Racing Seven Jay
Track star of the last 75 years
The German car brand, like ams, has been a star on every track in the world for the past 75 years. This time, the seven racing cars full of honors once again came to our starting line.
01
2
Mercedes-Benz W 196
12 starts, 9 wins, two world titles, this is what people call a "perfect career". For the Mercedes-Benz W 196, there was only one thing missing, that is, it missed two races. Star driver Juan Manuel Fangio, who also drove the Maserati in his first two World Championships in 1954, took it to Reims for a double victory when he received the gift of the Silver Arrow.
At the time, W 196 was synonymous with technology. It applies cutting-edge technologies such as fuel injection systems, desmodromics valve systems, internal drum brakes, independent suspension with torsion bar springs and engines that tilt 53° to the right (to reduce the frontal windward area of the car). It has a streamlined fairing and free-standing wheels, three different wheelbases and some novel details, such as a cooling grille that can be adjusted in the cockpit to get rid of falling leaves.
Not only that, but in a gradual improvement, the car lost 80 kg of weight, and the inline eight-cylinder engine increased from 260 horsepower to 290 horsepower. Only the Lancia D50 could pose a threat to the S-Class on the track, but the Italians had no money and organization to compete with it.
Two streamlined cars and three GP cars have been in excellent shape for the past 66 years, with even spare engines. The photo on this page shows chassis 8 with internal number 355.
Audi quattro A2
Experts agreed that the car was too long, too big, too heavy and too complicated. All-wheel drive is for farmers and forestry workers. The turbocharged engine makes an explosive sound in the driver's ear and is an asymmetrical five-cylinder engine: who designed such a style? But anyone who has heard the harsh sound of the quattro engine will not forget. When the quattro made its debut in Monte Carlo in 1981, the whistling of its supercharger caused everyone to tinnituse during the race. Competitors couldn't stand the noise after a race, just as they regretted hearing FISA lift the four-wheel drive ban.
In that year's race, Finn Hannu Mikkola stood out, surpassing the Blue Flag Stratos piloted by the previous year's runner-up Bernard Darniche after 14 km. If audi teams had more experience, they could have achieved better results than 24 world championships, two brand championships and two drivers' championships, especially if Piëch hadn't been obsessed with putting the engine in front of the front axle and shortening the chassis.
The short Sport quattro resembles a timeless construction site, while the long 360-horsepower quattro A2 with an aluminum engine is more mature and won in 1984.
That season's champion, Stig Blomqvist, asserted: "The quattro is a milestone. If we apply all the well-designed techniques in the short quattro to the long quattro, we will use it to win in the coming years. ”
03
Opel Calibra V6 4×4
The legendary Cliff-painted Opel Calibra V6 4×4 still gives many fans goosebumps to this day. In 1996, Manuel Reuter won the ITC race in the car, which was developed from DTM and held around the world. The charm of the event is mainly that it is more technically free, thus being able to produce real four-wheeled monsters. Volker Strycek recalls: "It was a three-legged era, and it was incredible to be able to drive such a car. "Racing drivers and engineers can play in this car.
The Cosworth V6 engine transmits its 500 horsepower power to all 4 wheels via a semi-automatic transmission. The differential and stabilizer can be freely programmed to follow the corners. Air can flow to the radiator as needed through the blades of the lower grille. The electronic control system comes from Williams and has reached the level of Formula One. The tyres were contested between Michelin and Bridgestone. Opel has carried out extensive research and development and testing, which has led to explosive cost growth. It is said that Opel ended up investing in a six-figure Deutsche Mark for this purpose.
Strychek now says, "We didn't want to spend that much money. But the fierce battle with other manufacturers is simply difficult to control. You have to make a decision: either try to surpass or give up winning. "The triwizard tournament between Opel, Mercedes and Alfa Romeo thrilled fans, and the competition filled the stands everywhere. But as costs soared, ITC ended after the 1996 season. Today, champion Ruit looks back on the past 25 years with excitement: "It was the golden age of caravan racing. Unfortunately we are only now aware of this. ”
04
Porsche 917K
Racing fans, engineers, and design experts alike can be drawn to the Porsche 917, which is not something that all cars can do.
At the heart of the 917 legend lies in its ferocious 5.0-liter 180° angleDV12 engine. With the air-cooled power unit designed by the outstanding designer Hans Mezger, Porsche always wanted to win the greatest race at that time – the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On May 1, 1969, just six weeks after the car was certified, this goal was almost achieved. At the French Classic, a 917 was still in the lead after 21 hours, but a technical flaw in the vehicle caused a long list of problems that made it impossible to race anymore.
After a whole winter of improvements, the sports car, which was feared by drivers from the beginning, became the champion in 1970. After shortening the rear, Hans Herrmann Richard Attwood won the Le Mans race for the first time while driving the Porsche Salzburg 917. Subsequently, Porsche also became the winner of the world brand racing competition.
After Porsche dominated the second year's Le Mans endurance race and world championships, the FIA's regulator intervened. Later, turbocharging and further refinements of over 1100 horsepower allowed it to continue to triumph in the North American CanAm series.
05
BMW V12 LMR
1999 24 Hours of Le Mans: Mercedes-Benz galloping by, flat tires and serious accidents made Toyota despair, and defending champion Porsche did not participate. For BMW, the road to championship is just around the corner. Yannick Dalmas, Pierluigi Martini and Joachim Winkelhock made Munich cheer for their victory in the Classic.
First bankruptcy, then success: in 1998, the V12 LM seal failed, causing lubricating oil to leak from the wheel bearings and thus getting into trouble. BMW eliminated this safety hazard in its successor products. At the Sebring 12 Hours of Endurance in March, LMR passed the test and won.
Based on a more compact V12 engine, the car has a 15 kg weight reduction and a lower center of gravity. Engineers improved issues with ventilation, friction loss and oil consumption. Moreover, naturally aspirated engines require less fuel. BMW can travel long distances and spend less time at the pit than its rivals. These advantages are inseparable from the excellent work of the Schnitzer team.
BMW used formula one technology to create a car in Williams' wind tunnel that was simple in technology but very aerodynamic. But it's also not entirely reliable: if the stabilizer is damaged, two wins could be missed. BMW also made a new design of the engine air intakes with a new aerodynamic kit, featuring an asymmetrically designed carbon fiber air collector and an upper air intake duct on the right side of the driver. Two intake limit valves with a diameter of 32.9 mm each reduce the power output from more than 800 hp to 580 hp. The maximum torque of 670 Nm is passed to the rear axle.
06
Ford Capri RS
It was one of the great RV racing stars of the 1970s. With the support of Ford racing manager Jochen Neerpasch, the first-generation Capri won the 1971 and 1972 European Touring Car Championships. Neal Pasch then went to BMW and developed the BMW CS in Munich with lead engineer Martin Braungart, making it a formidable rival to Capri.
In 1973, Ford had no advantage in the Second Group, but the new Ford Motorsports owner Michael Kranefuss and engineer Thomas Ammerschl ger launched a major counteroffensive. In the winter of 1973-1974, the first racing car, the Capri, completed the final stages of improvement.
The biggest change was in the engine, which increased its power by almost 100 horsepower to 415 horsepower. At 8500 rpm, the Essex V6 engine (developed by Cosworth) makes a hellish sound. The engine, in conjunction with a five-speed manual transmission, was able to reach a top speed of 280 km/h, which is still surprising today. The thick front face and chubby rear were also designed for aerodynamic needs, and they were successful.
In the DRM competition, Capri has defeated rival BMW several times. Hans Heyer also won the European Championships with Capri (and Escort). At that time, only four Capri modified cars were produced in total. One was scrapped mid-season, one was parked in the factory (pictured), and two were sold. One of them will also race on the track of Mücke Motorsport. The second generation Capri was also successful in the competition, and in the late DRM competition, the monster player who had been in the fifth group became a legend. However, this myth was already born in the first generation of Capri.
07
Volkswagen Polo WRC
Rally racing is a tricky sport, with body structures having to trade off between lightweight and robustness, and riders balancing adventure and caution, all of which require a lot of experience.
These newcomers from Hanover have a hard time competing with Sébastien Loeb and his Citroën team, even after spending a lot of money on testing and preparation and unprecedented time and effort. With nine titles under his name, Loeb is currently the most successful racing athlete. There was no way, France's super-genius Sébastien Ogier also had to concede defeat in his Polo WRC debut in Monte Carlo, but just three weeks later he drove the car in Sweden to his first victory.
In fact, strict regulations give the participating vehicles an advantage, but Volkswagen has taken the lead from the first season. The engines are a little stronger, the team operations are a little more detailed, and Ogier's performance is more prominent. Volkswagen won all the world championships in four years.
With 43 wins from the WRC, polo became the most successful rally car ever, with an 83% winning percentage being a hard-to-break record. Until late 2016, when group CEO Herbert Diess ordered the car to be pulled out of rally, it continued to win races. Johan Kristoffersso and Volkswagen wore the short track rally crown three times with a modified Polo WRC. Polo is the only car to win the title in two completely different races.