of street racing explode. Street racing hit it's peak in the late 80's early 90's and has been slowly declining since. What the F&F did was create a whole new genre of idiots who think a 10 second 1/4 mile lasts 30 seconds and is in slow motion... A bunch of ignorant asses who actually believe you can jump a car over an open draw bridge in a car that has 2 inches of suspension travel and still drive away...

That's what F&F did...


AKA ..Changed the world of RACING FOREVER!!!!!

btw Whoever said
THIS
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/7130/1995mitsubishieclipseee8.jpg

Wasn't a race car is insane!!!!

Look at it..
it's so fast the green paint is TEARING away in reverse to reveal a much faster, lighter blue pigment of metal..

And that front bumper causes the air to shoot STRAIGHT up into the air making downforce!!!
and it's got brake cooling ducts!

Not to mention the roof scoop to feed the 2nd engine mounted in the trunk..

Not a race car...
PLEASE!!!!!

This car SCREAMS Race car..

This car Vs Bently Speed 8...

Say goodbye to your le mans trophy bently.

Is it just me, or can you not see the brakes?

And remember in the movie, he tops out at 120, then he buys nos and goes 140 before part of the floor falls apart lol. And what are the tubes sticking out of the headlights?

These ricers confuse and anger me.

lol... There is no ONE car that's the most signifigant in history. There's maybe one car in each racing genre but not overall...

i totally agree... but since im kinda rally addicted, and cuz my dad owns one :D, i'm gonna go for the Lancia Delta Integrale... 5 time in a row world rally champion... there's still to come someone who could match the little elefantino!! ^^

I think the R10 was pretty significant. It wasn't the first diesel racing car, but it did show that diesel isn't just for big trucks.

Well, In Europe, Diesels have been used in Normal cars a loooong time ;)


The only choice is the Porsche 911. From LeMans to Lowe's(parking lot autocross), from Monte Carlo to Dakar; 911s have raced and won in every type of competition for 40 years!

It a 911 who won in Dakar, it was the 959 group B Car!
But yes!... Porsche, Lotus and Ferrari, is probaly the most important Racing cars ever! (i may have forgotten some!)

For me it would have to be the Mercedes CLK GT-R

That car really brought about some MAJOR developments in the FIA GT class

^^^And scared everybody off. Beautiful, insane, but sadly discontinued...it's what the new McLaren should have been :(

CTD, the 959 was just another 911 variant, like my other favourites, the 935 and the GT1. They all share the same platform, and basic configuration (except the GT1 was MR)

This is a great thread.

To really come up with an answer, it must be a car which has been around for a while, and is still in use today, and forms the basis for car design ideas.

The Porsche holds a good argument, but it's still German, and we can't let them win. There are others, for example the Audi Quattro, the first 4wd rally success. But that's German too, and as aforementioned, they can't win this. The Mercedes CLK GT-R - German. The Audi R10 - German. The Mazda 787B was what showed the world what a rotary engine was capable of. But the original plans for a rotary engine came from Germany...

It's not looking good for the rest of the world so far.

The Miata/ Mx-5/ Roadster, is not really a race-car, more of a cheap sportscar, but nonetheless good. The Mazda used the idea that, with the engine in the front, and the power going to the rear, as long as they could keep it light it would be good. I can think of another far less practical car that did this first. The Caterham/Lotus 7. They use it to train racing drivers today, and there are lots of classes for the little 7. Plus, as a roadcar it's totally impractical, which makes it more of a racer.

Many cars have come and gone the next year having brought new concepts, new designs and more technology to the world of motorsports, but it needs to be a car that's stuck around for longer than one or two years, no matter what it's brought to the sport.

And it can't be German.

Chris.

Why can't it be German? The Germans have done a lot with the car indsutry, one of the things off the top of my head is the Audi Quattro. A great AWD system which sparked off Audi's ''dominance', so to speak, in the modern day AWD options market. The Germans seem to efficient and knowledgable in pretty much every single class of mainstream motor racing out there, except for one thing: F1. Which is kinda surprising, as I think that if they joined about the time when Ferrari or McLaren did, they would be pretty much as big as Ferrari or McLaren are right now. Not sure if they will join in the future as they don't have the experience as some other teams do, but what a challenge it would be.

Well, In Europe, Diesels have been used in Normal cars a loooong time ;)



It a 911 who won in Dakar, it was the 959 group B Car!
But yes!... Porsche, Lotus and Ferrari, is probaly the most important Racing cars ever! (i may have forgotten some!)
Ya, but who would have thought that diesel would be dominating the LMP1 class?

c5.r is defainatly my choice

This is a great thread.

To really come up with an answer, it must be a car which has been around for a while, and is still in use today, and forms the basis for car design ideas.

The Porsche holds a good argument, but it's still German, and we can't let them win. There are others, for example the Audi Quattro, the first 4wd rally success. But that's German too, and as aforementioned, they can't win this. The Mercedes CLK GT-R - German. The Audi R10 - German. The Mazda 787B was what showed the world what a rotary engine was capable of. But the original plans for a rotary engine came from Germany...

It's not looking good for the rest of the world so far.

The Miata/ Mx-5/ Roadster, is not really a race-car, more of a cheap sportscar, but nonetheless good. The Mazda used the idea that, with the engine in the front, and the power going to the rear, as long as they could keep it light it would be good. I can think of another far less practical car that did this first. The Caterham/Lotus 7. They use it to train racing drivers today, and there are lots of classes for the little 7. Plus, as a roadcar it's totally impractical, which makes it more of a racer.

Many cars have come and gone the next year having brought new concepts, new designs and more technology to the world of motorsports, but it needs to be a car that's stuck around for longer than one or two years, no matter what it's brought to the sport.

And it can't be German.

Chris.
why cant youaccept that germany makes most of the most iconic and significant race cars in the world. get over it

any way Porsche 911 RS and other varients

then the Audi Quattro

then the McLaren F1 LM

Porsche 917

dodge has had some sucess w/ their viper (the old one)


and who ever said the CLK-GTR....that car was a failure....

why cant youaccept that germany makes most of the most iconic and significant race cars in the world. get over it


Because I feel that German design lacks soul, presence and taste. It's all far too clinical, clean and perfect, there's nothing to scruitenise.

It should be Italian or British, either of those countries have the pedigree.

Chris.

why cant youaccept that germany makes most of the most iconic and significant race cars in the world. get over it

any way Porsche 911 RS and other varients

then the Audi Quattro

then the McLaren F1 LM

Porsche 917

dodge has had some sucess w/ their viper (the old one)


and who ever said the CLK-GTR....that car was a failure....

The McLaren F1 was a British design and the CLK-GTR won all 10 races of the FIA GT Championship in 1998. I wouldn't really call that a failure.

Because I feel that German design lacks soul, presence and taste. It's all far too clinical, clean and perfect, there's nothing to scruitenise.

It should be Italian or British, either of those countries have the pedigree.

Chris.

If German cars are all too clean and perfect, then doesn't that reinforce the fact that they make some of the best racing cars in the world? Racing cars are sometimes about pedigree, but racing cars, surprise surprise, are used to race, and the winning team of the race is the person who builds the fastest car, sets it up the best, drives the best car and wins in the best car. It's no use turning up to an F1 race, a WRC round or a Top Fuel race saying ''Yes, I have pedigree, but I have 1 horsiepower. Bring it on.''

Because I feel that German design lacks soul, presence and taste. It's all far too clinical, clean and perfect, there's nothing to scruitenise.

It should be Italian or British, either of those countries have the pedigree.

Chris.That's just a ridiculous statement. Until VERY recently, the Italians couldn't make a car that would stay together long enough to reach icon status. We won't get into British cars. It won't be American because the Corvette is lacking only one thing... dirt.

I said before that there is no ONE car that fits this description but if I had to pick one it would be the 911...

Because I feel that German design lacks soul, presence and taste. It's all far too clinical, clean and perfect, there's nothing to scruitenise.

It should be Italian or British, either of those countries have the pedigree.

Chris.
CAR , what , design style , have to do with a race car?:confused:

and german cars have lack of soul in the design?even a pure race car like the old silver arrows are just amazing good looking cars 9and they re never designed with that in mind).

The Jaguar C-Type, by far. Where would we be without the disc brake, which Jaguar invented and used on the C-Type racer? It was so successful because of these, and stopped SO much quicker than its drum-braked rivals. Hooah!

AKA ..Changed the world of RACING FOREVER!!!!!

btw Whoever said
THIS
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/7130/1995mitsubishieclipseee8.jpg

Wasn't a race car is insane!!!!

Look at it..
it's so fast the green paint is TEARING away in reverse to reveal a much faster, lighter blue pigment of metal..

And that front bumper causes the air to shoot STRAIGHT up into the air making downforce!!!
and it's got brake cooling ducts!

Not to mention the roof scoop to feed the 2nd engine mounted in the trunk..

Not a race car...
PLEASE!!!!!

This car SCREAMS Race car..

This car Vs Bently Speed 8...

Say goodbye to your le mans trophy bently.

Was that meant to be funny? :-k

The McLaren F1 was a British design and the CLK-GTR won all 10 races of the FIA GT Championship in 1998. I wouldn't really call that a failure.



If German cars are all too clean and perfect, then doesn't that reinforce the fact that they make some of the best racing cars in the world? Racing cars are sometimes about pedigree, but racing cars, surprise surprise, are used to race, and the winning team of the race is the person who builds the fastest car, sets it up the best, drives the best car and wins in the best car. It's no use turning up to an F1 race, a WRC round or a Top Fuel race saying ''Yes, I have pedigree, but I have 1 horsiepower. Bring it on.''
What a great year for the CLK GTR. Too bad Mercedes pulled out of Le Mans after the CLR incident.

^^^Not just that, there would be no point in entering if Mercedes couldn't claim to have thrashed *insert famous automotive compay name here*, and they just let it die...kinda sad.

Since I'm a rallying buff, it'll have to be the Subaru Impreza WRC that represented the SWRT from '97 to '00.

It was the pioneer of the current generation of World Rally Cars(WRC). Replaced and made minced meat of the Group A cars.
It kicked ass on the world's rally stages. Won the first 3 events of the 1997 season on the trot, a feat which is rarely achieved in modern rallying.
In my opinion, it made rally cars "desirable". The aggressiveness, the poise, the entire purpose of that car made it one of the coolest and most beautiful rally cars to have ever torn up the world's stages. I mean, just look at it. Gosh.
Both Richard Burns and Colin McRae were particularly fond of this car. The game developers of Richard Burns Rally placed the Subaru Impreza WRC '00 (an evolution of the '97 car) as a secret bonus vehicle in the game, describing it as Richard's "favourite rally car". Colin McRae described his Impreza 22B (the road going version of the '97 car) as one of his favourite cars. Here's a video of the interview with the late great Scot. Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEpHqd-cSEE)
Here are a few more videos to consolidate my point (and passion) for this car.
Rally Oz 1997 Colin McRae. Ignore the Spanish commentary for this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_BQIaKYsk4)
Compilation vid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_Sz3VpAw3U)
Listen to that noise! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5jZluytOOo&feature=related)Just my 2 cents worth. Hopefully i've given a little bit more due credit to this wonderful machine and its line of brilliant, but sadly missed drivers.

Porsche 956/962. That thing was Gisele Bundchen of sportscar racing. It won Le mans 8 times, during the Group C era - that was probably one of the hardest peiods of time to win that race since all the big guys were there with factory teams or factory backed engine programmes.

The R8 is widely considered the most successful racing sportscar of all time, but it only won Le Mans five times, and it didn't have any competition at all.

Development- and technology-wise I don't think it was very significant. But I'm not going to say the R10 because it's still too new. As is the whole diesel thing. Plus it hasn't lived up to my expectations yet.

Sauber C9, achieved many records. Such as the fastest car in the World that is powered by a gasoline engine. 400+ km/h.

Jim Halls Chapparal J2. Ground effects, Movable wing directly connected to rear frame for variable down force. It put active aerodynamic devices ahead of esthetics. Eventually the variable force wing was banned by the commitee that controlled the rules of international racing back then. My other favorites are:
The Ferrari 250 GTO, The Ford GT40, Cooper T45, Jaguar D type, Auto Union Type D,Porsche 917,Bugatti Type 35.
These are the classics of road circuit racing.
So many race types so little time to see the races.
I live within five miles of Willow Springs,and within 300 miles of Laguna Seca. Road racing is my idea of great racing. NASCAR is not for me.

Auto Union Typ C
World record car - 1937

To my knowledge this was the first car to take aerodynamics seriously, I’d say that was pretty significant.

Jim Halls Chapparal J2. Ground effects, Movable wing directly connected to rear frame for variable down force. It put active aerodynamic devices ahead of esthetics. Eventually the variable force wing was banned by the commitee that controlled the rules of international racing back then. My other favorites are:
The Ferrari 250 GTO, The Ford GT40, Cooper T45, Jaguar D type, Auto Union Type D,Porsche 917,Bugatti Type 35.
These are the classics of road circuit racing.
So many race types so little time to see the races.
I live within five miles of Willow Springs,and within 300 miles of Laguna Seca. Road racing is my idea of great racing. NASCAR is not for me.

Hey, welcome to SCF, word of warning, don't revive old threads, please read the rules :)