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Extremely rare (discontinued 3 years ago), great quality 1997 Lotus Elise GT1 1:18 scale diecast (10'" long) by Chrono/Sunstar We only have a few left! This #15 Thai car was piloted by R. Prutirat. Made by Sunstar (formerly Chrono diecast)
GT-1 Sun Star sun1072 1072
1997 saw the Giroix outfit switch to Lotus Elise GT1s for the FIA GT championship after the demise of the BPR Global GT series, and D�l�traz stayed around to drive the yellow machines. All year Giroix and D�l�traz shared the same car.
Little known out of enthusiast circles, the Elise GT1 saw the light of day in 1997, ready for a season of GT and endurance racing. A road going version (as pictured) was also produced for homologation purposes. The cars were a joint development between the Lotus Group and GTI Racing who would ultimately own the cars as Lotus were contractually just operating as engineering consultants.
Although the chassis was common, it needed to be lengthened by 15cm to accomodate the Lotus Twin Turbo V8 (350bhp in road -going form, nearly 550bhp in race form) in a longitudinal setup. Although the unique bonded, extruded aluminium chassis is very accomplished in terms of rigidity, a stiffer structure still was required for a GT car. An integral roll cage was engineered which provided the torsional stiffness required, making the car almost rigid.
Elise V8 - The body styling was still very Elise like, but the needs of cooling and aerodynamics played big parts in deciding how the final product would look. With a hefty V8 powering the little car from the rear, cooling ducts were needed to channel air to the oil cooler and the engine bay as well as to the massive radiator sitting horizontally in the front of the car. Hot brakes are no joke so the vents at the front of the car were used to channel air through the chassis tubes directly to the rear brakes to keep them off the boil. Use of composites kept the weight of the car down to a respectable 900 kilos.
GT1 racing regulations made life hell for the engineers. Development started with the intention of racing the car in 1997. The success of the turbo charged Porsches in 1996 led the governing body to ban turbos for the following year. This was a nightmare for the engineers who had Lotus's well proven V8 twin turbo in situ by that stage. The best alternative was considered to be a General Motors 6 litre V8, which also produced the power levels required. Fuel consumption was less efficient than the Lotus unit however and made the car uncompetitive in endurance racing. Then, to rub salt in their wounds, the regulators of the GT series decreed that turbos would be allowed after all! It was too late for the GT1 though, the project was too far advanced down the GM route.
Although on paper the road car looked an exciting prospect, its commonality with the race car was too great. With time and money in short supply the road car was fitted with a racing gearbox and clutch, making the transmission very harsh for road use. Coupled with the V8 mounted with soft engine mounts to minimise noise levels, it made the car very difficult to drive. Other road requirements further compromised the setup. The requirement to have headlamps at a certain height above the road required the car to sit higher on its suspension that the low slung racer, once again pulling the project teams in different directions.
Sadly a season in which the car proved mediocre rather than stunning, doomed the project and it received no further investment. Several race cars are in existence but the only road going car was produced. GTI Racing auctioned that off at the Monaco Grand Prix shortly after parting company with Lotus.
It's a great shame the car never realised it's potential, instead it's consigned to being just another chapter in Lotus's fascinating history. GT-1 Sun Star
