|
The Consulier GTP was a sports car produced by the former Consulier Industries in the early 1990s. Consulier Industries was later renamed Mosler Automotive, which then updated the car as the Mosler Intruder and again as the Raptor before production ended by 2000. The car was replaced by the Mosler MT900 the next year. The Consulier GTP, conceived in 1985, was a 2200 lb (998 kg) mid-engined sports car. It was powered by a turbocharged Chrysler 2.2 L ''Turbo II'' engine producing 190 hp (142 kW). The chassis was a fiberglass-and-foam monocoque, the first carbon fiber and Kevlar-bodied vehicle ever to go into production - with no structural metal in the body. The GTP Sport was the base model, with the LX adding Recaro seats, VDO instrumentation, Fittipaldi wheels, Alpine pullout CD system, sunroof, leather, air, cruise, power locks, mirrors, and windows, tilt wheel, and wool carpets; options included a security system and cellphone. Both had full instrumentation, in a plain flat black panel, with eleven gauges in two sizes.〔 The GTP was widely criticized for its appearance, with ''Sports Car International'' even running a redesign contest. "We don't think it's as pretty as it could be, not by a long shot," claimed the magazine. But it was highly successful in racing. The Consulier GTP competed successfully in many races for the next six years, before being banned by the sanctioning body IMSA in 1991. There were two series of Consuliers produced. The first series sold about 70 copies, with the remaining orders cancelled after an article in ''AutoWeek'' blasted the company as a fraud. Top speed on the Series II with the Turbo III engine was reported to be 155 mph (249 km/h).〔 The Series II cars had a slightly more rounded body, but the most obvious change was the removal of the louvers formerly covering the rear hatch. The Series II cars also weighed significantly less due to non structural metal being replaced by carbon fiber. Overall, 84 Consulier GTPs were produced. A few of the cars were hybrids between the Consulier, Intruder, and Raptor. Two were built with the higher-output ''Turbo III'' engine, and some were modified to accept longitudinal Chevrolet Small-Block V8 engines. Experimental Consuliers were converted to use electricity (generated by a fuel cell) and even compressed air. ==The $25,000 challenge== Creator Warren Mosler was so confident in the performance of the Consulier that he offered a $25,000 bounty to anyone who could pilot a street-legal production car around any US racetrack faster than a Consulier GTP. He later upped the bounty to $100,000 with the ''Turbo III''-powered Consulier GTP C-4. ''Car and Driver'' took up the challenge, racing a stock C4 Chevrolet Corvette (not a ''ZR-1'') around the Chrysler proving grounds test track in Chelsea, Michigan.〔 Arthur St. Antoine and Csaba Csere took three laps each in the Corvette and a 1988 Consulier GTP Series I Sport. The Corvette soundly defeated the Consulier with a best lap of 1:21.01. The Consulier's best was a 1:22.56. The C&D writers opined that the Consulier was "difficult to handle" with "anemic brakes". Confronted with this test, Mosler claimed that the test car was older and worn out. He also clarified that he would pick the track, the Consulier, and the driver to be eligible to win the money. Supporting Mosler's position was the competition in Lime Rock Park, with a Series II Consulier GTP. The 2100 pound, 2.2 liter turbo powered car outraced Hurley Haywood's factory Porsche Turbo, Boris Said's Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette, Jim Minnaker's factory ZR1 Corvette; however, after this race, Consulier was given a 300-pound weight penalty and then banned from the IMSA series.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Consulier GTP」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|