Allard J2X-C

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Allard

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J2X-C
Production period: 1992
Class : race car
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Otto engine :
3.5 liters (426 kW)
Length: 4799 mm
Width: 2000 mm
Height: 920 mm
Wheelbase : 2850 mm
Empty weight : 860 kg

The Allard J2X-C is a Group C racing car that was built by Allard in 1992 for use in international sports car races . It was powered by a 3.5 liter Cosworth DFR - V8 engine that delivered around 580 bhp (426 kW). The body of the J2X-C is more reminiscent of modern Le Mans prototypes than standard Group C cars, but the engine turned out to be too weak for the car's enormous downforce. This fact, and the fact that Allard Holdings was liquidated while the car was being developed, hampered development of the J2X-C significantly and prevented it from ever reaching its potential. Only one copy was built.

development

In the 1980s, Chris Humberstone , who had designed numerous cars for various Formula 1 teams , acquired the rights to the Allard name from Alan Allard , the son of the company's founder, Sydney Allard . After several years of dispute, the company won Hayden Burvill of Brun Motorsport for the development of the J2X-C. He was followed in 1991 by John Iley , who was hired as a specialist in aerodynamics . The car was designed with the smallest possible frontal area, which gave it a unique look. Also it was thought originally from one of a Chevrolet - small-block use derived -Motor V8, but then decided to Cosworth DFR -V8 with 3494 cc engine, the one-engine Formula was derived from a. It achieved around 580 bhp (426 kW) of power and a torque of 542.3 Nm. The transmission also came from a Formula 1 car, a sequential, manual 6-speed transmission from Leyton-House- March Engineering , which had been modified for long-distance racing. This gearbox proved problematic throughout the life of the car.

The front and rear wheels of the J2X-C were suspended from double wishbones and supported by thrust struts on coil springs and shock absorbers. The front suspension was mounted on the monocoque , while the rear suspension was attached to a subframe that was specially designed for quick transmission replacement. Both parts of the chassis were made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic . The car's radical body gave it a lot of downforce; it was calculated for a downforce of 2495 kg at 241 km / h and 4435 kg at 322 km / h. However, some conventionally constructed cars also achieved this downforce; z. B. the factory Toyota TS-010 achieved a maximum calculated downforce of over 4309 kg. The downforce of the Allard was higher than that of the factory Nissan R91CP with 2920 kg at 322 km / h, while the Joest - Porsche 962 C from 1993 achieved a maximum calculated output of 2533 kg at 322 km / h.

Racing history

Terai Engineering entered the J2X-C in the Suzuka 500 km race in April 1992 , but the car was by no means finished and did not participate. The J2X-C was first tested on July 9, 1992 when Costa's lot drove it at the Pembrey Circuit . He said: “the J2X-C felt very different to a regular Group C car (…) Contrary to most Group C cars I had driven, it was a lot more tuneable than I was accustomed to." ("The J2X-C felt very different from a normal Group C car (...) Unlike most Group C cars that I have driven, it was much more tunable than I was used to.") However, he complained that the car's lack of power steering was a problem. The team tried to find a buyer for the car as the Group C era ended in 1992, the IMSA GTP series was on its last legs and the 1992 World Sports Car Championship was in its final season.

When the J2X-C was not nearly finished, Allard Holdings was dissolved in the first quarter of 1993 and the car was sold to Robs Lamplough for £ 76,000 . The low top speed on the straight, which was due to a combination of not fully developed aerodynamics, the high downforce and the low engine power, was to further inhibit the car's racing career. After Lamplough acquired the car, he tried it out on test drives for the 1993 Le Mans 24-hour race . However, he could only achieve 19th place in the overall classification and was thus last in his own category; the lap times were worse than those of four GT cars. The car was measured at just 277 km / h on the Mulsanne Straight, which led Lamplough not to participate in the actual race. Instead, Lamplough used the car for the first time with the help of Bob Pond Racing in the 9th round of the IMSA GTP series in Laguna Seca ; ninth place overall and last in the GTP series was the best that Lamplough could achieve with this car. The car was never used in a race again.

More history and legacy

Lamplough kept the J2X-C for a while, but eventually sold it. The car passed through several hands and finally landed in Canada . Although even conventional opponents like the Toyota TS-010 developed more downforce, the J2X-C was far from being exhausted and competitors were toying with the idea of ​​a similarly constructed car. However, many manufacturers considered the radical body to be too great a risk; the chief designer of Spice Engineering , Graham Humphries , put it: “With limited resources, it was decided instead to follow the more conventional route of further develloping what we knew.” (“With our limited possibilities we decided instead to take the more conventional way of further developing the known to us. ”) However, it is said that with the Le Mans prototypes from the early 2000s, such as the Audi R8 , the Lola B01 / 60 and the Lola B05 / 40 , some of the lessons learned from J2X-C had learned to be applied. The J2X-C was restored to working order until 2008 and participated in the 25th anniversary of Group C in 2007 in Goodwood .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Mark Fuller: Hindsight: Evolutin theory in Racecar Engineering . Issue 15, July 2005.
  2. ↑ a b Mark Fuller: 1992-1993 Allard J2X . Mulsanne's Corner. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  3. ↑ Wouter Melissen: 1992 - 1993 Allard J2X-C Specifications . Ultimatecarpage.com. February 22, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ a b Allard J2X-C . Supercars.net. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  5. ↑ Michael J. Fuller: 1991 Nissan R91CP - Race Car Aerodynamics Database . Mulsanne's Corner. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  6. ^ Michael J. Fuller: 1993 Joest-Porsche 962 - Race Car Aerodynamics Database . Mulsanne's Corner. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  7. ↑ 500 km Suzuka 1992 - Race Results . Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  8. ↑ Le Mans Test 1993 . Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  9. ↑ Laguna Seca 1993 - Race Results . Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  10. ↑ Wouter Melissen: 1992 - 1993 Allard J2X-C - Images, Specifications and Information, Page 2 . Ultimatecarpage.com. February 22, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2013.