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  Gebhardt 88 C2 Audi      

  Article Image gallery (21) 872/1 Specifications  
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Country of origin:Germany
Produced in:1988
Numbers built:1
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:March 18, 2020
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Click here to download printer friendly versionGerman industrialists Günther and Fritz Gebhardt were keen racing enthusiasts with Günther even winning the German SuperVee Championship. In 1983, the two brothers decided to enter serious motorsport and enter the Group C2 class of the World Sports Car Championship with a car of their own construction. The first Gebhardt used a design that was penned by Gunther Gebhardt and Bill Harris, which would form the basis for all cars built by the German team during the 1980s.

The last car to use this design was the JC873, which debuted in the fall of 1987. Like the previous Gebhardts, it was built around an aluminium monocoque chassis with double-wishbone suspension on all four corners. The body fitted was also a derivative of the original 1983 design with a bluff, round nose and a low mounted rear wing. What made the JC873 different from its predecessors was the use of a Weigel tuned, Audi five-cylinder engine that was more commonly used in rally cars.

Although entered for several Interserie rounds during the summer of 1987, the JC873 debuted at the 1987 Spa 1000 km where it was raced by Günther Gebhardt, Walter Lechner and Ernst Franzmaier. Starting 22nd, an exhaust failure saw the car retire early. It was not raced again in 1987 but saw regular action in 1988. It was driven to class wins in Interserie and Supercup series by Hellmut Mundas and Rudi Seher respectively.

Halfway through the 1989 season, it was comprehensively updated with a brand new body. It was more angular than the familiar Gebhardt design and also featured a more comprehensive, taller rear wing. Along with the changes, the car was rebadged the 88 C2 even though the chassis remained the same. Mundas was back behind the wheel and with the revised Gebhardt, he won his class in the Interserie race at Wunstorf.

At the start of 1990, the car was shipped to the United States where it was raced in the legendary MOMO colours. It made appearances at the Daytona 24 Hours where it failed to make the start and at the GP Miami where Costas Los and Almo Coppelli finished 11th. Back in Europe, it was raced in the Interserie again by Copelli, Gebhardt and Mundas through to the end of the 1991 season. By that time, it had been replaced by the Gebhardt C901 that was built around a carbon-fibre composite monocoque.

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  Article Image gallery (21) 872/1 Specifications