The "I can't believe they raced it!" Thread.

  • Thread starter adam46
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If anyone can remember any other instance of the Chrysler/Dodge Shadow taking part in a motor race then I am all ears.

In February 1989, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City played host to the Challenge of Nations. Intended to launch the then-new Chrysler Shadow and appeal to the Mexican market, 26 cars were entered with 2 each assigned to a competing nation, although Team France didn't make the start. The winner was Team Italy representative Gianni Morbidelli with the Team Germany pair of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Frank Biela completing the podium. Points were awarded for each position so Team Germany were the overall winners with 146 points with Italy 2nd and Argentina 3rd.

The event was never repeated but, in hindsight, could arguably be seen as a forerunner to A1GP.


 
This Subaru BRZ recently contested the Anglesey 12 Hour Race of Remembrance.
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What is so unbelievable about why it raced?

Well, the car was a write-off when the team running it (Mission Motorsport) acquired it!

The car finished 42nd overall and 11th in its class.
 
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The Top Gear BMW 330d in the 2007 Britcar 24 Hours. It was already 4 years old when TG got their hands on it. Also the fact that it finished and scored a podium in its class after all that was sent to try it!

This synopsis of the episode in question says it all!
 
The Top Gear BMW 330d in the 2007 Britcar 24 Hours. It was already 4 years old when TG got their hands on it. Also the fact that it finished and scored a podium in its class after all that was sent to try it!
It's not really an unusual car for it's class, in fact, I think most of the cars in it's class were 330d's and I doubt they had the budget Top Gear put into their car. As I recall, they pissed off quite a few people. I was at the 2007 race and Top Gear being there didn't really add much, closed off garage for the most part - which sucks since the accessibility of the Britcar 24 was a real highlight. Being next to a Pit stop for the Duller Z4M taking place during the 2006 event is one of the things that got me into motorsport, sadly at that point, I wasn't into photography, so these were digital stills taken on my camcorder at the time (hence the laughable resolution - but they did have to fit on an 8mb memory card), and I didn't have any way of taking photos in 2007.

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.. anyhow, E46's (albeit M3s) were still running in the 2018 race.
 
It's not really an unusual car for it's class, in fact, I think most of the cars in it's class were 330d's and I doubt they had the budget Top Gear put into their car. As I recall, they pissed off quite a few people. I was at the 2007 race and Top Gear being there didn't really add much, closed off garage for the most part - which sucks since the accessibility of the Britcar 24 was a real highlight. Being next to a Pit stop for the Duller Z4M taking place during the 2006 event is one of the things that got me into motorsport, sadly at that point, I wasn't into photography, so these were digital stills taken on my camcorder at the time (hence the laughable resolution - but they did have to fit on an 8mb memory card), and I didn't have any way of taking photos in 2007.

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.. anyhow, E46's (albeit M3s) were still running in the 2018 race.

It wasn't the "unusual" aspect that made me bring it up.

More the circumstances behind the car being entered in the race and being prepared in only 10 days.

My recollection of the episode in question is that the class that Team TG were in was a mix of 3 Series and 1 Series.
 
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