MOSLER GT300
Each four-into-one exhaust system had to feed through a JAF-specified catalytic converter, but no silencer
Such was the severity of the frontal impact requirements that the test had to be done at Cranfield Impact Centre in two stages
power came to light. ‘We also found out that with our ’24-hour’ engine we were competing against others that were using an engine per race meeting, and they were squeezing a lot more out of them,’ said Short. ‘But during the shakedown it was clear the car had very balanced and precise handling straight away, which was a real credit
a really good handling car, but it wasn’t until we got to the track with our competitors that we discovered we were struggling hugely on the straights. We could make up time under braking and into and through the corners, but we would lose several car lengths on every straight. So initially we were disappointed with the car’s performance, but the clues
it handled well, it was
very responsive and the chassis was easy to drive
to TotalSim and the aero work. The increase in chassis stiffness was one of the biggest things I noticed in those brief few laps, and the fact that with an ‘all nighter’, thrown together set up, the car was good immediately.’ Raja Zaini echoed these
comments: ‘The drivers reported
to its real potential were there – it handled well, it was very responsive and the chassis was really easy to drive.’ Short: ‘Raja’s team was
allowed to open up the restrictors within the regulations, but it really was a struggle. Our naïvety that 300bhp meant 300bhp
46
www.racecar-engineering.com • September 2011
really came home to roost. Judd did what they could on the next engine, and Raja worked on the rule makers. Interestingly GT3 cars were then allowed into SuperGT and had the best part of 600bhp. Expecting a 300bhp car to keep up was asking a lot. The GT3 cars needed serious restrictions to compete fairly with the ‘true’ GT300 cars, but it took a long time to achieve some parity. More development was carried out for the 2011 season and, in qualifying at Sepang, the Mosler was the fastest car designed to the JGT GT300 rules. Back in Europe, Mosler took the lessons learnt from the GT300 programme and built a SuperGT version of the car fitted with a 480bhp, 5.7-litre Chevrolet LS6, the standard MT900 upper bodywork and the GT300 aero improvements under the skin to enter the 2010 Britcar 24 Hours. It suffered from niggling electrical problems during the race but, in testing in early 2011, and with stiffened anti-roll bars, the car showed its form. ‘After a lot of effort, seeing that we really had made a good product was very satisfying… I was absolutely staggered. We were way faster in braking and cornering, and it really brought home what happens when you stick a car to the ground properly.’ A newer version of the car has been built with what Short considers the best combination – the GT300 body and a 600bhp, 7.0-litre Chevrolet LS7 with the new Hewland LWS gearbox. ‘This is the first car with the combination of chassis, aerodynamics and engine I originally envisaged,’ said Short. ‘I like to stick with what I know, but our latest customer, Spaniard Rafael Unzurrunzaga, is very adventurous, pushing us to look at different things. And that’s been a useful lesson for me, because if you are going to progress you have to do so in all areas.’ Mosler Europe’s marketing emphasis shifted from its GT3 offering to the new spaceframed, re-bodied car. ‘This project is more of a passion than a business approach’ conceded Short, ‘because there are not that many places where you can race such a car. But it fits with Warren
Mosler’s original philosophy, which has always been to build the lightest, fastest car.’ And if the company can
offer customers this level of performance at what appears to be outstanding value for money, it will prosper again, regulators permitting, of course…
TECH SPEC
Mosler MT900R / Super GT300 / Super GT600
Class: Japanese SuperGT 300 / Britcar / Dutch Supercar / Belcar
Chassis: tubular steel spaceframe
Body: carbon composite specialist work by KRM, airbox and wing by Reverie
Engine: Judd XV(GT300) / Chevrolet LS7 (GT600), Peter Knight inlet system, Avid dry sump system
Configuration: V8, 90 degree Capacity: 3392cc / 7008cc Valves: 32 / 8 Clutch: AP carbon / Tilton
Exhaust: Tanabe 4-2-1 X 2 with HJS Catalytic Converters (GT300) / Goode Fabrications, two 4 into 1, BTB silencers
ECU: EFI EURO 12 / MoTeC M800
Transmission: Hewland NLT / LWS, Shiftec paddle shit
Brakes: AP Racing six-piston monoblocs, Alcon / Bosch Motorsport ABS, Project Mu pads
Suspension and steering: double wishbones, Dynamics DSSV outboard four-way dampers, Öhlins TTX46 third damper (GT300), DC Electronics PAS
Electronics: MoTeC ADL dash , M800 ECU and PDM, OBR switch panel, Kartek master switch, St Cross wiring loom
Fuel cell: ATL, 120 litre Fire system: Lifeline
Plumbing: Earls Superflex oil and hydraulic lines
Dimensions: Length: 4669mm Width: 2000mm Wheelbase: 2770mm Track front: 1780mm Track rear: 1760mm Weight: 1200kg / 1100kg
Wheels: Front: BBS/Braid 11 x 18in Rear: BBS/Braid 11 x 18in
Tyres: Front: Yokohama 265-650/18 Rear: Yokohama 280-710/18
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100