The
project was funded by the Toyota Motor Sports division as a low-key "toe in
the water". The budget was very tight (<$500k), and
there was
never any intention on the part of Toyota to race it, although we at
TOM'S
had hopes, particularly after it tested promisingly.
The
only engines Toyota could provide was existing examples of the 2.1
liter
turbo motor in Group C spec: this was because all their resources were
taken up with the new Champcar engine. I'd had experience of
that
engine in Group C in '88, and felt that the key to economy and reliability was
adequate cooling, which
the Group C Toyota never had. The gearbox was based on the
Peugeot
Group C X-trac unit. The tub was extremely strong, stiff (>50,000
lb-ft/degree)
and simple. The complete car weighed 790 kg, without lights
but with
heavyweight bodywork. We ballasted it with a 5 mm thick
stainless
steel floor beneath the monocoque.
The
budget didn't permit any scale model wind tunnel work, so the
aerodynamics
were best guess. The aerodynamic aim was simply reducing the
lift
over the upper body, particularly the front, without increasing the
drag.
Hence the reflex curve to floor of the radiator duct entry, and the flat
surfaces
to the nose and the front fenders. I wanted a simple bodywork
set,
so I eliminated the usual tortuous front brake ducting by feeding
upright-mounted
scoops direct from the big rad. ducts.
The
car was christened "Lumpy" (LMP1), although its official name was TOMS
Toyota LMP. It tested three times, if I remember
rightly. Tom
Kristensen certainly did one of those and maybe more. It was
totally
reliable and, as far as we could judge without a direct comparison,
quick.
The fuel consumption was certainly much better than the Toyota 88C with
the same engine. It was then sent over to Cologne and covered in a
tarpaulin
at TTE.
This picture poses an interesting epilogue. In the RTN shops as an Audi R8C is assembled
prior to Le Mans '99; notice what hangs on the wall?
The
post script came 7 years after this initial article, March 2009, in one of my less and less frequent
contacts with Andy Thorby. Someone had inquired with me about, realistic or
not, looking into purchasing Lumpy as a starting point for another
project. I put him in touch with Andy and Andy did some digging.
The finale was simple, according to Thorby,"I've made inquiries about Lumpy, and it appears that Toyota in Cologne destroyed it after doing whatever they did with it."
So as of March 2009, as far as anyone knows, Lumpy was no more...
