One of the most evocative of all Group C cars was undoubtedly the Lancia LC2. Introduced in 1983, it was the only serious competition for the Porsche 956. Very much a collaborative effort, the LC2 featured a Dallara designed chassis and an Abarth-tuned, Ferrari-based twin-turbo V8. Thanks to its efficient aerodynamics and hugely powerful engine, the Martini-liveried Lancia often matched the Porsches on raw pace but reliability issues often let the Italian thoroughbred down. The 956 could also rely on the strength of numbers with many privateers running the German cars, while the LC2s were only raced by the factory team. Of the nine examples built, we now feature six different chassis, many of which are still raced in historic events. In fact three are even pictured in our 113-shot gallery running in the rain.
While Porsche and Lancia fought for overall honours, the 'junior' Group C2 field was far more diverse. Dominating the 1985 season was the Cosworth-engined Tiga GC85 run by Spice Engineering and driven by Gordon Spice and Ray Bellm. A wholly conventional car, the GC85 was the most recent evolution of the original Tiga Group C car. In 1985, the featured example was driven to a class win at Le Mans and also won the C2 World Championship. Now owned by Brunn Racing, it has recently been comprehensively restored and was first raced at Paul Ricard earlier this year. Fittingly, it was driven to a class victory.

Enjoy the links:

1983 - 1986 Lancia LC2 - Images, Specifications and Information

1985 Tiga GC85 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information