This chapter is a new chapter in Dodge Viper history.
1981 saw the FIA propose rules that allowed Group C cars to compete in the World Endurance Championship. IMSA – America’s premier endurance racing series – decided to create a new class of racing called Grand Touring Prototypes. Casey Putsch, an entrepreneur and car enthusiast, is currently building his vision for the Viper V10-powered Nissan GTP vehicle. Unfortunately, it never happened.
For perspective, Nissan and Mazda quit the sport following criticism from privateer teams. The governing body had allowed works teams to dominate series. This decision eventually led to GTP’s demise in 1993. History has taught us that there was only one race car in the era.
Dodge competed briefly in endurance racing, but the American automaker has never participated in the GTP class. Genius Garage’s Putsch is assembling his prototype of a Viper powered vehicle. To handle the extra power, the 8.0-liter V10 engine will be mounted to a Porsche 996 Twin Turbo transmission. These components will be attached to a Nissan chassis that is identical to the championship-winning cars from that era.
Putsch stated, “Most people believe the days of Jim Hall and Jack Brabham are over. I disagree.” Although many argue that the engine is the main component of this race car’s design, Putsch wants to try out an active aerodynamic fan to increase the car’s downforce. The GTP cars are said to have more downforce than F1 cars from the 1980s.
Although the concept of a fan car is exciting, the downforce that they produce is heavily dependent on the side-skirts sealing the car to the track. We are excited to see the final car and hear its sound. We are confident that this machine will be a success thanks to Genius Garage’s successful past projects.