GR55 and GR55B
The Gould GR55 marked a departure from using Ralt F3 chassis and all major components were designed and manufactured "in house". However, in terms of aerodynamics and general chassis philosophy it was very much an evolution of the GR51. The GR55 was originally fitted with a Nicholson-McLaren 3.3 Litre V8 derived from a Ford Cosworth XB 2.65-litre Champcar unit but enlarged and naturally aspirated rather than turbo-charged. The GR55 was originally campaigned by Adam Fleetwood and he duly took back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004 before graduating from the British Hillclimb Championship to go circuit racing.
In 2005 Gould introduced the GR55B, externally the GR55 and GR55B are near identical, however the GR55B was the result of extensive finite element analysis work (FEA) which resulted in every part of the car being scrutinised to reduce weight and refine the GR55. The result was a car that was 25 kg lighter than its predecessor now fitted with a 3.5-litre version of the Nicholson-McLaren engine. The GR55B went on to dominate the championship in the hands of Martin Groves, winning the title 3 times in succession (2005, 2006 & 2007) and then he came back to claim a 4th title in 2010 using the same car after being defeated in 2008 & 2009, an achievement unique in hillclimbing.
Both the GR55 and GR55B have become very popular with competitors in the British Championship with a variety of engines being installed in GR55 chassis, including f1 derived Cosworth HB 3.5-litre and Judd 4-litre V8 engines. Also more recent modifications have included F1-style paddle shift sequential gears and traction control.
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