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Ralt RT2
Aha - a light is coming on.
Attached is a pic of my two chassis plates. RT4-180 looks normal (came off my ealy RT4 Atlantic). RT2-172 has been altered and judging by the distortion was altered while on the tub.
Now my RT2 came with the RT4 "tea tray" rear suspension mounting - I always thought maybe it got altered during its life here in the US (there were many RT4s here). But now I see pictures of the Schafer/Winkelhock car with the same "tea tray" - pic attached to a following post.
So - that may well explain the confusion about the Schafer car, RT2-181, being entered as an RT4 in 1980 and an RT2 in 1981 and beyond. And just maybe its chassis plate got altered as well - like mine - maybe at the factory? I've asked the current owner in Germany and he says there is no chassis plate but that's quite normal for old Ralts.
The other difference between the RT2 and RT4 is the tub is 3"-4" longer in the fuel cell area - presumably to carry enough fuel for F2 races compared with the shorter Atlantic races. Looking at a pic of that area, also attached to a following post, I can persuade myself that RT2-181 is the longer version like my RT2.
So it's beginning to look like 3 RT2s were built in 1979, all for Toleman. RT2-167 was the first one. Anyone got any info on the other numbers?
Then two were built and/or sold in 1980. RT2-172 to Bill Blackledge in the US (shipped with CanAm body) and RT2-181 to Bertram Schafer in Germany for Dougal in 1980, Winkelhock in 1981, etc.
Quite possibly all five tubs were built in 1979 (mine has no Arch Motors no.). Then when the later two were built/sold in 1980 Ralt used the simpler RT4 rear suspension (in production for the many RT4s) rather than the complex multi-tube and billet aluminium RT2 design.
Make sense?
Any other views?
Any more info on the chassis nos?
Thx a ton - Derek
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