LM24 The Worst Car at Le Mans

**Aysedasi** · 29 Dec 2001, 21:41 (Ref:191231)

Following in the footsteps of the Worst Road Car thread that appeared elsewhere a little while ago, how about this? (With apologies if it's been asked before).

What do you think is the worst sportscar (in any category) that has ever been allowed by the ACO to take part at Le Mans? (For "worst" you can read "least deserving", if you like).

For the moment, I'm keeping my powder dry!

LMP900 · 30 Dec 2001, 01:59 (Ref:191341)

without competition: the Peugeot 906 Spyder that ran in the early ninetees

FastJoel31 · 30 Dec 2001, 02:26 (Ref:191343)

Any of the Debora LMP's. Downright hideous.

cybersdorf · 30 Dec 2001, 11:14 (Ref:191409)

Mr. Canary's Eagle.

**Aysedasi** · 30 Dec 2001, 11:30 (Ref:191413)

I must admit, at the moment, my money's with Mr. Joel on what I have always called "the bloody awful Debora"! It must have set up a pretty unbeatable record for spins in the '92 race!

And oh yes, the Eagle! 10.2 litre wasn't it? I think it managed 4 (smoky and noisy) laps in qualifying on the Thursday and was never seen again!

How about the Armagnac Norma (61) from the same year of Del Bello and Santos. The Eagle at least went better than that - the Norma didn't even manage a lap!

H16 · 30 Dec 2001, 11:44 (Ref:191416)

On looks alone I'd say the Matra as well as the 1992 Lola Judd.

cybersdorf · 30 Dec 2001, 11:51 (Ref:191422)

Quote:

Originally posted by H16
On looks alone I'd say the Matra as well as the 1992 Lola Judd.

Only on looks, though - the Matra being a multiple winner, that's a brave choice for "worst car"...

H16 · 30 Dec 2001, 19:18 (Ref:191599)

Yes, three in a row from 72-74. But it still looked like a brick with four wheels, about like the open top Alfa that competed during the same time.

Osella · 30 Dec 2001, 20:33 (Ref:191646)

In terms of value for money, how about the recent brace of Nissans and Toyotas??
I have an ethical problem with the idea of the 'worst' car at LeMans.... I think the spirit of the smaller entrants is fantastic. In 2001, I was opposite the WR pit the night before the race, and there are showers of sparks from where they are working on the car. Unbelievable, they only do one race a year and the night before they're still not quite ready!
And of the Debora... slow, and populated by renta-drivers and friends, but didn't one once qualify with an Alfa 164 motor (from a road car as against the race unit they had run out of?). That in itself speaks volumes for car, driver and Alfa motors!

paulzinho · 30 Dec 2001, 21:05 (Ref:191671)

I think any worst car title should go to a factory team that flopped big time. With all that money used ineffectively they should be ashamed. Any ideas anyone?

I agree with Osella that the smaller teams are part of what Le Mans is all about. Seeing teams on tiny budgets racing against others with more money and beating them is a rather satisfying thing don't you think?

**Aysedasi** · 31 Dec 2001, 10:37 (Ref:191854)

I can handle all of that, Paul, which is why I included "least deserving" as the alternative criterion.

What has annoyed me in the past has been the ACO accepting entries from what I considered to be less deserving teams, just because they finished 1st in one category or another the previous year - when they were the only finisher and walking wounded at that. And this happened when other potentially more deserving cars were turned away.

I'm still very much in favour of the spirit of the race as the opportunity for the "gentlemen" to race against the top boys in their top cars. But I still feel there have been quite a few entries accepted which were barely worth the paper they were written on. That's really what I was getting at.

At some stage, I'll give you a list......!

**Aysedasi** · 31 Dec 2001, 10:39 (Ref:191855)

Quote:

Originally posted by paulzinho
I think any worst car title should go to a factory team that flopped big time. With all that money used ineffectively they should be ashamed. Any ideas anyone?

Most disappointing big-time flop in recent years (IMO) was the Nissan R390's in '97. I just loved the look of those cars! (And I preferred the red and black of '97 to the powder blue of '98 as well!).

Blue2 · 31 Dec 2001, 10:43 (Ref:191856)

The worst car at Le Mans was the old Volkswagen Passat we parked up by our tents by the hill on camping Houx Annexe in June 2000. Without any shadow of a doubt.

**Aysedasi** · 31 Dec 2001, 10:46 (Ref:191857)

Quote:

Originally posted by Blue2
The worst car at Le Mans was the old Volkswagen Passat we parked up by our tents by the hill on camping Houx Annexe in June 2000. Without any shadow of a doubt.

Now you really are opening up a can (or should that be bodyshell) of worms!!

AllonFS · 2 Jan 2002, 09:40 (Ref:192601)

Hmm, difficult one Aysedasi. I don't want to damn anything that has driven at Le Mans, (more than I will ever do).

Having said that, the last couple of years have a couple of obvious contenders;

2001: The pathetic Panozes
2000: The dreadful Debora (slower than the GTS and even some GT cars if my memory is right).

Ugliest car ever: The Matras, even though they have a special place for me as 1972 was the year I was born; and more importantly, the year that Graham Hill completed his unique Grand Slam.

Worst fan car: The Tom Walkinshaw special edition red Jag XJS, 'driven' by a drunk **** who kept wheel spinning sideways past the front flap of my tent in Maison Blanche 1999.

H16 · 2 Jan 2002, 10:12 (Ref:192611)

Didn't Debora run a two year old BMW in 2000? Did they actually build their own car? I don't remember.

Nordic · 2 Jan 2002, 10:44 (Ref:192617)

uglest car form the recent era i think was the renault spyder that tried to qualifey in the mid 90's.

Liz · 2 Jan 2002, 15:17 (Ref:192738)

The only reason that awful Panoz LMP-07 even ran at Le Mans was that they had entered it and were not allowed to change to the old car. But that car should have been ashcanned before it ever saw a mile in anger. Good luck to the Dick Barbour team making that thing fly next year!

Otherwise I go with the Debora.

Osella · 2 Jan 2002, 16:34 (Ref:192764)

I cannot let the Renault Sport Spider go undefended! Two failed to qualify, if memory serves. Funny that they're still a spider even with a roof on. Was one of them a reserve that was faster than one of the qualifiers? Don't know for sure. What I do know is that shortly afterwards Marc Sourd used one to win outright a round of the British GT series against some pretty un-debora-like competition.
Does anyone else recall the Debora using a roadgoing Alfa 164 motor at any point? In the light of the press that Debora get here, perhaps they should use an Alfa 164 CAR instead!

LotusGTP · 2 Jan 2002, 16:41 (Ref:192770)

I hope it will not be us!

Es Nes · 2 Jan 2002, 19:39 (Ref:192863)

i can only think of teams that need more cash/devolpment time ...

f2001 · 2 Jan 2002, 19:58 (Ref:192872)

97 winning joest porsches were damn ugly !

**Aysedasi** · 2 Jan 2002, 20:46 (Ref:192910)

Quote:

Originally posted by f2001
97 winning joest porsches were damn ugly !

Hmmm. From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, I think they looked better than the Audi R8s. It may be a quick and reliable car, but IMO pretty it is not!!

Osella, I don't think the references to the Renault Spyders are to the "Helems" that failed to make it a few years back. I thought they looked rather good and I was disappointed when they failed to make it. I assume that the reference is to the crappy little spyders that made up the numbers in '92?

**Aysedasi** · 2 Jan 2002, 20:51 (Ref:192913)

Quote:

Originally posted by f2001
97 winning joest porsches were damn ugly !

Hmmm. From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, I think they looked better than the Audi R8s. It may be a quick and reliable car, but IMO pretty it is not!!

Osella, I don't think the references to the Renault Spyders are to the "Helems" that failed to make it a few years back. I thought they looked rather good and I was disappointed when they failed to make it. I assume that the reference is to the crappy little spyders that made up the numbers in '92?

f2001 · 2 Jan 2002, 21:07 (Ref:192927)

Audi R8s look ace !

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