24h Le Mans
We rarely imagine a utility vehicle racing, much less if it comes from Italy ... But this is the case with the Breadvan!
Do shooting brakes, mini-vans and other utility vehicles have their place in motorsport? Not really if one refers to the half-century it took Maranello to officially recognize the chassis No. 2819 as a "vehicle of historical interest." During his lifetime, Enzo Ferrari had nothing but contempt for this wacky project out of the heads of his engineers and Drogo Bizzarrini suggesteed it was a project extremely weird designed by dark forces...
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Yet this experimental aerodynamic concept called the Breadvan (bread delivery truck) by English journalists, had not been abandoned. Despite appearances, it was lighter (935 kg) than the GTO model it faced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1962. Even penalised by its 4-speed gearbox, it managed to keep pace with the best in its class until its abandonment in the fourth hour of the race.
Despite its potential, the Breadvan had only similar successor. In 1994, Tom Walkinshaw, known for his triumphs with Jaguar at Le Mans in 1988 and 1990, tried an experiment in Touring cars ( in the BTCC) with a Volvo 850 Estate ... Without success though. The following year, the Kronos team did better - or maybe worse! - Running a Peugeot 806 at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, but the minivan abandoned in the first hour due to oil pump problems. Finally, maybe this type of vehicle would be more comfortable for shopping ... at the supermarket?
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| The 850 Estate BTCC (1994) driven by the winner of the 24 Hours of Mans in 1988 Jan Lammers. |
The Peugeot 806 of the Kronos team at 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 1995. |
