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Generation: C4 Year: 1984 VIN: T600 HU-10 Race Numbers: 84, 52 Ownership: GM Corporation Sponsors: General Motors Drivers: Status: Original Color: white/silver Tires/Wheels: Front: 12 x 16 BBS with Goodyear slicks Rear: 14 x 16 BBS with Goodyear slicks Engine: Engine: GM 90 degree V6, 209 CI, 775 HP, Warner-Ishi Model RX9-L turbocharger with 20 pounds of boost, GM cylinder heads. Early in the program, the V6 turbocharged engine was adapted from the Chevrolet V6 cast iron block. Displacement was limited to 209 cubic inches. The block was a Chevrolet over the counter item. The 1985 and 1986 blocks varied slightly; the 1986 block was redesigned for a one-piece rear seal. Internals and cast aluminum heads were over-the-counter Chevrolet off-road production items. A Warner-Ishi Model RX9-L turbocharger raised maximum horsepower to 775 HP at 20 pounds of boost. Famed engine builder Ryan Falconer ultimately squeezed 900 HP then a purported 1100-plus HP out of the little V6’s for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick later used a 184 cubic inch V6, and eventually a 366 cubic inch V8 in the final versions of his cars. The two independent cars used 366 cubic inch V8’s initially, and the last Corvette GTP chassis at one point sported a 10.6 liter 4 cam Eagle V8 as it went conquer Le Mans in 1990. Ironically, it was independent chassis 710-01 that was the very first Corvette GTP to complete; and independent chassis 8811-01 the very last to complete as a Corvette GTP. Driveline: Hewland VG five-speed transaxle. 3.10:1 ratio rear Monocoque aluminum chassis Wheelbase: 106.5 inches Length: 188 inches Wdith: 79 inches Height: 41 inches Curb Weight: 2200 pounds Rack and pinion steering Kevlar Fiber/Epoxy body panels Top: Interior: The interior was stark, fitted only with the essentials for system instrumentation. The driver sat in a semi-reclining right-hand drive position facing a small diameter steering wheel. Condition: Excellent. Still in use as show car URL: References: CORVETTE GTP, by Alex Gabbard, printed by Howell Press, Charlottesville, VA. $34.95 160 pages with color and racing record index. ISBN 1-57427-057-5 Unique Characteristics: The GTP cars were raced with three body styles… long tail, medium tail and short tail. This chassis has always appeared as a long tail; see other chassis photos for examples of mid-length and short tail. Book reference: CORVETTE GTP, by Alex Gabbard, printed by Howell Press, Charlottesville, VA. $34.95 160 pages with color and racing record index. ISBN 1-57427-057-5 Modifications: Notes/Race History: Up to 1981 the Porsche 935 which was modified for the GTX category in IMSA endurance racing was dominant. Around 1981, the Lola chassis began to displace the Porsche as the dominant force. In 1981 Brian Redman took five victories in the IMSA series in a Woods-Cook Lola T-600, powered by a Chevy engine. This upset was not only notable for the IMSA series but it was the salvation of a near-bankrupt Lola group. Subsequently, the engineers at GM got involved and helped to develop the Corvette GTP. The developmental prototype was massaged significantly to incorporate as many Corvette styling cues as possible. One of the developmental chassis (T600-HU01) was first put on display at the New York Auto Show in 1984, carrying a white and silver paint scheme and (artificially) numbered as # 84. It carried a strong family resemblance to the just introduced 1984 Corvette. Ultimately seven race versions of the Corvette GTP were produced; five were campaigned by Chevrolet through Hendrick Motorsports, one was campaigned by Lew Price of Lee Racing Corvette GTP # 4 (chassis HU 711/02), and one by Peerless Racing # 76 GTP (chassis HU 8810/01). The Lee Racing Corvette GTP # 4 (chassis HU 711/02) was the first Corvette GTP to be fielded for actual competition. It ran in the 1985 24 Hours of Daytona. The overall performance of the GTP series was hindered by GM’s continued practice of mixing actual racing with the perennial introduction of new technologies. From the GM perspective, the raison d’être for the GTP program was to serve as a rolling test bed for a number of new GM-developed technologies, including active handling and the OBDS II electronic engine management system, V6 engines, turbocharging, active suspension, and even throttle by wire. Nonetheless, wearing the Corvette name badge, the Corvette GTP more than once lived up to the history and heritage of its name on the track, posting a fair share of #1 qualifying and podium finishes. And, with the exception of the V6 in a Corvette, all of those emerging technologies of the 1980’s are alive and well in today’s Corvettes. Sidebar on the V6 development: Early in the program, the V6 turbocharged engine was adapted from the Chevrolet V6 229 CI cast iron block. Displacement was reduced to 209 cubic inches. The block was a Chevrolet over the counter item. The 1985 and 1986 blocks varied slightly; the 1986 block was redesigned for a one-piece rear seal. Internals and cast aluminum heads were over-the-counter Chevrolet off-road production items. A Warner-Ishi Model RX9-L turbocharger raised maximum horsepower to 775 HP at 20 pounds of boost. Famed engine builder Ryan Falconer ultimately squeezed 900 HP then a purported 1100-plus HP out of the little V6’s for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick later used a 184 cubic inch V6, and eventually a 366 cubic inch V8 in the final versions of his cars. The two independent cars used 366 cubic inch V8’s initially, and the last Corvette GTP chassis at one point sported a 10.6 liter 4 cam Eagle V8 as it went conquer Le Mans in 1990. Ironically, it was independent chassis 710-01 that was the very first Corvette GTP to complete; and independent chassis 8811-01 the very last to complete as a Corvette GTP. Registry ID Number: 373 View Original Size  Tony Mezzacca |