Leisurely wheel change for the touring car rocket
11/08/2016
It's hard to believe that factories invested large sums of money to be at the forefront of touring car racing, even homologating special versions and building them in the necessary numbers for the road, just to have a promising basis for sporting success.
And then this. The mechanic changes the wheel, which is attached to the hub with several bolts, using a normal cross wrench, just like the average consumer does when fitting winter tires.
The article wrote about Formula 1 cars with five seats and Group 2 touring car rockets because the technology had been refined so much and the cars were massively more powerful. Yes, that was 1972 and back then the touring car championship was held with so-called Group 2 production cars.
Today's observers of the racing scene can only smile at this, because nowadays a racing touring car has much less to do with a road car than it did back then.
Readers should not be deprived of the description of the Ford Capri RS 2600 pictured at the time, especially the prices:
"V6 engine with central camshaft; standard version 2673 cm (90X69 mm); compression ratio 10:1, output 150 DIN hp at 5800 rpm; racing version according to Group 2, souped up in the Ford Cologne sports department headed by Jochen Neerspach; cylinder dimensions 2940 cm (95X69 mm); compression ratio 11:1, indirect petrol injection from Kugelfischer; output 290 hp at 7400 rpm (most powerful version up to 310 hp); max. torque 32 mkg at 5400 rpm. Torque 32 mkg at 5400 rpm, power-to-weight ratio 3.22 kg/hp; dry sump lubrication; transmission: ZF five-speed gearbox, ZF differential brakes; cast alloy wheels measuring 10 x 15 and 11 1/2 x 15 inches; weight 930 kg; top speed 250 km/h; fuel consumption: approx. 60 liters of petrol per hour (in racing use); price: this year's version is exclusively available to the works team, last year's works cars were sold as second-hand cars for 50,000 to 60,000 DM (around 60,000 to 72,000 sFr.). (Price of the standard version 20'660 sFr.) "
