RE: R8 motor information....

["Andy Bowskill" <editorial@audioc.force9.co.uk>]

According to my resources, the IMSA 90 was never a V8- always a screaming 5
cylinder! (And boy it sounds good- we had one going around the Donington
Race Circuit here in the UK back in '97)
As far as I am aware, the original prototype of the R8 was written off by
one of the drivers......
The V8 engine is:
".....V8 cylinder with turbocharging, air-flow and boost pressure
restriction to comply with rules"
displacement "....Below 4.0 litres"
output "...In excess of 550 bhp"
The car is rear- wheel drive, with a sequential 6 speed gearbox.
All the above information is from the press pack which was handed out at
the launch at the Velodrome (no, I wasn't lucky- my old PC was even too
slow to let me watch it on the 'net!)
 I understand that the engine is an evolution of the one used in the S8,
although I could be wrong...
Incidentally, the IMSA produced 720 bhp from 2190cc! (And rumors were that
it could be cranked up to over 1000 for a lap or two!)
Now, lets see how much of that little lot I got wrong!
Regards,
Andy.
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