Aston Martin DBR9 to wear classic Gulf livery at Le Mans
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Aston Martin will be back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for 2008 with some familiar colors to motorsports enthusiasts. The two Aston Martin DBR9s that will be defending their 2007 GT1 class win will don blue the classic blue and orange Gulf Oil livery worn by such Le Mans-winning cars as the Ford GT40 in 1968 (more than a little ironic now that Aston has been sold by Ford). No doubt, the 40th anniversary of the first Le Mans victory of a Gulf sponsored car has played a part in the company's decision to sponsor this year's DBR9 efforts.
The two Aston Martin DBR9s are numbered 007 (fittingly) and produce around 600 horsepower each. Aston Martin will also provide a DBR9 V-12 engine for use in a LMP1 prototype race car fielded by Charouz Racing Systems at Le Mans this year. The Charouz entry uses a closed Lola chassis and Aston Martin Racing engineers will provide support to the team for the 24 hour race as well as during the Le Mans Series racing season. The effort is made possible by new LMP regulations that allow for the use of a GT1 class engine in a prototype chassis.
Aston has also announced that it will be contesting the GT2S class in the American Le Mans Series for the 2008 season with its recently announced bio-ethanol-powered Vantage GT2.
Aston Martin to challenge Corvette Racing in 2008 ALMS
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Corvette Racing's championship-winning C6.Rs will finally have some competition in the GT1 class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), after running the 2007 GT1 season alone. Bell Motorsports has announced that it will challenge the 2008 ALMS GT1 season with an Aston Martin DBR9, beginning with the 12 Hours of Sebring -- a race Aston Martin won with the DBR9 in 2005.
Aston Martin is no stranger to the ALMS series, having contested both the 2005 and 2006 seasons, scoring a total of six wins. Meanwhile, Corvette Racing has won the GT1 class for the last seven consecutive years, narrowly beating Aston Martin during the 2006 season at the final race at Laguna Seca Raceway. An E85-powered Aston Martin Vantage GT2 will contest the GT2 class for the 2008 ALMS season, campaigned by Drayson-Barwell, where primary competition will come from Ferrari and Porsche. Together, the two entries signify a strong return for Aston Martin to North American road racing.
"We hope we can make things interesting this year for the Corvettes and especially fans," said Jim Bell, team principal of Bell Motorsports and an ALMS competitor since the series' inaugural race. "They have clamored for competition, and we intend to give it our best shot."
The season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring will be televised live by the SPEED network on March 15.
Spyker officially reveals Le Mans-inspired C8 Laviolette LM85
It's been a winning formula for Ferrari: build a road car, then build a race version of that road car, and finally build a road version of the race car. Spyker has decided to try out the formula for itself and officially announced it will be building a road car inspired by its GT2R race car that is in turn based off the C8 Laviolette production car. Named the C8 Laviolette LM85, the Le Mans-inspired Dutch supercar features Audi's 4.2-liter V8 producing 400 horsepower, a 6-speed manual transmission, paint scheme from the GT2R race car, and an interior covered in black leather and alcantara. Other features include a carbon fiber rear spoiler, black powder coated alloy wheels and 6-piston brakes from AP Racing. The car will be on display at the LA Auto Show in November, so we will be sure to bring you additional photos. For now, check out the small gallery below, as well as a gallery of the GT2R race car. More information on the C8 Laviolette LM85 can be found in the press release after the jump.
Gallery: Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85
Sneak peek at Mitsubishi's LA Design Challenge entrant: MMR25 Rally Racer
Click above for gallery of the Mitsubishi MMR25 Rally Racer concept
The LA Auto Show is once again hosting its annual Design Challenge in which automakers are asked to let their minds wander and think freely about what future vehicles might actually be like. Last year's theme was green, but this year designers are being asked to imagine what motorsports will be like in 2025.
Mitsubishi's answer will be the MMR25 Rally Racer, a way out there concept that draws upon the automaker's long lineage of successful rally racing to create a sand crawler like we've never seen before. We've only got a sneak peek for now, so there's no telling what exotic or outright fictional engine powers the MMR25, but expect it to be just as crazy as those multidirectional wheels.
