World Sports Car 1964
The 1960's were a wild time for sportscars. Engineers were considering aerodynamics thoughtfully as engines were more powerful in smaller displacements than ever before. Disc brakes were coming into favor, improving stopping power. And new materials and building methods were influencing designs and methods for improving speed and reliability. It was also an evolution to the warring motorsport magnates. Ferrari, Ford and Porsche were all starting to flex but there were plenty of other manufacturers, big and small, who were throwing punches. And it wasn't just the cars. Locations were improving between street circuits and dedicated road courses.
1964 was a great highlight that brought multiple disciplines to the sport. From the high banks of Daytona to the countryside of Targa Florio, the multiple classes of cars were tested everywhere, even running point-to-point rallies and hill climbs. Truly a test of endurance driving and robust engineering.
Storm Gang Simulation is proud to present a solid pack of cars that represent the era and is a great sampling of the cars that ran in the 1964 World Sportscar Championship. The cars cover Division I, II and III, with I and II being combined for parity and the top Div III filled with the powerhouse cars. Big thank you to:
Storm Gang testing and development team: Jon Uyan, Jerry Chen, Daniel Kirby, Wouter de Bruijn, John Maher, Becky Ely, Mark Jones
Featuring work by: SmallBlockHero, Robi3381, Perendinator, Brian B, Legion, Ben Boorman, Ozerdogan Design
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rFactor 2 mod available on the Steam Workshop
Division III
High performance cars, typically in the Prototype category. +2000 cc engines.
Corvette C2 Stingray
Z06s were equipped with the top-of-the-line 355 HP 327ci fuel-injected L84's. It was the result of work by Pete Brock, Bill Mitchell, and Larry Shinoda. The design took a lot of the body lines from the C1 and sculpted them in conjunction with the performance development: A combination of the racing Sting Ray and Q Corvette. The ‘64 model was like the previous year with minor tweaks to bodywork and power output. Penske wanted to crush Shelby's Cobras and helped develop the Grand Sport version which had mixed success and was ultimately axed by GM.
The C2 Stingray is very competent in power and at the top end but requires strong setup work and decisive braking to keep it competitive through corners.
Ferrari 250 GTO Series I
Built in 1961 and revealed the next year, the 250 GTO is regarded by many as the most beautiful Ferrari of all time. Designed by Giotto Bizzarrini (in a wind tunnel!), it encapsulates Ferrari's philosophy of performance and design excellence. The unique 3-liter V12 300 hp engine has a heavenly sound and, when paired with its superb handling, has taken the 250 GTO to many victories during its run. With such a classic and iconic design along with the bulletproof pedigree, the limited number of GTO's produced (33) now sell for several million Euros.
By the mid 60's the car's design had reached its potential and it was dethroned by the Shelby Daytona in 1965, even with the update to the Series II body. Ferrari needed to move to a new model due to rule changes and to be competitive amongst new challengers, which it looked for in the LM version and the 330.
Shelby Daytona Coupe
The C2 Corvette had just been built and the gorgeous design was produced by Peter Brock when he was just a teenager. But the boy wanted to race, and GM basically wasn't interested. Long story short, he found his way to Carol Shelby who was helping Ford try to embarrass Ferrari (still years before the famous podium sweep at Le Mans). Shelby and his team weren't excited about Brock's funky design (using cardboard templates), focusing on the GT40 and improving the Cobra. At least until Ken Miles took the new Coupe to Riverside and beat the track record by over 3.5 seconds in the first lap. Shelby instantly dedicated the shop to more testing and finishing the car. After 2 weeks of testing the car arrived at Daytona where it proceeded to destroy the competition until a fire ended its race, 200+ laps in.
That year, it went to Le Mans and crushed the GT class, nearly taking the Div III championship (finally taking it in 1965) and cementing the legacy of the young designer and his flat-backed coupe. The car had a 4.7 L (289 cu in) Ford V8 that was wedged into the long nose, making it a Front-Mid Engine with Rear-Wheel-Drive (FMR) and capable of speeds over 190 mph.
Division I & II
Performance and stock car bodies. Division II is under 2000 cc, Division I is under 1300 cc.
Alfa Romeo Guilia TZ
Manufactured from ’63 - ’67, the TZ (Tubolare Zagato) was initially a 1570 cc twin cam powered slick little sportscar. It had a fastback design with a chopped tail which helped with stability. It built on the SZ's success, refining bodylines, and performance elements. While the TZ2 was the star child in the bigger races, the TZ1 was a journeyman around the season, putting pressure on Porsche for honors in the lower divisions.
160 hp kicking out of the twin spark straight-4 DOHC engine helped propel the car to a 134-mph top speed, making it competent in the straights and a weapon in the corners.
Alpine A110
Certainly, an icon today, the A110 started its days in the early 60's and focused on handling to be competitive on the road and the track. The design was based on the A108 and made a lot of changes so the car was much more aggressive on rally stages. The 125 hp engine (153 hp for BOP purposes) was lower powered but was enough to push the car around corners and a top speed of 210 km/h. While it still took until the 70's to take several rally championships, it was proving powerful in the premier years of the mid to late 60's. And many a French citizen have enjoyed a town car that was competent on and off the pavement.
Lotus 23B
The British marvel, Lotus, has brought some prestigious designs to the car market but some designs are built only to win and nothing else. The 23 was crafted by Colin Chapman and was meant to be thrown around a track. The flat and wide design made it responsive and agile, easy to toss through turns. The open-top design also saved on additional materials and weight. The package can accommodate 750-1300 cc engines and allowed customers to customize their package for various series. The SGS version features a 1.6 L Cosworth Mk VI producing around 115 hp.
Porsche 904 GTS
The Carrera GTS (named so to avoid Peugeot naming rights) was Porsche's first car in sportscar competition after the company withdrew from F1. Following the 718, it was meant to directly compete in Group 3 competition. The mid-engine layout managed 0-60 in <6 seconds and a top speed of 160 mph. It uses a ladder chassis with fiberglass body with weight around 655kg. The engine was a brand-new design with hemispherical combustion chambers that pulled an "unheard of" 70 hp/L, yielding 180 hp total from the car's 1.5L H4 (eventually 6 and 8 in future designs). Its debut at Sebring was filled with clutch trouble, it made up for the loss with a superlative win at Targa Florio and "perfect finish" at Le Mans. Noted for their durability, the 904 was very dominant and eventually led to the iconic 917.