44 replies to this topic

[mp4]

Hello,
cjpani opened a lovely can of worms when he started his post about Porsche 917s

My question is this: Does anyone have information about true race cars that have been converted for use on the street?

There are probably a whole lot of us who dream about arriving at work in something more interesting than the usual econobox!

There have been a few 917s converted and even an F5000 McLaren. ( See cjpani's thread )
I'd love to hear any stories about this.
Perhaps a certain Mr. D. Nye could help us out here...

[dbw]

ok... real race cars i've driven on the street..
fiat -abarth zagato 750 twincam *
abarth 1300 OT
OSCA 1600 GT zagato [well,almost a race car]*
simca-abarth 2000
porsche 550 spyder*
t-37 bugatti *
t-35b bugatti
lotus super 7 cosworth*
miller-ford indy car

odd and assorted english specials[riley,alvis,invicta] all in racing trim*...

it can be done with a bit of cheating with the dmv and good relationship with the local po-lice.


[ * indicates long outings including commutes to work..the others were[are] only ok for a blast in the hills..]

[MrAerodynamicist]

The BBC's top gear once did a bit on some japanese guy who converted a formula nippon to be road legal. This must have been the early to mid 90's.

[Ray Bell]

The John Scott-Davies (Archie Scott-Thomas? ...ask Clyde Hodgins) Lola T70 was a street-registered car in Denis Geary's hands after he finished racing it.

But this is one of the amazing ones... well, I don't have a photo, but it's true, a Cooper which later went back to racing and unfortunately killed the then-owner, Bill Stephens at Hume Weir.

Perhaps it preferred this setting? ....



The car lived in the Corowa area on the NSW-Victoria border at the time... Shane Cowham did the cartoon for the Historic Newsletter. Oh, yes, the pedestrian's 'twin jugs' are SUs... you'd have to read the story to understand...

[Doug Nye]

Erik Vercade's Sedici Cilindri (16-cylinder) GP Maserati made a fairly fearsome road car - as used by Gavin Maxwell, author of 'Ring of Bright Water' - Tarka the otter, toute cette jazz??? The Don Lee Special Indy Mercedes-Benz W154/39 was allegedly converted at one stage to be powered by a Jaguar XK engine and was - again allegedly - used on the road. Jack Alderslade in the Forest of Dean owned an ex-works BRM and one of his chums who helped prepare the car told me they ran it on the public road to check its carburetion.... Jenks ran a works F2 Lotus 12 on the road in Hampshire on Christmas Day 1957, and when it broke he coasted it off the road - out of a potental passing police patrolman's view - up the driveway of a private house. As he crunched to rest on the gravel drive he could see the startled family inside looking up from their Christmas Dinner!

DCN

[Ray Bell]

On the other hand...

Stuart Saunders, a dentist in beautiful downtown Curtin (Canberra) has a penchant for Bugattis et al... he has built up at his workshop (at the rear of his automotive museum at nearby Binalong) the Binalong Special.

On a Jensen chassis, he has mounted a 6.3 litre V12 Jag engine with a crankshaft-driven supercharger (!), and clothed it with a very W154-like single seat body. Cycle guards complete the picture... nice thing to drive the 500km to Phillip Id in, what?

[merlyn6]

I seem to remember reading that Lance Reventlov (sp) had a streetable Scarab built for his wife, Jill St John. I believe some GT40s have been converted also. There was a company advertising street legal Lotus 23s not long ago.

[Henri Greuter]

Street converted racecars.


Chrysler is not known for its efforts at Indy. They only had two cars built in the early 30's :"junk formula". Both cars were tried to qualify for 1931 and 1932. Only one of the cars made it in both races, driven by Raul Riganti. (He had different riding mechanics in both years)
So this car became the only Chrysler powered ever to race in the Indy 500!

Weh it happened I don't know, but this car was eventually converted into a street legal car, somewhat modified in the cockpit area to give more comfort for driver and passenger.
The car has been in the posession of tehe "Nationaal Automobiel Museum" at Raamsdonkveer, the Netherlands but it was sold to Germany in, I believe early 2001 and I have lost trace of it.

The same museum also owned a genuine Kurtis-Kraft 500C Roadster that was converted into a street legal single seater car, powered by a Triumph TR3 driveline. I don't know if they still own that car too but that is truly a historic chassis. It was the chassis in which Bill Vukovich was killed in 1955.
Think about finding a one-off street car built around a discarded Williams F1 monocoque which turned out to be the coque of the car in which Senna was killed......

Henri Greuter

[Darren Galpin]

There is always the infamous Dauer 962. To make the Porsche 962 legal for Le Mans under the new GT rules, Jochen Dauer converted five (?) Porsche 962's into road legal form so that he could then race one. One of the road going versions competed in the Belcar series last year.

[Pyry L]

Several rally cars have been converted back into road cars. Unless I´m mistaken some ppl are working on an ex-Carlos Sainz WRC Escort in Norway, can´t remember whether it is the owners intention to use it as a road car. But that is another question whether or not rally cars can be considered pure racing cars, in the case of an old gp.A or gp.B example I don´t see why not.

[Mark Beckman]

I mentioned in the F5000 thread that the 3rd Elfin F5000 made (ex-McCormack) was later in life widened and had a fibreglass body placed on it and was street registered (Australia).

In essence Pyry I think regardless of their heritage, all Rally cars (even Group 'B') were always built to be fully operational street registered cars which may eliminate them from this thread.

[Pyry L]

Yes, I think you´re right Mark. I was thinking purely in terms of performance.

[BRG]

Originally posted by merlyn6
I believe some GT40s have been converted also.

Surely the GT40 was sold as a road car from the outset and then re-prepared as a racer? I think the rules at the time required that?

Similarly, GpA and B rally-cars all had to be homolgated around a production model (although in the case of GpB, it was only 50 cars IIRC) and there are road-going Metro 6R4s, Ford RS2000s, Peugeot 205T16s and so on. In the case of WRC cars, they are wholly competiton cars, albeit based on the body-shell of a homologated model.

[Vitesse2]

There was a road-going coupe version of the Alfa Romeo T33 in the "Style et Luxe" at Goodwood this year. IIRC they built 10.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by BRG
Surely the GT40 was sold as a road car from the outset and then re-prepared as a racer? I think the rules at the time required that?

I think the rules only required production numbers...

But there were certainly sales made for cars that were never going to race. I think Bib Stillwell had one, but I can't be sure of that.

[lumepo03]

Count Rossi had a Porsche 917 equipped with 4 mufflers and licensed in Wisconsin to drive in Europe. Mufflers needed to be changed every few months. When I was a kid I saw a Chaparral 2G practising on a French mountain road, it was registered in Texas. Almost all the race cars in long distance racing were road going. Remember the Prova plates on the Italian cars? Every year in Angouleme one can see racecars driving on public roads.

The Dauer that won le Mans in 93? could be purchased for the road as could a Porsche 956/962 redone by Dauer or Vern Schuppan.

[nmansellfan]

I think there's a picture of Count Rossi's 917 road car in a pack of Top Trumps i've got somewhere. With 217 mph and 520 bhp, if you got that card at the start of the game, you were the guaranteed winner...

[Eric McLoughlin]

Although purists might argue that the Lotus/Caterham Seven is not a true race car, the car was designed specifically as a race/sprint/hillclimb car that was road legal to allow the owner/drivers drive the car to and from events. Many people (eg. me!) still do just that.

[VAR1016]

Last year, near Henley in Oxfordshire, I saw a Bugatti type 59 motoring briskly in the opposite direction - ok he had mudguards and lights - sounded good though.

I read a story somewhere about a chap who was testing his E.R.A. on a public road somewhere in England. Obviously he was making a shattering noise, because an irate lady telephoned the police station to complain about the hooligan.

"Did you get his number?" the copper asked.

"I think it was number 6" the lady replied!

My dream road car? Ferrari 212E hillclimb car. One built: 2-litre flat-12, Lucas injection, 300BHP at 11,000 rpm. I saw it at the Festival of Speed.

Yes please!!

VAR1016

[bs]

There were a couple of street legal versions of the McLaren Can Am cars of the late 60's early 70's. IRRC, there was a closed top Mk6GT, and I think there were others.

[Ray Bell]

You're right there...

Motor Sport reported on a McLaren M6GT that Bruce had running on the road... I recall that they said that the most intrusive noise in the cabin was the straight cut gears in the Hewland whining away.

How many Lola T70 GTs got put on the road? There must have been a few, surely?

[ray b]

I have seen a P-4 use regulary as a street driven car in coconnut grove in the early 80s but that was not the rarest car I have seen on the street not a racer but a real ROYAL BUG at the super sub shop on 8st in miami owned by a henny N of miami springs and driven out to dinner!!!!!!!

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by ray b
I have seen a P-4 use regulary as a street driven car in coconnut grove in the early 80s but that was not the rarest car I have seen on the street not a racer but a real ROYAL BUG at the super sub shop on 8st in miami owned by a henny N of miami springs and driven out to dinner!!!!!!!

I'll bet that Ralph Nader would love that Bugatti

VAR1016

[rdrcr]

I think we can all assume that at one time or another, a lot of the Prototype and Can Am cars that raced under the FIA, IMSA and other sanctioning bodies have found their way on the street in one iteration or another.

There have been original GT40's for sure, I've seen one in Grosse Pointe MI, as for Lola T-70's, chassis # SL71/43 a T 70 with refitted bodywork is used on the street. It's an ex-team Surtees car, with which John Surtees won the very first Can Am Championship. I had a picture of a Chevron B16 that was converted to street use in my Chevron thread. Also, there is a picture of Count Rossi's road going 917 in cjpani's thread . Let's just say that there are many cars of this type.

But what about the open wheel variety? Some have been mentioned, I'd like to know other efforts of creating the ultimate street racer. Who else knows of these bold creations? I seem to remember an Indy car that was converted in the early '80's. R & T might have done an article on it.

[Ralliart]

I've got that article on Count Rossi's Porsche 917 somewhere...In Sep. '66, an Englishmen named D.A. Clarke, through Ronnie Hoare, purchased a 4.4 liter Ferrari 365 P2 that had raced, originally, as a 3.3 liter 275 P2, at the '65 'Ring 1000 Km and then as a 4.4 liter at the '65 Le Mans, Reims 12 Hrs, Austrian GP and Guards Trophy before being taken to the Drogo coachworks for P3 modifications. It raced at '66 Le Mans and then went back to Modena. After a demonstration by Mike Parkes at the Autodrome, Clarke purchased it and with further modifications (including gearing that brought its top speed of 189 down to 140), Clarke proclaimed it was (still) probably the fastest road car in private captivity.

[Vicuna]

I seem to recall reading in a magazine - probably Autosport - about a Japanese engineer who'd converted a Reynard F3000 to road use.

Or did I dream it?

[Catalina Park]

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by Mark Beckman
I mentioned in the F5000 thread that the 3rd Elfin F5000 made (ex-McCormack) was later in life widened and had a fibreglass body placed on it and was street registered (Australia).

In essence Pyry I think regardless of their heritage, all Rally cars (even Group 'B') were always built to be fully operational street registered cars which may eliminate them from this thread.

Mark

I'm not sure I know which Elfin you mean. The MR5 Elfins, as best I can work out from Blanden's book, were as follows:

Elfin MR5 5711 Delivery date Sep 1971 with Repco-Holden V8. John McCormack. Won 1973 and 1974 NZ Grand Prix and 1973 Gold Star. Used by Phil Moore during 1974. Sold to Glen Nichols December 1975 (1976 Surfers Paradise program p9) DNA all Aus Ints 1976 ... No sign in 1977 ... No sign in 1978 ... McCormack (?!) 1992.
Elfin MR5 5712 Delivery date Dec 1971 with Repco-Holden V8. Max Stewart. Ex-Stewart car on shelf in 1979!? (p153). Steart Racing for Leffler Nov 1973 ... Baron Robertson Tasman 1974; later at 1976 NZ GP in ex-Stewart MR5 (p129) Australian Internationals 1976; ... No sign in 1977 ... No sign in 1978 ... Gavin Sala ... Adrian Tweedle (Vic) 1994
Elfin MR5 5713 Delivery date Jan 1972 with Repco-Holden V8. Elfin Sports Cars. Cooper Tasman 1974 ... John Edmonds at 1976 NZ GP in MR5B he recently acquired from Garrie (p129) DNA all Aus Ints 1976; Australian Internationals 1977; ... No sign in 1978 ... Gavin Sala ... Barrie Flett (NZ) ...
Elfin MR5 5714 Delivery date Feb 1972 with Repco-Holden V8. John Walker. Up for sale June 1972 (p100). To Stan Keen who fitted 302 ci Ford V8; last seen at Adelaide Oct 1973 ... Peter Middleton c1978? (p152) Aus Ints 1978 (F1R p275) ... David Doubtfire ... Max Floreani (Vic) 1996

Which one was converted for road use?

Allen

[Ray Bell]

Without searching though magazines, I think you may have some misinformation on John Edmonds.

If I understand what you have written, he wasn't in the International races of 1976?

I'm pretty sure he was (with H-Way Denim sponsorship?)... I remember distinctly at Sandown that the thing was running like a bucket of bolts, and Elwyn Bickley turned to me as he heard it yet again exit with a monotone roar out of Peters... "Who's riding the Triumph?" he asked... The thing had been off like that for the whole race!

Then again, it might have been the '77 series... but it's still a good story.

[Vitesse2]

Doug mentioned the Eric Verkade Maserati 16-cylinder. Here's the car:



And its engines:



I love the spotlight on the bonnet!

[No27]

When Tony Southgate (Shadow, Arrows, Theodore(?)) was in between jobs before he went to Osella in 1983, he turned down an offer from a lunatic (his own words) who wanted to have a roadlegal Formula 1 car. He thought it was so ridiculous.

[josh.lintz]

What about those Chapparal 2K's with Texas license plates? I've seen them in pictures, it's really funny looking. (Well, somebody here can probably explain that...)

A have a picture of a Porsche 917 made in 1975 for Count Rossi, it was all-white and had a State of Alabama license plate on it. It's also in traffic, which really is a sight to see. It's featured in the book "Porsche Specials"; I wish I'd unpacked it...can't seem to find it right now.

And the Ford (ahem, Lola) GT40 was street-legal in all 50 states and the rest of the world.

[Roger Clark]

[mickj]

A Lotus 30 in the Modena100 Ore Classic in 2001 registered YE 7. It was proberly registered for the occasion but comes under the heading Race cars for the street.

The Chaparral that Lumepo03 seen in the French mountains would have been either a 2D or a 2F as the 2G was a can-am car.

The Chaparral that Josh.linz refers to would have been the 2D & 2F , as the 2K was the Indy car.

Nigel Hume in the UK has a McLaren-Elva fitted with a M6GT body registered for the street also.

[Doug Nye]

We mustn't forget that little Franco Sbarro in Switzerland built a series of Lola T70 GTs and FOrd GT40s alike for road use, fully trimmed, air-con, rear wash-wipe etc.

DCN

[biercemountain]

Originally posted by BRG
Surely the GT40 was sold as a road car from the outset and then re-prepared as a racer?

If I'm not mistaken, there actually was a "steet spec" version of the Ford GT40 that differed from the racing versions in a number of details.

[Henri Greuter]

Wasn't that "street legal" GT 40 branded the MK3?
I believe the reprinted version of Pritchard's book "Ford vs Ferrari, the battle for Le Mans" mentioning that there were 7 of them built . Major difference as I recall a slightly longer nose and raise headlight to forfill the rules on minimum hight of headlights.

Henri Greuter

[Eric McLoughlin]

There certainly are road legal GT40's knocking about. At various times in Le Mans history it has been obligatory to produce a minimum number of road legal versions of the race car in order to satisfy homolgation rules. The best example probably is the Ferrari 250 GTO.

Noel Edmunds, the British TV personality, owned a number of road legal GT40's at one point.

[dmj]

It was obligatory to make and sell at least one road legal car for Le Mans until very recently. Mercedes made a small series of CLK GTR, Porsche did some examples of GT1 (looks fascinating in road legal trim - I saw one and fell in love), even Nissan and Toyota had at least one car produced.
But there were many others in past, Alfa V12 springs to mind, almost all racing/prototype cars from 50s... Too many for a thread.

[Viss1]

Originally posted by Henri Greuter
Wasn't that "street legal" GT 40 branded the MK3?

Correct. Interestingly, I believe there were more road-legal Mk. I's than Mk. III's. Around 30 if I'm not mistaken.

What makes this thread difficult is that prior to the 1960's, a road-worthy certification was relatively easy to achieve in most parts of the world. There were very few restrictions on bumpers, lights, etc., which made it easy to "convert" almost any race car for legal road use.

[Henri Greuter]

I've gone through the already quoted "Ford Vs Ferrari" tome but I am certain that there will be far more accurate books avbailable about the GT40 then that one. (But I don't have them)

There were at least 25 roadgoing Mk1's built in England, some with right hand drive. to be ordered with Ford England. There were also a few licence plated cars in the USA

The Mk3 was indeed a somewhat modified version as I mentioned already. it also had a slichtly longer tail to offer more luggage room!
25 were planned but building ended after 7 because they had unavoidabe complications with what was named ; Center shifting.


And indeed, older cars were far more often roadmodified. If I only think about the Chrysler powered Junk formula Indycar I mentioned before. looked as good as a Bentley for a ride thorugh the wide open roads.


Henri Greuter

[dbltop]

These were taken at Indy in 02, thought they might be of interest. A street legal sprint car, with a Dodge 225 c.i. slant six engine. IIRC, the gentleman said he was told he had to wear a helmet to drive it anywhere.

[Bloggsworth]

I did once drive a Formula 3 Cooper from Much Hadham to Widford and back, but that was strictly illegal!

[antonvrs]

In the mid '70s I helped a friend put together a couple of McLaren Can Am cars for street use. This guy had, at one time, 4 McLarens: a Mk1, a Mk1B, a Mk 1C and a Mk6. The first one was 289 Ford powered(ex-Gurney), the second and third were 366ci sb Chevys and the last was(supposedly) ex-Penske with a big block Chevy. They were all on 48IDA downdraft Webers and Hewland LG5 or LG6 gearbags. We drove them all on the street from time to time but the two small block cars were both street licensed, if not exactly street legal. I think the cops in LA thought they were VW based kit cars. Great fun and I never took any of them over 5500 in top.
I think I may have posted a pic of the Mk1B on another thread here about McLaren CanAm cars.

About ten years later I helped another friend with a '32 Studebaker 2-man Indy car which he and a journalist then drove from Los Angeles to Indianapolis, Indiana on "The Great American Race", a cross America rally that's still being held every year, I believe. Those "Junk Formula" Indy cars make pretty good road cars if you don't mind a litle discomfort. Well, a lot of discomfort. But you look cool as hell.

Of course, in the late '60s and '70s Steve Earl and his buddies were driving C types, D types, 250TRs, LMs, GTOs etc. on the streets in LA and Dino(son of Dean) Martin bought a Ferrari P3 for street use in LA. Unfortunately, the crane operator who was removing it from the hold of the ship it arrived in dropped it on the pier and broke it in half!

Those were truly the days.
Heavy sigh,
Anton

[metalshapes]

I used to drive my Mallock U2 Mk6 on the street.

I have removed the headlights now, but it still has tail lights, turn signals, and a Licenceplate light...