Matra Murena

Eric Bailly, Matra Murena on the 2017 Rallye du Pays Avallonnais.

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Matra, Romorantin, France.  Sometimes called the Talbot-Matra Murena, this was an early eighties mid-engined sports car that was relatively unusual in that it had three seats next to each other with the middle one folding when not in use to become an arm rest.  It had a steel chassis and glass fibre coupé body.  Just under 11,000 were built between 1980 and 1983.  The car had good handling but the engines were not that impressive.  The basic model had a 1.6 litre Simca engine and the more powerful version a 2.2 litre Talbot engine.  The 1.6 litre had a top speed of around 113mph and a 0-60mph time of just over 11 seconds.  The 2.2 litre had a top speed of 122mph and a 0-60moh time of just under 9 seconds. They were rallied in 1981 and 1982 in major rallies such as the RAC and Monte Carlo but without great success.  Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Max Mamers drove 4WD versions of them them in the 1982 French rallycross championship, both achieving wins and Max taking the Championship. Jean-Pierre Jaussaud drove one in a European rallycross championship round the same year scoring a class win.  These cars continued their successful rallycross careers for some years.

1981 Kremer-Porsche 917K/81

Kremer built Porsche 917/81, Retromobile 2017.

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Kremer Racing, Cologne, Germany.  The years 1970 and 1971 were the heyday of the Porsche 917 before these Group 4 sports cars were banned.  Ten years after the 917 had won its second Le Mans 24 hours, it returned as a Group 6 sports car built by the Kremer brothers using a loophole in the transitional regulations between Group 6 and Group C.  The Kremer brothers had become the top specialists in racing, modifying and tuning Porsches during the 935 era and obtained Porsche’s help in this project.  Using the original blueprints, a car was built from scratch in the Kremer workshops and incorporated a number of modifications to the suspension and a strengthened chassis to cope with the newer tyre technology.  However, the strengthening added weight.  The body was also altered to improve downforce with a large rear wing and lower and straightened sides to the car.  Unchanged was the 4.9 litre flat 12 engine that Porsche provided.  Sponsorship was obtained from Malardeau and BP and the drivers included Bob Wollek.  First event was the 1981 Le Mans 24 hours.  Practice did not go well and the car proved much slower than the original 917s down the straight.  However, in the race it ran in the top ten before retiring after seven hours following an off course excursion.   The second and final race was the 1,000kms at Brands Hatch later that year.  For this the original sponsors were gone and the car had big Kremer wording along the sides and on the rear wing with some support from Shell and Dunlop.  This time the car qualified third and early on in the race ran second to the new Ford C100.  Later in the race it took the lead and proved fast around the curves of Brands Hatch with Bob Wollek driving.  Unfortunately the suspension eventually collapsed and led to another retirement.  This was the last major race for a 917.  This unique car is now owned by a private collector and is back in its beautiful Malardeau colours.

DeLorean DMC-12

Two DeLorean DMC-12s, Thoiry 2017

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The gull wing doors

DeLorean Motor Company, Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.  Founded by ex-General Motor's executive John DeLorean, DMC made just one car but it became famous through the film "Back to the Future" in which it starred. The factory was in Northern Ireland due to government funding.  Renault was employed to build the factory and supply the PRV engine, whilst Lotus designed the chassis and body which had styling by the Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car was a 2 seater quirky steel bodied sports coupé. Engine was a 2.85 litre 130hp V6 that was mounted at the far rear of the car.  It

Rear qtr view

didn't receive good reviews but still sold over 8,500 examples, perhaps helped by its signature gull-wing doors.. Performance wasn't outstanding as it had a 0-60mph time of around 10 seconds and a top speed of about 110mph.  The cars were made between 1981and 1982 and were sold with unpainted stainless steel bodies. The company went bankrupt when it did not meet its sales targets and John DeLorean was arrested on drugs charges of which he was eventually cleared. Financial scandals also followed involving the government funding and Lotus chief Colin Chapman became embroiled but died of a heart attack.  A messy end to the dream.  Nowadays, a company in Texas has the rights and continues to build late model editions of the DMC-12.

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1981 March 81S-Ford

"Nelson", March81S-Ford, Charade Historic Tour Sports Proto Cup 2016.

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March Engineering, Bicester, England. March built about 5 of these cars.  They were used in Sports 2000 racing and had 2 litre Ford Pinto engines.  Racing was both in Europe and the USA.  One of the March 81S Sports 2000 cars took part in the 1981 Brands Hatch 1000kms and finished 16th and third in the Sports 2000 class.

Porsche 936 / 81

The 1981 Le Mans 24 Hours winner, a Porsche 936 at Laguna Seca for the Porsche Rennsport Reunion V in 2015.

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Porsche, Stuttgart, Germany.  The works Porsche 936 won le Mans three times, 1976, 1977 and 1981, the car effectively replacing the famous Porsche 917.  The 1981 victory was with Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell driving and they won by a large margin from the Rondeaus.  The 1981 winner had a new engine, a turbo charged 2.6 litre flat 6 which was derived from an Indianapolis project, whereas the previous 936 had run 2.1 litre turbos. Top speed was of the order of 220mph!  The car also featured slightly revised aerodynamics.

1981 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus

ex Toivonen/Gallagher Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, 2015 Montée Historique du Guichet

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Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, UK (at the time part of the Peugeot Group).  A hot hatchback from the late seventies and early eighties that marked the end of the two wheel drive rally car era.  This car won the 1980 RAC Rally and then the 1981 World Rally Championship.  The car pictured is in its San Remo Rally livery where Toivonen and Gallagher finished second and clinched the championship.  It had a 2.2 litre 16v Lotus engine which developed 240hp in rally form.  Apart from Toivonen, other drivers include Tony Pond, Russell Brookes and Guy Fréquelin,