the LM cars you fell in love with that you never thought you would?

[dj choc ice]

hiya people,

this thread is made to get you to reveal what your favorite sportscar racer is but the one you thought you would never fall in love with.
my love affait with sportscars started with just 1 car, the lola T98/10 DAMS run car that raced at lemans in 1999 i loved that car so much and when i went to see the LMES last year at silverstone i fell in love with a car i did not even really know about, the del bello noel courage C65 mecachrome, i just loved the way it looked with the orange light covers, the engine sounded do different from the rather humdrum at the time judd V8's which everyone seemed to be using in LMP2, it sounded mad and ballistic almost like a BTCC car gone very angry and loud all of a sudden, and i fell in love with the felbamayer porsche 911 GT3 RS, i later found out that the driver of this porsche was staying at the same hotel i was staying in for the 2 nights i stayed there in towcester.

so i ask people fire away on the underdog machinery as i like to call it

[TheNewBob]

Well, that LMES meeting at Silverstone last year was, sadly enough, my first taste of LMP action, even if I have been to goodness knows how many GT races. But I did surprise myself by taking an odd shining to the new Pilbeam. They've changed the engine now, though.

Another car is one that didn't race at Le Mans, but it's a car I never thought I'd be cheering on. The Ultima GTR - hardly a pretty looking car, nor has it ever really been particularly competitive. In fact for a little while about 5 years ago I generally resented anything that wasn't a Lister or a Marcos, and thought the Ultima was particularly ugly at the time. Yet in '05 it was the saviour of the BGT Donington race I visited - easily the loudest thing there, making the nicest noise (the noise means a lot to me, the TVR's were great, too), spitting out the biggest flames and generally being something that wasn't a Porsche or a Ferrari. Through rose-tinted specs it reminded me of BGT's "golden" days, even though I kinda hated the car back then.

I'm also something of a Morgan fan even though a lot of people I know seem to think they're daft...

[isynge]

Originally Posted by TheNewBob

I'm also something of a Morgan fan even though a lot of people I know seem to think they're daft...

I'm with you on the Aero8 - in the event that the lottery ticket ever comes in I'd be tempted by a serious campaign in one of those - sure there's all sorts of reasons why its a daft idea but the sheer drama of them but why not?

As for the nuts choices - I warmed to WM when they decided that their sole mission in life was simply to propel Roger Dorchy down Les Hunaudieres as fast as at all possible. More recently I wanted to dislike MG's prototype attempt, but to be frank couldn't at all - still like them going round for Autocon and Highcroft and despite my first impressions will miss the octagon when it's gone.

[LC2guy]

I'm patriotic, usually follow a British Car, but this year ( and last ) its Pescarolo.

[The Badger]

The Rafanelli Lola B2K/10 , the one that looks like a John Deer tractor . Lovely looking car . Reminds me a bit like a souped up Moggy Minor !!!

[ss_collins]

Les Valliant (aka Pesca) et les Leader (aka Audi R10). Bob Kramer (aka Tom K) vs. Michel Valliant (aka Seb Loeb)

this year is a comic book classic, but I love the DAMS run cars from the film - (and am trying to buy the bodywork of one of them)

[AllonFS]

I have a bit of a soft spot for slow LMP2 French entries. The Deboras and WRs of this world that really shouldn't be there, are slower than even some of the GT2s, yet are part of the uniqueness and quirkeness of Le Mans. (Sorry Ayse...)

[Mal]

Anything run by people like Hugh Chamberlain - who epitomise the spirit of Le Mans

[SL]

That very noisy wailing banschee Mazda thing. Howling the night away

It had 3 very rapid F1 drivers who seemed to want to thrash the whatit's of it so they could go home as soon as it broke !

However it held together and only after 23 3/4 hours they realised they had it won and reduced the revs by a semi quarter of a tad.

[F360]

Being biased as you can probably guess from my moniker, I loved the sound of the Ferrari 333SP wail......but THAT Mazda rotary was just amazing. Never heard anything like it, before or since !
High revving atmo's do it for me.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Mal

Anything run by people like Hugh Chamberlain - who epitomise the spirit of Le Mans

Absolutely spot on Mal. And I'm going to pick those lovely Lotuses (Loti?) from 1993 in particular.


I was also going to vehemently disagree with Allon, but looking at it again I have to concede he's entirely correct..........

[Aysedasi]

Also the Mazda (nee Jaguar) from 1992. That car looked the mutts nuts and its performance in the first few laps (when driven splendidly by Volker Weidler) made it worth going for me - when so many others couldn't be bothered.........

[GT6]

Being English to the core I should have hated the Atmo peugeots but they were different and somehow they had that something, can't explain it but a joy to watch especially on the mulsanne.

[Truckosaurus]

I've always liked cars running big old production based American pushrod V8s, mainly due to the noise, but also from the inherent simplicity of them compared with the screaming F1-derived V10s. The Lister LMP seems to be the last of the line though.

[Mike_Wooshy]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Also the Mazda (nee Jaguar) from 1992. That car looked the mutts nuts and its performance in the first few laps (when driven splendidly by Volker Weidler) made it worth going for me - when so many others couldn't be bothered.........

You mean the MXR-01 ??
This
I dont know I've always prefered the 787b, but I supose that could be down to the sound !