An Overlooked ITR Car.....

[Ron Earp]

We missed a perfectly good ITR car that is relatively inexpensive and might be a decent pick for the class: The Lincoln LS V6 with manual transmission. The car has a 200hp V6, good weight distribution, and a five speed manual with 1:1 top gear. Need to put this car in the class so that someone can be the first to build a hot rod Lincoln.

R

[Knestis]

Sounds groovy.

Rousch (I think - the details are lost in time to me) did a Lincoln-bodied TransAm car back in the '80s, as part of an internal effort to convince some marketing person that it was a good idea.

K

[JeffYoung]

It's a good fit. Which suspension did it have?

Kranefus/Haas Racing in Winston Cup built a Lincoln Continental for John Andretti one year in the late 80s/early 90s for testing. Never ran it though.

I remember the Rousch Trans Am car, or at least Dorsey Schroeder talking about it.

[Ron Earp]

It has an IRS. Peppy little Duratec V6 (same one used in the turbocharged Noble) that is rated at, I think, 210 hp not the 200 I stated. Good motor. I think the car is heavy, but that car is full of electronic do dads that can be removed. The plan at Lincoln was to put some heat on BMW with a domestic sports sedan. As usual the domestic company failed miserably.

Be a tough build. Like JensenWorld, LincolnWorld isn't an 800 call away.

Think of the pimpin' and racin' possibilities though.....this could be you in the paddock.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/LincolnLS.JPG

http://media.motortopia.com/files/1081/vehicle/46eb60a07bf8a/LS_82.jpg

[rcc85]

IIRC, the V8 LS was classed in the Grand Am series but I don't remember anyone actually entering one.

If you get it classed in ITR, would there be a spec line allowance that says "any aftermarket body kit and 20" wheels allowed" ?:D

Bob Clifton
#05 ITB Dodge Daytona

[Knestis]

Walked by one this morning! They aren't as big as I had them pictured in my head.

K

[JeffYoung]

Pimpy though, as Bob notes.

I remember back in 2001 I got an unsolicited brochure from Lincoln on this car. I thought great, now I'm old.

I didn't go look at them, but I thought it seemed to be a decent package. An attempt to compete with BMW and about the size of an Lexus IS300 if I remember correctly.

Of course, the screwed it up and didn't offer the 5 speed with the V8.

Watching school buses race at the Legends track at Lowe's on Speed. And chatting about an ITR Lincoln LS. Talk about fish out of water!

[C. Ludwig]

I own a 2000 V6 5-speed manual. They're 3900 lbs heavy. The trans is a Getrag that supposedly was not up to the torque the V8 makes....so I wouldn't have much faith in it in a race car. It's not like you can go down to the boneyard and pick them up either. There was not a limited slip available in any of the cars and it's a Ford 8" unit. Anyone know where to find one? The brakes are fantastically Ford small for such a hefty car.

The positives are that it handles very well for it's heft. Very neutral.

I think all the time it'd make a neat IT car. But the scary trans and rest of the unknowns make it a undertaking I'm not too interested in.

[Ron Earp]

But you could start LincolnWorld!!!! :114:

[esuvee]

Make mine a caddy that zigs. The original Catera is quite similar to the Licoln in specs.

However, even better is the 2003 CTS. 3560 base curb weight for the manual with a 220 hp V6. The 'pre IT' specs (weight, power, suspension) are almost *identical* to the 2001 330i already classed in ITR at 3290lbs. I think a 3200ish lb CTS could be quite a car, much bigger frontal area than the bimmer but with a couple more lbft of torque and couple less HP. Not sure it's got anything for the 27XXlb 32X's but it's not completely out of the question.

I think seeing an outlet for Fords and Chevys to compete against each other and BMW sounds like Speed GT for the rest of us, awesome. Somehow a CTS/LS/3series race sounds much cooler than a Mustang/Camaro/3series race.

Now that I'm working for the General I would consider one of these once my co-workers catch on to the Honda on my trailer on fridays.

Alex

[Ron Earp]

Ah, another overlooked ITR car. I'll try and get these added in.

[tom_sprecher]

"any aftermarket body kit and 20" wheels allowed"[/b]

"any aftermarket body kit and <strike>20" wheels</strike> dubs allowed" :lol:

[ggnagy]

Sounds groovy.

Rousch (I think - the details are lost in time to me) did a Lincoln-bodied TransAm car back in the &#39;80s, as part of an internal effort to convince some marketing person that it was a good idea.

K
[/b]

Actually "Lincoln Mercury Merkur" dominated Trans Am from 84-87. However, those cars were the "Mercury" Capri and the "Merkur" XR4ti. As usual the the SCCA responded to success by spazzing out, and legislated out the turbo 4. Roush had started swapping back and forth between V8 and I4 cars at that time, and decided to stick with the V8s and Mustang bodywork. About that time, Roush also switched from the XR4ti bodywork to the Cougar XR-7 bodywork for IMSA GTO winning drivers titles in 88, 89, and 90. I think it was either the 89 or 90 Daytona 24 when one of his drivers was some roundy-round guy named Mark Martin.

[wagnerov]

Here&#39;s a Lincoln Mk. VII in a 1984 Trans-Am race driven by Russ Theus (who later went on to win the Runoffs in GT4 several years later). My guess is that it wasn&#39;t Roush developed.

http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/1984...-09-09t-032.jpg (http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/1984/Mosport-1984-09-09t-032.jpg)

[Knestis]

I remember the "Merkur XR8." I seem to remember Roush getting to run it because the 8 was homologated into that chassis in FIA Group A as a "touring car" - in South Africa or New Zealand or somewhere...

K

[ed325its]

Kirk,

I also remember the <strike>XR4ti</strike> XR8NA at the first race I ever attended at Lime Rock. That race was my first exposure to sports car racing and set me on the track (pun intended) to racing.