Here’s How It Might Look If GT1-Style Cars Came Back To Le Mans
The top class of endurance racing has undergone a bit of a wobble in recent years, with first Audi and then Porsche ending their LMP1 programmes. That’s left Toyota as the only manufacturer in the class, and although there’s a sea of new privateer squads, the pinnacle of the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans could probably do with a few more manufacturers at the top end.
To attract them, the FIA has floated the idea of changing the rules to force the cars to look vaguely like road cars, harking back to the legendary GT1-era of the 1990s which gave us fantastically extreme creations such as the Porsche 911 GT1 and Mercedes CLK-GTR. It could come into effect in the next few years, but what might modern versions of these cars look like?
Livery designer Sean Bull has imagined what manufacturers may be enticed by such rules and created some fantasy designs for a potential future ‘LMGT1’ class.
Pretty great, right? For instance, there’d be no mistaking the McLaren for anything other than a McLaren given that front of the car looks… well, like a McLaren.
Not interested in waiting a few years for the possibility of seeing cars like this? Then don’t worry, because over in the American WeatherTech SportsCar Championship similar rules already exist, giving us stuff like this gorgeous Mazda prototype.
Oh yes. Now we want to see those fantasy designs brought to life even more!
If you want to see more of Sean Bull’s work, you can do so by clicking here.
Comments
closes laptop
takes out a pen and paper
“Dear FIA…”
Top comment confirmed
you repeat my heart :’(
“Dear FIA,
I would be more than happy if you take a look at this CarThrottle post and think about making this a reality. I am getting bored of non homologated LeMans racing, and I would really like the LeMans cars to have at least styling bits from road going counterparts, or if possible whole road going cars to be revised for LeMans. The spaceships that race in LeMans do look good, but I don’t like it when I can’t at least see some resemblance of something that’s road going.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Chris”
I would be happy if its closer to the real car. Just ultra wide like the old days
I’ve got a list of cars in mind that should be raced at Le Mans (with modifications obviously)
Aston Martin Vulcan
Ferrari FXXK
Mclaren P15 Senna
Merc AMG project one
Jaguar CX75 (imagine that thing with a racing aero kit, wing and the 5.0 V8!)
Maserati ought to return to the game as well, perhaps they could modify the Granturismo as a GT3 car and compete against the 488s, Corvettes and so on, Jag could also make GT3 F-Types instead of the GT4 car.
My thoughts anyway…
(Deleted)
Love the Corvette LM spec…
McLaren said they will take the Senna racing
I feel like Maserati doesn’t really care about making true sports cars anymore, and thus wouldn’t be that interested in racing
Jaaaaaag MUST MAKE THE CX-75
because, erm, it’s a hybrid.
Just like a Prius, see?
Yes.
Erm those are still very LMP1 looking 😅
I really like it when race cars look vaguely like road cars, but still crazy enough for a sports prototype. Look at cars like the Peugeot 905 (the first Group C version) or the new Mazda RT24, these cars look absolutely gorgeous.
So these are just some reskinned LMP2’s. Very disappointing.
Look, these are well done, but they aren’t “gt1”. It’s just lmp1 or 2 cars with slight modifications. Gt1 would be the a (very heavily) modified version of a road car, not the face of a road car slapped on a a prototype.
I’d love to see a toyota LMGT1 car with the FT-1 styling ques.
Yes. So much yes!