Ford C100
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| Constructor | Ford | ||||
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| Technical specifications | |||||
| Engine |
Cosworth DFL 3,955 cc (241.3 cu in) naturally-aspirated V8, mid-engined (1981–1982, Zakspeed C1/8) 3,299 cc (201.3 cu in) (1983) Zakspeed 1,800 cc (109.8 cu in) turbocharged I4 (Zakspeed C1/4) |
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| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||
| Competition history | |||||
| Notable entrants |
Ford Werke AG/Zakspeed (1981–1982) Peer Racing (1983) |
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| Debut |
1981 1000 km Brands Hatch (C100) 1983 Zolder (Zakspeed C1/4 and C1/8) |
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| Drivers' Championships | 1984 Interserie (Zakspeed C1/8) | ||||
The Ford C100 is a sports racing car, initially built and run as a Group 6 car, but later as a Group C car. The C100 was built by Ford in 1981, and initially featured a 4-litre Cosworth DFL V8 engine, which was replaced by a 3.3-litre version of the same engine in 1983, after the car had passed to private hands. Five cars are known to have been built. Although the cars were often very quick in qualifying (when they had been fully developed), reliability problems plagued them, and restricted their successes to two Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft victories in 1982, and a single Thundersports victory in 1983. Following the end of Ford's involvement in the C100 project in 1983, Zakspeed modified one of the chassis into the C1/4, which used a 1.8-litre turbocharged in-line 4 from their Group 5 Ford Capri. The C100 was also evolved into the Zakspeed C1/8, which used the 4-litre Cosworth DFL in a C1/4 chassis. The Zakspeed cars would prove to be far more successful than the C100 had ever been, and Klaus Niedzwiedz used a C1/8 to win the Interserie in 1984.
Ford Motor Company began the C100 project in 1981, with Len Bailey, who had also been involved on the successful GT40 project in the past, being the man whom was selected to design it. Bailey penned a car with a shovelled nose at the front, and a lofty decking at the rear, and the car was designed to use a Cosworth V8. However, Bailey soon became disillusioned with the project, and left prior to the development of an updated version for the 1982 season.Tony Southgate was soon called in to look at the C100, and was unimpressed by the car. He stated that the steering rack was misplaced, and that the rear suspension looked like it was designed for a totally different car. The original C100s used a simple aluminium chassis, but an updated model, initially built for Alain de Cadenet, used a stronger aluminium honeycomb chassis. Thompson redesigned the suspension at both ends of the car, which led to a significant reduction in lap time. Impressed with his work, Ford offered Thompson a deal to redevelop the C100 for the 1983 season. Thompson promptly redeveloped the car from scratch, bar its windscreen, and the redeveloped C100s used the same aluminium honeycomb monocoque as the de Cadenet car had, whilst the body was initially made out of glassfibre. Thompson and Keith Duckworth worked on a turbocharged version of the Cosworth DFL V8 engine, and its installation in the C100's chassis. However, a week after the new C100 had undergone its maiden test at Paul Ricard, albeit with a regular DFL as the new engine was not yet ready, Ford pulled the plug on the C100 project. Thompson claimed that the updated C100 developed 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) of downforce in its sprint race configuration, and that it was superior to the Porsche 956. The C100 did, however, suffer from high-speed understeer during the test; Thompson put it down to having a low proportion of front-end downforce.
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