Re: 88,89 imsa cars

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

On Fri, 15 Dec 1995 Todd_Candey_at_Robo-RD3@robogate.usr.com wrote:

>           Hello fellow enthusiasts, I'm wondering where I can get more info 
>      on the imsa cars that were based loosely on the 5000tq which seemed to 
>      dominate for the 88&89 racing seasons.

the 88 car did not race in imsa; it raced in trans am and it was a
straight, off the showroom floor 5000TQ monocoque with the racing bits
added.  same 10V 2.2 liter 5 banger too, though with much more boost.
the 4wd was altered to give more rear drive bias and that was
basically it.  and it left heavy boot marks on the butts of all its
competitors.

the 89 car raced in imsa GTO and was made to resemble an 80Q, but
it really was a tube frame car not related to the showroom car.
had telemetry, a 20V 5 cylinder turbo and also a rear biased
4wd, with either torsen or VC differentials fitted depending
on the event.

1990 & 91 audi raced the v8Q in the german touring car series and once
again this was very close to the production car.  same engine (tuned
to ~500bhp), same monocoque, even the same headlights.  it was a true
testament to quattro technology (didn't somebody ask what it was good
for?)  that they were able to beat the much smaller and lighter BMW
M3's and mercedes 190's.  on a rainy event it was a sight to see the
v8s come in first, second and third a FULL lap ahead of its
competition!  as hans stuck would say, "rain on race day is a better
feeling than christmas".

no other big "luxury" car has ever been raced, let alone win 2 GTCC
championships over much nimbler rivals.. that's what makes the v8q
unique and special: its impeccable racing pedigree.  i'd much rather
have these bragging rights than to have a JD power appliance seal of
approval.


eliot