The Most Unusual Racing Cars

To participate in races, it’s not necessary to have an exotic supercar. Even a family minivan can become a racing car if there is a desire to modify it. Sometimes very unusual cars participate in the competitions. And they are not always created due to a lack of money, as significant funds are invested in some cars. They are not created just for fun; the projects are taken seriously.

Of course, such cars require appropriate equipment for service stations and tools for service stations and qualified craftsmen, like at “Automemekanika” http://www.autom.com.ua/

Ferrari 250 SWB Breadvan

In 1962, an unusual coupe Ferrari appeared on the GT championship tracks. More precisely, it was not even a coupe, but something like a van. This Ferrari 250 SWB was even nicknamed Breadvan. Surprisingly, the body was created by aerodynamics specialists. This step was taken out of necessity.

Enzo Ferrari refused to sell the team Scuderia Serenissima the latest streamlined Ferrari 250 GTO coupes. Therefore, the owner of the “stable,” Count Volpi, decided to create his own GTO analogue. The Ferrari 250 SWB Breadvan turned out to be quite successful – two victories and three podiums in the 1962 season.

Ford SuperVan

Not only vans can be racing, but also vans, as proven by Ford. The first Ford SuperVan was created in 1971 based on the Ford Transit.

A 4.7-liter 400-horsepower V8 from the racing Ford GT40 was installed in the cargo compartment. In 1994, a new Ford SuperVan appeared with a 3.5-liter Ford Cosworth V8 with a power of 730 hp from a Formula 1 McLaren car. It was even accelerated to 300 km/h.

Renault Espace F1

Renault developed Ford’s idea and transformed the family minivan Renault Espace into a racing car. They took a 3.5-liter 800-horsepower V10 from a Williams-Renault Formula car, installed a spoiler on the roof, ceramic brakes, and four racing seats in the interior.

French ace Alain Prost was invited to test this miracle. The four-time world champion in Formula 1 accelerated the Renault racing minivan to 312 km/h, with a sprint to one hundred taking 2.8 seconds.

Volvo 850R

While Renault only tested their creation, the Volvo 850 family estate car was actively battling on racing tracks. In 1994, the Swedes entered it into the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). It performed quite well, but by 1995 it was banned – aerodynamics gave the estate an advantage over sedans.

BMW X5 LeMans

SUVs compete in numerous rallies and off-road races. BMW decided to create an experimental SUV for circuit tracks. The 2000 BMW X5 LeMans was equipped with a 700-horsepower V12 from the BMW V12 LMR, which had won Le Mans the previous year. The interior featured four sport seats. The result – 4.7 seconds to 100 km/h and a top speed of 311 km/h.

Additionally, an excellent lap time of 7:49.92 at the Nürburgring. For comparison, the modern Porsche Cayenne Turbo S is 10 seconds slower.