Ford RS200

The road-going RS200, built between 1984-86, was based on Ford’s Group B Rally car. It was mid engined and 4WD, and while the official 0-100km/h time was a scenery warping 2.8 seconds, some of the more powerful “evolution” cars have been clocked at 2.1 seconds – faster than a Veyron!

Aston Martin DBS

This is the car that starred alongside Daniel Craig in the refreshed Casino Royale Bond movie. The DBS is the road going link between Aston’s DB9 road car and the powerful DBR9 race car. Bond trashes it within minutes of the DBS’ debut – a stunt which was filmed, not in rural Montenegro, but at the Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire. Who wouldn’t want to be Bond for at least a day, eh?

Jurgen Alzen Motorsport Mission 400 Plus

Mission 400 Plus - under this project name H&R presents an especially spectacular world premiere at the Essen Motor Show 2006. Jurgen Alzen Motorsport, long-time partner of H&R in the long-distance championship on the Nurburgring, engine tuner RS Tuning and H&R have jointly developed a sports car based on the Porsche 997. It is destined to win the Blue Ribbon for the world's fastest street-legal sports car next year, with a top speed of more than 250 mph (400 km/h).
The idea to tackle the world record was born in August 2006 at the Six-Hour Race on the Nurburgring. After the H&R-sponsored Alzen Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 fell victim to an accident in only the second lap, team boss Jurgen Alzen and H&R marketing director Hardy von der Brake had time to discuss means to better demonstrate the technology transfer from motorsports to the development of sporty suspension components.
The idea quickly turned into the Mission 400 Plus concept, whose prototype now celebrated its world debut at the Essen Motor Show 2006. The three companies that have joined forces to turn this concept into reality have proven their potential in building super-fast sports cars numerous times before.
The experienced team of technicians from Jurgen Alzen Motorsport in Betzdorf is responsible for the technical design and for building the car. The engine is based on that of the latest 997-series Porsche 911 Turbo, and comes from RS Tuning. H&R contributes its immense know-how in the field of suspension design and setup.
Favorable aerodynamic properties are essential for a car that is designed to break the 400-km/h barrier. Minimizing frontal surface area is absolutely elementary, which is why Jurgen Alzen decided to lower the roof by 3 inches. At the same time the A-pillars were tilted back further by 5.5 degrees. To give the coupe a homogenous overall appearance the tilt of B- and C-pillars was adjusted accordingly. Special flush-mounted polycarbonate windows all around complete the roof conversion.
Also part of the Mission 400 Plus aerodynamics concept are numerous other modifications that were developed and tested in the wind tunnel. Among them are a long rear with pronounced separation edge and the absence of rain channels. Streamlined cowlings for the 18-inch BBS light-alloy wheels will reduce air turbulence on the vehicle's sides during the record run.
The Mission 400 Plus engine is built by RS Tuning in Kirchhaslach, where the racing engines for Jurgen Alzen Motorsport have been created for many years. The displacement of the six-cylinder flat engine is increased from 3.6 to 3.8 liters and the engine is reworked entirely. Company owner Reinhold Schmirler's power cocktail also includes special combustion chamber shapes as well as precision-machined cylinder heads with larger valves, and high-performance camshafts.
The engine's peripherals are also completely new. In addition to an intake manifold with larger and smoothened ports the engine is equipped with a more powerful turbocharging system and a high-performance exhaust.
The stock turbos with variable turbine geometry are replaced by larger conventional ones, which are supplied with optimal amounts of exhaust gas by the custom-tailored stainless-steel exhaust manifolds. Higher capacity intercoolers provide cooler charge air for maximum power output, aided on the exhaust side by a stainless-steel sport exhaust with metal catalysts.
RS Tuning's stationary test bench is used to fine-tune the perfect interaction of all individual components with special 100-octane fuel mapping for the Bosch-developed engine electronics.
With a boost pressure of 1.5 bar the engine develops 1,054 bhp / 775.7 kW at 7,700 rpm and a peak torque of 760 lb-ft at 5,800 rpm. And yet, the speed-record hunter meets stringent EURO IV emission limits.
Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a high-performance clutch and a modified high-geared six-speed transmission.
The high-speed track in Nardo, where the world record is supposed to be set next year, places extreme demands on the Mission 400 Plus suspension, due to its undulated surface. H&R has custom-developed a special version of its H&R HIGH-END suspension specifically for this purpose.
The top-of-the-line product in the H&R lineup distinctly sets itself apart from conventional sport suspensions. In addition to special struts with sporty springs and shocks the H&R HIGH-END suspension further consists of bearings made from especially high-quality harder materials, custom-made aluminum lower A-arms as well as special tie rods and newly designed upper rear axle links.
Installing this almost infinitely adjustable suspension results in even more strength and more direct response. It also allows an even more precise setup of the record car to account for the banked track at Nardo. The Mission 400 Plus is further equipped with adjustable H&R sport sway bars on front and rear axle.
The overall lightweight design is completed with Carbon-made doors and hoods and a Spartan interior with Recaro carbon-fiber racing seats and a roll cage.
Mission 400 Plus will hunt for the record in Nardo in the first half of 2007. Creator and race driver Jurgen Alzen will pilot the ultra-low-profile coupe.

Weber Sportscar

Weber Sportcars from Tobel, Switzerland are dreaming big with their latest mock-up revealed at the 2007 Top Marques Monaco show. What they have in mind is a 250 mph, carbon fiber supercar that is shaped largely by aerodynamics. After nine months of computer-aided design, they were able to make a full size model of what the final shape might look like. Included is an active rear wing that changes in angle for both acceleration and braking.
Power for the new Sportscar will come from a 7.0l supercharged V8 that will churn out 950 bhp to the rear wheels. Other equally impressive features include 12-piston carbon/ceramic disc brakes, a fully sequential gearbox and a speculated 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds.
Options will include a versatile on board computer with timing devices, a multimedia kit or a full race 'package' which might make it eligible for endurance sports car racing.
Over the next year it will be interesting to see if Weber can elevate this project to the next level. While we don't particularly like the styling, if the new car can achieve any of the aforementioned performance figures we will pay close attention.
Story by Supercars.net, more at weber-sportscars.com

Dauer 962 Le Mans

In the late nineties, bringing prototype racecars to urban roadways was an idea that several companies shared. Considering the contrast between sports car and race car engineering, embarking on such a project was a laborious task. Coupled with the limited production and tiny customer base, development costs were hard to recoup. Despite these hardships, several German companies still decided to create their own road-going Porsche 962, the most successful prototype race car of our time.
From 1983 forward, the Porsche 956 and its 962 IMSA spec version dominated for a decade. Porsche manufactured nearly 150 956/962s and sold many of the cars to private teams. During this period, Porsche manufactured and made available every component on the car. Due to this customer support, Porsche not only became the most successful marque at Le Mans, but also provided essential parts for companies, such as DP Motorsport, Schuppan, Koenig and Dauer, to make road-going specials.
Of the companies that have produced a 962 road car, the most successful has been Dauer. After displaying their first 962 at the 1993 Frankfurt Show, Dauer partnered with Porsche to manufacture a contender for the 1994 24 Hours of LeMans. At that time the prototype rules stipulated that a single road-going version of the car had to manufactured for homologation. As a result of these regulations, several homologation specials were born from the world's fastest racecars. These included the Porsche GT1, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and our feature car, the Dauer 962 LM. What good times.
At the 24 hour race, Dauer showed up with both a road version and race version of the Porsches 962, a design which had already won Le Mans six times. After winning the race, the FIA declared it would be creating rules to make sure the 962 wouldn't be back in 1995. However, with a Le Mans win under their belt, and with support from Porsche, Dauer continued to build their road-going 962.

962LM in Detail

Since the 1994 victory, much has changed at Dauer as attention focused from street legal racecar to civilized roadcar. To create each one of these cars, Dauer takes an original Porsche-made 956/962 and strips the car. A completely new carbon fiber/kevlar body is then made along with a very tight leather interior . When finished, the owner receives a car which has a race history at the top level of motorsport and is also ready to drive on local streets.
A major development has been the introduction of several electro-hydraulic systems into the car. While equipped with pneumatic doors and rear engine cover, one of the most important changes is a hydraulic suspension to raise and lower the car. This was manditory as the 962, in standard trim, is far too low to meet the ride height necessitated by German law.
Inside, Dauer have made the cockpit a more civil affair. Reinald Mattes spent considerable time to fitting two seats into a very tight cockpit. After the moulds were completed, Dauer formed carbon fibre panels and covered them in leather. Interesting features include interior-cooling, a detachable steering wheel and properly detailed luggage. Still, the 962 is a very unforgiving machine, and it is doubtful that any driver will have time to watch, yet alone hear the DVD player provided.
Powering the 962 is the same 2994cc water-cooled Porsche flat-six found in the race car. A pair of intercooled KKK turbochargers are employed and the engine has 'softer' cams for more tractable driving. Thanks to racing catalytic convertors and Bosch Motronic 1.7 engine management, the 962 meets European emissions regulations. Attached to the engine is a unique transmission that uses the normal 962 manual box and clutch. But instead of using a gear lever, the driver select ratios via the Tiptronic S style knobs on the steering wheel.
At 1080kg, the 962LM may weigh around 180kg more than the 962 racecar, but its power-to weight ratio is still better than the McLaren F1's. In a drag start, 0-60mph takes around 2.6 seconds in first gear! Five seconds later you have doubled your speed again. Ultimately a shade over 250mph is possible. A top speed test was conducted on the Ehra-Leissen VW test track, where 404.6 kph was achieved.
In total 13 Dauer conversions have been finished, and Dauer are still taking orders for more cars. They are also finishing up a very limited run of Bugatti EB110s that were sold in pieces to Dauer when the company closed. We have also heard that Dauer is updating their 962 and a 2006 model is in the works.

Story by Richard Owen for Supercars.net