Lola Cars International Ltd. was a racing car engineering company founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, England. Enduring more than fifty years, it was one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of racing cars in the world. Lola Cars started by building small front-engined sports cars, and branched out into Formula Junior cars before diversifying into a wider range of sporting vehicles. Lola was acquired by Martin Birrane in 1998 after the unsuccessful MasterCard Lola attempt at Formula One.
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The technical requirements for an LMP include bodywork covering all mechanical elements of the car.
The Mirage Lightweight Racing Car was a family of race cars built by J.W. Automotive Engineereing (JWAE) at Slough in England, initially to compete in international sports car races in the colours of the Gulf Oil Corporation.
Courage Compétition was a racing team and chassis constructor company now owned by Oreca, based in Le Mans, France near the Circuit de la Sarthe. It was founded by Yves Courage, a French race driver who ran hillclimbs before founding the company. Following the purchase of Courage by Oreca in 2007, Yves Courage has refounded the company as Courage Technology in 2010, attempting to develop electric racing cars.
Porsche has been successful in many branches of motorsport of which most have been in long distance races.
The Porsche WSC-95 was a Le Mans Prototype originally built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing. It was modified by Porsche from the original Group C Jaguar XJR-14 from which it derived, and run by Joest Racing. Originally intended to race in the IMSA World Sportscar Championship, the WSC-95 saw very little race action even though it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 1996 and 1997 without being acknowledged as a factory supported project. It was later upgraded to the Porsche LMP1-98 before being retired. Only two cars were ever built.
The Lola B2K/40 was a Le Mans Prototype developed in 2000 by Lola Cars International as a cheaper, smaller, and lighter alternative to the similar Lola B2K/10. Although specifically designed to compete in the SR2 class of the Sports Racing World Cup and Grand American Road Racing Championship, it would later be adapted to the LMP675 and LMP2 classes for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and American Le Mans Series. This design was replaced in 2005 by the Lola B05/40 and would last be used in competition in 2006.
Debora Racing cars is a small French car builder, popular with private racing teams, based in Besançon, France. Teams generally use their chassis to take part in Le Mans style endurance racing such as Magny Cours, Jarama and le Mans.
The Aston Martin AMR-One was a Le Mans Prototype sports car built by Prodrive's Aston Martin Racing arm. Unlike their diesel competitors, Aston Martin had opted for an open-top LMP.
The Zytek Z11SN is a LMP2-class car, which has been built by Zytek Engineering since 2011. It is an evolution of the Zytek 07S and the Zytek 09SC, updated for the new Le Mans Prototype regulations that were introduced in 2011. It has been predominantly used in the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a Greaves Motorsport-entered Z11SN won the LMP2 categories of both series in 2011. In 2014, Jota Sport won the LMP2 category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Z11SN.
The Debora LMP200 was a Le Mans Prototype, built by Debora in 2001 for use in the European Le Mans Series. Initially fitted with a 3.2-litre BMW straight-six engine, it was refitted with a 3-litre BMW straight-six in 2002, and then a 3.4-litre Mader-BMW straight-six in 2003. One car is known to have been built. The LMP200 was used by Didier Bonnet Racing when they won the European Le Mans Series in 2001.
The Debora LMP2000 was a Le Mans Prototype, built by Debora in 2000 for use in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Sports Racing World Cup. The car was initially fitted with a 3.2-litre BMW straight-six engine, but had a 3-litre BMW straight-six fitted for the Sports Racing World Cup. One chassis is known to have been built.
The Debora SP93 was a C3 class sports-prototype built by Debora for hillclimbing and for the French Coupe Alfa Romeo. It was updated to the Debora LMP294 in 1994 for the same event. Both cars were fitted with a 3-litre Alfa Romeo V6 engine, and both were run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by Didier Bonnet Racing. Only two chassis, #C393-01 for Le Mans and #C393-02 for the "Coupe Alfa Romeo", were built, and were used for both the SP93 and the LMP294.
The Debora SP92 was a Le Mans Prototype built by Debora in 1992 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Didier Bonnet Racing ran the car, which was fitted with a 3-litre Alfa Romeo V6 engine, in the race. Only one was built, and it was not used again after the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans, being replaced by the Debora SP93.
The Ascari A410 was a Le Mans Prototype built by Ascari Cars in 2000. The car, which was based on the Lola T92/10 Group C racing car, featured a 4-litre Judd GV4 V10 engine, and was used in European and international sports car racing events. In 2002, it was renamed as the Ascari KZR-1 and shipped to the United States for usage in the American Le Mans Series. Two cars were built.
The Dome RC82 was a Group C sports racing car built by Dome in 1982 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Initially fitted with a 3.3-litre Cosworth DFL V8 engine, the car finished its life fitted with an 8-litre Chevrolet V8 engine. March Engineering built the chassis, and one car was built. The car would prove to be unsuccessful, as it never finished a race, and was replaced by the marginally more successful Dome RC83 the following year.
The Lavaggi LS1 was a Le Mans Prototype (LMP) built by Scuderia Lavaggi. Built in 2005, the LS1, initially using a 6-litre Ford V8 engine, made its racing debut the following year. However, the car proved unreliable, and Lavaggi replaced the Ford engine with a 4-litre AER P32C twin-turbocharged V8 for the 2008 season, with no notable improvement in reliability or performance. The car was retired at the end of the 2009 season.
The Courage C41 was a sports prototype racing car built by Courage Compétition in 1994, and used in international sports car races from 1995 until 1999. Designed by Paolo Catone, it initially used a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, developed by Comptech, and later used the 3-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six engine from a Porsche 935, as well as an Oldsmobile V8. In 1998, two of the C41s were developed into the Courage C51, which used a 3-litre twin-turbocharged Nissan VRH35Z V8 engine, and was used in that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1999, the C41s were mostly converted to the C52 specification ; this initially used a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged Nissan VRH35L V8, which was then replaced by a 3.2-litre twin-turbocharged Peugeot A32 V6 engine for 2000. In 2000, the C41 line was replaced by the new C60.
The TOM's Toyota LMP was a Le Mans Prototype built by Toyota. A very low budget effort, the car reused the 2.1-litre turbocharged straight-four engine from Toyota's Group C cars, and was intended as an experimental car. It never raced, although it was tested on at least three occasions.
