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A full 18 years before the first AMG Odyssey took it's first victory another AMG hand built sports car was causing a stir in the WWC. In February 1989 this hand built AMG Jaguar XJR won the 4 hour endurance race modified class by an unheard of (at the time) 126 laps. Running 1,236 laps on the 2KM scale 8 lane Cactus Raceway in Clovis and stopping only for oiling, tire and pick-up shoe changes the car also beat one of the open class cars as well.
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The car took an advantage of a loop hole in the rules allowing narrower silicone tires as a trade off to the prefered foam tires of the time. By using a modified set of 440X2 wheels mounting those silicones and enclosing the rear wheels just as the 1:1 IMSA car had done the year before it was never even tested prior to the race for fear it would be outlawed before raceday.
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The small scoop on top of the cockpit drew air directly into the armature making the car run much cooled that other Stront magnet cars running in the race. During the pit stops the car was never "too hot to handle" as the open comp cars were, and it didn't suffer the electrical failures that even the stock class suffered during this enduro. Also visible here is the build number and date. This was the 100th hand built AMG body ever made, produced in February of 1989.
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There were three modified cars run that day in February, the other was another AMG hand built Porsche 966 in Budweiser paint and it finished second in Modified, and 5th overall. It was also a ducted car so it ran nice and cool, but used an open rear wheel approach. Jody Miller drove this car not only in this event but throughout the 1989 season.
In the past 18 years I've often considered converting the Jaguar into a vacuformed mold, but that would essentially destroy a part of the history of local racing. Someday I may reproduce this car as a mold, but right now the Odyssey seems to be doing well enough. I'm also considering a Chapperal 2F (I believe that was the "vacuum cleaner") as a mold as well.
Anyway, just a little step back into the history of AMG Racing. Your turn.
The car took an advantage of a loop hole in the rules allowing narrower silicone tires as a trade off to the prefered foam tires of the time. By using a modified set of 440X2 wheels mounting those silicones and enclosing the rear wheels just as the 1:1 IMSA car had done the year before it was never even tested prior to the race for fear it would be outlawed before raceday.
The small scoop on top of the cockpit drew air directly into the armature making the car run much cooled that other Stront magnet cars running in the race. During the pit stops the car was never "too hot to handle" as the open comp cars were, and it didn't suffer the electrical failures that even the stock class suffered during this enduro. Also visible here is the build number and date. This was the 100th hand built AMG body ever made, produced in February of 1989.
There were three modified cars run that day in February, the other was another AMG hand built Porsche 966 in Budweiser paint and it finished second in Modified, and 5th overall. It was also a ducted car so it ran nice and cool, but used an open rear wheel approach. Jody Miller drove this car not only in this event but throughout the 1989 season.
In the past 18 years I've often considered converting the Jaguar into a vacuformed mold, but that would essentially destroy a part of the history of local racing. Someday I may reproduce this car as a mold, but right now the Odyssey seems to be doing well enough. I'm also considering a Chapperal 2F (I believe that was the "vacuum cleaner") as a mold as well.
Anyway, just a little step back into the history of AMG Racing. Your turn.
