Group A Ford Mustang ETC/DTM

[gab73]

can anyone help me with any information on the gp a mustangs raced in the world in the 80's apart from the ones in australia
links to web sites would be very helpfu

[cavvy]

I believe the first Mustang raced in Aus by Dick Johnson was ex Zakspeed in Europe.

[Brock]

Both of Johnsons cars where ex Zakspeed, he then rebuilt them

[FIRE]

I can remember some Mustangs of the brothers Ruch in DTM. See: http://www.faszination-tourenwagen.de/index0.htm

[Craner Curves]

I remember them too. Plus Jurgen Feucht's Buffalo Boots machine. Those were the days.

[touringlegend]

I shall move this thread to the Historic Racing & Racing History Forum.

[mcurtis26]

Anybody else remmeber the Ruch mustang racing a lynx helicopter round Donington?

[kmchow]

How were Feucht and Ruch related? Did Feucht buy Ruch's old Mustangs? Were they working together to race in the DTM? It would be cool if Ruch was given an old '00 DTM car to race around in the DTM again!

[flor]

i think he quit racing some years ago

[stuart05]

Originally Posted by mcurtis26

Anybody else remmeber the Ruch mustang racing a lynx helicopter round Donington?

Sure do!!! I think that was the year that the Mustangs didn't comply to the rules fully, but the crowd loved them so they were allowed in anyway. Don't you just love the DTM!
I was a big Ruch Brothers fan, simply becasue they were clearly having a great time, and were obviously completely mad! And the cars looked and sounded fantastic too.
They actually lead a race at the Norisring just on sheer grunt, although I'm not sure what year that was.

I think that one of the Ruch brothers was last seen in the 1996 ITC driving a Mercedes.

[Steve Holmes]

Bruce and Wayne Anderson from Pinepac racing ran two Group A Mustangs in New Zealand Group A. The first was the ex Don Smith/Bo Seton car from Bathurst 1984. The second was NZ built. Both ran at Bathurst. Both are still about somewhere too. The second car was for sale on Trade Me a few weeks ago.

[pederb]

Were can I find any information about these Mustangs?

[Steve Holmes]

Scrole down this page. The yellow Pinepac Group A Mustangs are towards the bottom.

http://www.nzmustang.com/History/Rac...NZRacecars.htm

[gab73]

hi anybody have pictures of the gpa mustangs raced in europe.
or links to websites with pictiures.
does anybody know what the djr mustangs look like before he aquired them from zakspeed

[glyn parham]

gab73.
I have some photos of the Group A Mustang of Belmondo taken at Spa 1984 and also some of the DTM cars at Donington in 1992, send me a PM with your email address and I will happily copy them for you.
Glyn

[lj79]

Who prepared the Belga Mustang in Etcc 1983?

Vince Woodman was one of the drivers - did Regout drive at Spa?

Can't remember the detail, just remember the noise

Glyn Parham - yes Belmondo / Feitler / Felder 84 Spa. Again, nice noise, but way off the pace. Was this the 83 Belga car by any chance?

[glyn parham]

lj79
I suspect it was the same car. Woodmans co-drivers may have been the Martin brothers, I haven't looked at Frank de Jongs web site to confirm it though.
There is a photo of the Belmondo car on Franks' site supplied by me, look in the epicture archive for the Spa 24 hour round of the ETCC.

Glyn

[glyn parham]

Just done some homework, and Woodmans co-drivers were indeed the Martin brothers. CC Motorsport entered the car and I suspect that they prepared it as well, they had prepared Vinces' Capris in previous years.
Glyn

[lj79]

Glyn - thanks. yep-cc. 84 they prepared those lovely 635s for Weaver and Woodman in the BTCC - at the 84 ETCC race at Donington Weaver/Woodman came second to the XJS of Percy/Nicholson and out of all the opposition (Juma, Eggenberger, Schnitzer et al) was the only car that looked like taking it to the Jags.

Got photos of the Mustang at Spa - me and dad got **** wet through until Sunday morning upon which we got sunburnt. No place like Spa

[d-b]

hi there

there's a Mustang racing in ETC on one of the Sports Seen ETC videos
(the ones with the blue cover and the SD1 on the front)
can't remember which one though

i think the car was white and driven by Vince Woodman (if memory serves me,which it probably doesn't)

hope this is some help

d-b

[cavvy]

Originally Posted by gab73

hi anybody have pictures of the gpa mustangs raced in europe.
or links to websites with pictiures.
does anybody know what the djr mustangs look like before he aquired them from zakspeed

Dick Johnson gave the Gr A Mustang (s) a run during practice at Bathurst in 1984, the last year of Gr C - there are photos, the car was still white as delivered, try www.autopics.com.au

[chunterer]

The ETCC Woodman/Belga car had a big feature in MN by Jeremy Walton in June '83.

They had hoped that the MSA would would open up the BTCC big class 3500 cc limit to allow it and the XJS in against the Vitesses and 635'S. but it didn't happen until much later. They were probably hoping that Ford GB might chuck them some cash as well. I'm sure Vince was hoping so too as he wanted to stick with Ford and needed something to replace the Capri.

Shame because a properly developed Mustang may well have been competitive after a bit of work. Then CC did the deal with BMW GB to run 635's for '84 and that was the end of that anyway.

I think one was reasonably competitive in the German series in 84/85 but can't remember who drove it

[Jesper OH]

Manfred Trint was pretty competitive during the 1984 DTM - whenever his ABR Ringshausen Rennsport Mustang lasted. One win and three heat wins (one for every two heat races that was held), was his best results, but finally finished sixth.

Another Mustang to appear in the 1984 DTM was Bodo Jähn in the Auto Veri Berlin-car, during a single round at Avus 1984. Two weeks prior to this, he tried to qualify the car for the Donington 500, so might this be a link to the 1983 CC-car?

The Trint-car was then raced by Roland Asch during 1985. He didn't win a single round, but had stability to finish fourth in the end standings. I believe Helmuth Döring was the driver of a second Ringshausen-Mustang, while Reinhold Gröpper drove a third German Mustang.

Asch drove a part time schedule in 1986, while Reinhold Gröpper upheld the Mustang honours during most of the 1986 and '87 season. A V. Schneider startet a single race in 1986.

It was late in 1988 that Gerd Ruch made his first appearance, but it was first in 1991 that the team expanded to two cars, sometime including brother Jürgen, at other times Fred Räker. The team last raced DTM-Ford Mustangs in 1994, alongside Jürgen Feucht and his Buffalo-car, that had been a part of the scene since 1992.

All in all Ford Mustangs were represented during 11 straight years of DTM competition, with basically the same car - a feat in it self!

Two other German based Mustangs I can think of include a Zakspeed car for Klaus Niedzwiedz. I remember reading that he came a close second to Tom Walkinshaw's Jaguar XJS during a warm-up race for the German GP at Hockenheim 1983.
This could very well be one of the future Dick Johnson cars.

Peter Seikel entered a car for himself and an Italian during selected European rounds of the 1987 European and World Touring Car Championship.

Jesper

[lj79]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Two other German based Mustangs I can think of include a Zakspeed car for Klaus Niedzwiedz. I remember reading that he came a close second to Tom Walkinshaw's Jaguar XJS during a warm-up race for the German GP at

Jesper

Yes, I watched this. But close. 1983.

Tom was just stroking his big pussy

[chunterer]

Ah yes Jesper, that's right, Trint was the guy in '84

And i'd forgotten about Asch- now he is a damn good driver - this was before he got 'noticed' and joined Merc and all that i suppose. So in Germnay it was a at least halfway competitive then?