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Lots of peeps have been asking on various forums about the GT4 "Le Mans cars" (AKA "prototypes") and the classes they fall (or fell) into. To the best of my knowledge, here's a general explanation:
Since 1983, the "prototype" cars raced at Le Mans and other endurance races around the world have fallen into three main class designations. From 1983 to 1992 the Class was "Group C", but keep in mind that the Group C rules were often revised and towards the end were completely changed. After that the class became "GT1" (not to be confused with the new incarnation of GT1, which is racing versions of true street machines like Corvettes, Maranellos, and the Aston DB-9), then "LMP" (for Le Mans Prototype).
As of 2005, the rules were tweaked again, rendering the Audi R8 obsolete (although R8s were allowed to run with weight and power handicaps, and won Le Mans again anyway). Keep in mind that there are two prototype classes: LMP1 and the smaller-engined LMP2 (sometimes shown as "LM1" and "LM2"). Download your very own copy of the new rules from here:
http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/live/pages/reglements_gb.html
"Carbsmith" posted this on the IGN forum a while ago:
"The Toyota 88C-V was built for the era of no engine rules, when the only limit was the amount of fuel used over a race distance period, as were the Mazda 787B (although it was classified as the slower Group C2 category, and should be the second slowest, if not slowest, of the GT4 Le Mans cars), Sauber, Jaguar XJR, Nissan R89C, and Nissan R92CP. The Peugeot 905 was built for the 3.5L Group C, which ditched the fuel limit and used F1-based engines. This was super-expensive and killed the class, leaving a dead zone with a transition period in 1994, during which an obsolete Group C car, a Porsche 962LM rebadged as a Dauer, won outright in the GT class.
"In 1995, the LMP and GT1 classes became the clear primary classes, with 1996 marking the real beginning of the GT1 boom, which produced such supposedly street legal super race cars as the R390GT, Panoz GTR-1, McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, Mercedes CLK-GTR (and LM successor, which is actually what GT4's "GTR" is), and Toyota GT-One. Although more advanced, these cars had much less downforce and horsepower than their Group C forebearers, due to flat bottom rules limiting ground effects, and engine intake restrictors.
"In 1999, the GT1 class threw away its street car vestige, and became LM-GTP. The GT-One raced in this class in the year it appears in GT3 and GT4.
"In 2000, LMP rules changed drastically, pretty much obsoleting 1999 cars (which were still very legal however). The Audi R8 came to dominate for the next few years, and closed-cockpit prototypes disappeared except for the Bentley, which wasn't near fast enough until 2003, when the Audi factory team took over racing of it, and the Volkswagen Audi Group re-focused on winning for Bentley."
This page explains Group C, sort of:
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1403/groupc.htm
Okay, everything cleared up now? Yeah, right...
______________________
BTW, here's another pretty good page showing the development of aerodynamics:
http://home.earthlink.net/~chrisbnelson/nature/cars/aero/aerodynamics.htm
And here's what happens when the aero isn't kosher:
http://www.mulsannescorner.com/benzCLR1.html
Since 1983, the "prototype" cars raced at Le Mans and other endurance races around the world have fallen into three main class designations. From 1983 to 1992 the Class was "Group C", but keep in mind that the Group C rules were often revised and towards the end were completely changed. After that the class became "GT1" (not to be confused with the new incarnation of GT1, which is racing versions of true street machines like Corvettes, Maranellos, and the Aston DB-9), then "LMP" (for Le Mans Prototype).
As of 2005, the rules were tweaked again, rendering the Audi R8 obsolete (although R8s were allowed to run with weight and power handicaps, and won Le Mans again anyway). Keep in mind that there are two prototype classes: LMP1 and the smaller-engined LMP2 (sometimes shown as "LM1" and "LM2"). Download your very own copy of the new rules from here:
http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/live/pages/reglements_gb.html
"Carbsmith" posted this on the IGN forum a while ago:
"The Toyota 88C-V was built for the era of no engine rules, when the only limit was the amount of fuel used over a race distance period, as were the Mazda 787B (although it was classified as the slower Group C2 category, and should be the second slowest, if not slowest, of the GT4 Le Mans cars), Sauber, Jaguar XJR, Nissan R89C, and Nissan R92CP. The Peugeot 905 was built for the 3.5L Group C, which ditched the fuel limit and used F1-based engines. This was super-expensive and killed the class, leaving a dead zone with a transition period in 1994, during which an obsolete Group C car, a Porsche 962LM rebadged as a Dauer, won outright in the GT class.
"In 1995, the LMP and GT1 classes became the clear primary classes, with 1996 marking the real beginning of the GT1 boom, which produced such supposedly street legal super race cars as the R390GT, Panoz GTR-1, McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, Mercedes CLK-GTR (and LM successor, which is actually what GT4's "GTR" is), and Toyota GT-One. Although more advanced, these cars had much less downforce and horsepower than their Group C forebearers, due to flat bottom rules limiting ground effects, and engine intake restrictors.
"In 1999, the GT1 class threw away its street car vestige, and became LM-GTP. The GT-One raced in this class in the year it appears in GT3 and GT4.
"In 2000, LMP rules changed drastically, pretty much obsoleting 1999 cars (which were still very legal however). The Audi R8 came to dominate for the next few years, and closed-cockpit prototypes disappeared except for the Bentley, which wasn't near fast enough until 2003, when the Audi factory team took over racing of it, and the Volkswagen Audi Group re-focused on winning for Bentley."
This page explains Group C, sort of:
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1403/groupc.htm
Okay, everything cleared up now? Yeah, right...
______________________
BTW, here's another pretty good page showing the development of aerodynamics:
http://home.earthlink.net/~chrisbnelson/nature/cars/aero/aerodynamics.htm
And here's what happens when the aero isn't kosher:
http://www.mulsannescorner.com/benzCLR1.html
Sure would have been nice if PD could have included 4 more & made a series for us to race them in! 
Racing "Lawnmowers" would have been more fun! 👎 
Zardoz for all the GREAT Info! ...O.G. 
Only ONE of the reasons it was banned shortly after it's debut...O.G. 
