Quote:
Originally Posted by chunterer
The Corolla liftback/hatchback was in its very early days of development in 1983. It certainly ran in Europe but was not a competitive proposition in the UK until 1986. Its class was largely the domain of the Escort RS1600i and VW Golf GTi 1.6 8v in Europe with only John Nielsen's car being quick in the ETC for example.
Things might have very different if Chris Hodgetts wasn't racing Ford Escorts until the end of 1985, as CHMS may have come into being sooner and the Escort may not have had a look in.
|
Toyota Corolla 1600 GT / TE71s from Spa 1983:
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-31-066.jpg
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-31-068.jpg
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-31-073.jpg
Note that the Belgian Toyotas #66 and #68 running four stud wheels (presumably cars prepared for the national Belgian Group A series), while the #73 John Nielsen car has center lock wheels as the ETCC was scheduled for 1983. To my knowledge John Nielsen was a Toyota dealer and Danish TOM'S importer, but only did a selected programme of ETCC events combining it with domistic Group A. This is the 8-valve version being replaced by the new generation 16-valve AE86 for 1984, again at Spa:
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-29-060.jpg
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-29-061.jpg
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-29-063.jpg
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-29-064.jpg
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-29-065.jpg
From a general perspective the TE71 was too overweight without any power advantage for its day in circuit racing, while the AE86 should have had potential with its 16-valve engine. Toyota saw the AE86, based un the previous TE71, as a Group A clubman-spec rally car and apparently never exploided its potential on the circuits – I presume from the frustations of John Nielsen, Chris Hodgetts, Tony Niovanni, Bernhard Bühler and Georg Alber and by 1985 by countless Japanese Toyota affiliated tems (Their first year of Group A). By the summer of 1985 the front wheel drive AE82 hatch back was homologated, which started the move toward circuit homologation specials. By 1988 Phil Dowsett enjoyed 200 bhp from his AE86 competitors Geoff Kimber-Smith and Tony Crudgington's 180-185 bhp – simply by TRD (Toyota Racing Development)? homologating new parts on the FWD and leaving the RWD with nothing – and as this Corolla-generation was rappidly beeing replaced by a new one.
Jesper