Strangely enough, nothing from an actual Corvette was used on the legitimate Corvette IMSA GTP racers. In fact, the only thing Corvette about the cars were the styling influences on the exterior. Besides, that, it was an effort to explore General Motors’ V6 engine program.
The car debuted for the 1984 racing season to bolster the image of the Corvette. While initial prototypes used a naturally-aspirated 5.7-liter V8, the race-ready version actually employed a destroked 4.3-liter GM V6. The engine was rated at 3.4-liters and utilized a turbocharger built by Lola Cars International.
Ultimately, persistent electric problems killed the program after a ho-hum showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but someone put in the wrench time to pay homage to the ambitious Corvette GTP program. But hey, fast-forward to 2015, and the Corvette team perfected a win at the same racing event.
Mecum recently sold off this 1985 Corvette GTP replica, with spot on styling, and racing cues. Though, this car uses a 383 cubic-inch V8, rather than a turbocharged V6. The suspension sits around a C5 Corvette, and an Audi transaxle and Porsche gears make up a few of the larger components to this 1985 Corvette GTP kit.
We weren’t able to find information on how much it sold for, but hopefully someone’s handwork was recognized in this incredible build.
Comments
Well these cars were around several years and later on ran a V8 in the IMSA series in private hands. I know as John Andretti and Scott Goodyear were the drivers and I had lunch with both the day they raced at Mid Ohio in the car.
The car here is either based or is a Mongoose Motorsports car. They build these cars or sell them as kits to those who want to build their own.
They often are built with factory Corvette engines and use some of the suspension parts in their system.
Check out Mongoose Motorsports as they are local here and specialize in the GTP and the Grand Sport reproductions that are considered the best on the market.