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24 Jul 2009, 17:39 (Ref:2507264) | #1 | |
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Nykjaer: a Danish Group C
That first Danish Group C car was built by Jens Nykjaer, based on Gepard built chassis. This German firm, based at Koln, disappeared just after having begun the production of a car which was due to run the DRM series.
The Nykjaer was fitted with a BMW M1 engine and a Hewland gearbox. Jens Nykjaer entered several rounds of the World Endurance Championship notably, without success. Does anybody know something about: - Jens Nykjaer; - the car; and/or - the Gepard project? |
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24 Jul 2009, 18:11 (Ref:2507281) | #2 | ||
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Do you mean Gebhardt chassis? As in Gunther and his brother?
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Andretti, Mario: Auto racing legend owns the rights to an unspecified Spinal Tap song, which he purchased when former manager Ian Faith secretly sold the band’s catalog |
24 Jul 2009, 21:51 (Ref:2507373) | #3 | |
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No. French magazine AutoHebdo reported it was Gepard.
Could it be the team which began to build the Mennella MH C2 car? |
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25 Jul 2009, 08:05 (Ref:2507500) | #4 | ||
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couple of grainy pics here of it in 1985 http://www.duxen.dk/modelbilerv2.php...h=nsam&lang=uk
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Andretti, Mario: Auto racing legend owns the rights to an unspecified Spinal Tap song, which he purchased when former manager Ian Faith secretly sold the band’s catalog |
25 Jul 2009, 16:18 (Ref:2507814) | #5 | ||
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Jens Nykjær is one of the colorfull caracters of the Danish racing scene from the mid-1970s. Initially racing Volkswagen beetles in Special Saloon Car, latterly with a Porsche engine, succes eluded him because of reliability issues. A normally aspirated group 5 Porsche 935-look-alike was build for 1980, but for 1981 it was back to Special Saloon Cars and this time with a tube frame Beetle. A combined SSC/Group 5 title was his after a hard season racing against Jørgen Poulsen and his Porsche 935-look-alike. A new Nordic Super Saloon Car title was up for grabs in 1982 and a new tube frame 1303 was build, this time featuring a 700 bhp Porsche Turbo engine. Capable of 280 kmh/175 mph at the Anderstorp straight, the bodywork was dangerously close to break apart, so a new car was needed for 1983. This time he allied himself with the Kremer brothers of Köln giving him free access to drawings, enabeling Nykjær to build a Porsche 935K3 copy. The car was ready midway through 1983 and would be his race car to the end of 1984. For 1985 the group C project happened, wrongly reported here in Denmark as based on a Gebhardt chassis, but thanks to Janos Wimpffen and others that mistake has been rectified in my head.
What happened at the end of '85 I don't know, because over the next few years he raced only sporadickly in borrowed or rented cars. In late 1989 and into 1990 he made some low key appearences in a group A Volvo 240 Turbo and then almost another decade went by with little to report. Around 1997 a very low line Porsche 935 appeared resembling something like a Kremer 935K4 started to be raced, resulting in his second Danish Special Saloon Car title in 1998. Around 2000 the car was badly damaged by fire during a sales demonstration of the car. Since then he has devoted his time to the career of Michel Nykjær – one of his two sons. Having won two European and a Danish touring car titles hes already way more succesfull than his father, but that's another story. From those who have seen him drive, Jens Nykjær is described as a hard charger, not minding a few bumps and bruises along the way. Quite capable of building his cars from the ground up, that sounds plausible. He's also a man with little patience for time waisters, painting a faint portrait of a very focused and single minded approach to motor racing. The Nykjaer-BMW group C2 car was sold to Finnish Super Saloon racer Onni Kreivi for 1986. It was reported that Kreivi simply replaced the prototype bodywork with that of a Sauber BMW M1 group 5 look-alike, but Nykjær had a look at the car at the time only recognising some of the rear braking system as his C2 car, so that story was probably wrong. I spoke with Mr. Nykjær probably around 2005 and at the time the Nykjaer-BMW was being restored by its Swedish owner, but where it is now, I don't know. Pictures from racingsportscars archive: http://www.racingsportscars.com/make/photo/Nykjaer.html Here is a picture of his 1982 VW 1303-Porsche turbo monster at Kinnekulle Ring, Sweden: http://www.teambild.se/arkiv/details...1600ff9b8fc5b6 Jesper |
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26 Jul 2009, 15:24 (Ref:2508391) | #6 | |
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Thanks a lot for this career review. It's very helpful.
Nevertheless, I maintain that the chassis come from the German maker Gepard, as french magazine from that period and even Ian Briggs in his book "Endurance Racing 1982-1991" report it. By th way, can you tell much more about the Danish Special Saloon Car series you mentionned? Photos? Cars and drivers information? Races data? |
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12 Aug 2009, 15:22 (Ref:2520273) | #7 | ||
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I always liked the old C2 machinery, and had no idea the Nykjaer and Lotec cars were so closely related...they seemed nice looking bits of kit, like the Ceekar and Lyncar. The Nykjaer must be the only Danish marque that ever took part in a world championship.
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Birmingham City FC. Founded 1875. League Cup Winners 2011. |
12 Aug 2009, 15:32 (Ref:2520285) | #8 | |||
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Quote:
Jesper |
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12 Aug 2009, 16:00 (Ref:2520298) | #9 | ||
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Yeah I liked the Ceekar, struggling along with its BDG against cars with nearly double the power. Then they got a DFV and wrote the thing off first time out! I think that was down in Jerez in 88. I wonder if the ARK Pressings team still have the car?
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Andretti, Mario: Auto racing legend owns the rights to an unspecified Spinal Tap song, which he purchased when former manager Ian Faith secretly sold the band’s catalog |
13 Aug 2009, 06:06 (Ref:2520613) | #10 | |
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Interesting comments from all contributors. In response, I have added a few more oictures of my car taken when I purchased it.
Regarding race results, the car was not very succesful, seemingly underpowered with the spec 13b against much lighter sports 2000 type cars, ie. Tiga and Chevron. The car was about 300kg heavier than those it competed against at the time. SInce owning it, I have only demonstrated the occassions, as we don't have a suitable category for it here. I am now considering a full restoration of the car to orginal spec!!, if only I was sure what that original spec was? Hope this thread can further assist in pinning the possibilities down. |
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13 Aug 2009, 10:55 (Ref:2520734) | #11 | ||
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Quote:
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13 Aug 2009, 12:24 (Ref:2520778) | #12 | ||
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Quote:
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13 Aug 2009, 10:45 (Ref:2520733) | #13 | ||
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Quote:
If I remember correctly, the Ceekar was caught out by a change in the fuel allowance regs for C2- under the rules as intended when the car was first designed, the better fuel economy of the BDG would have made it potentially much more competitive than it ended up being? |
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13 Aug 2009, 16:03 (Ref:2520874) | #14 | ||
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Fausto I recall the Lant C2 car too, and the fact it was based on a Ralt RT4.
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Andretti, Mario: Auto racing legend owns the rights to an unspecified Spinal Tap song, which he purchased when former manager Ian Faith secretly sold the band’s catalog |
28 Aug 2009, 06:58 (Ref:2529689) | #15 | |
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Found this http://twitpic.com/fjlz7 on Autosport, january 7, 1988
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5 Dec 2012, 20:19 (Ref:3175494) | #16 | |
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Hi,
I guess it's a bit late to replay on this thread? But what I would like to share is that I am the Swede that keeps the remainings from Nykjaers C2 car. Any restoration hasn't started yet. Unfortunately it is only the bodywork and chassi (with some small components) and the Fia paper that are left of it. Since Onni Kreivi crashed the car at some occation and it cought fire. I also have a complete set of moulds for it. :-) I also have a 'second' car using the same body shape/moulds (long tail though) which was build by a Swedish guy named Jan Lundegård. The car was never finninshed but its a rolling monocoque chassi (a'la porsche 956/962). They are both for sale for the moment. Thanks Peter |
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25 Dec 2012, 20:48 (Ref:3181876) | #17 | ||
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Any pictures?
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28 Dec 2012, 16:20 (Ref:3182471) | #18 | |
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31 Dec 2012, 10:28 (Ref:3183252) | #19 | |
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20 Aug 2020, 06:34 (Ref:3996593) | #20 | |
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Great footage
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