Veskanda C1
| Category |
Group A Sports Cars Group C |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | K&A Engineering | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | John Murphy Bob Murphy |
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| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminum monocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Lower wishbones, top rockers, in-board coil springs over dampers, anti-roll bar | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Multi-link, coil springs over dampers, anti-roll bar | ||||||||
| Engine | 1985: mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, 4,958 cc (302.6 cu in), NA Chevrolet V8 1986-87: mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, 5,750 cc (350.9 cu in), NA Chevrolet V8 1988-: mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, 6,000 cc (366.1 cu in), NA Chevrolet, V8 |
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| Transmission | Hewland DG300 5 speed manual | ||||||||
| Power | 650 hp (485 kW) (2012) | ||||||||
| Tyres | Dunlop | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants |
 Bernie van Elsen |
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| Notable drivers |
John Bowe Dick Johnson John Briggs Paul Stubber |
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| Debut | 1985 Australian Sports Car Championship Round 4 at Adelaide International Raceway | ||||||||
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| Drivers' Championships | 1 (1986 - John Bowe) | ||||||||
The Veskanda C1 (more commonly known as just "Veskanda") is a on-off, Australian designed and built, mid-engined closed top racing car built in 1985 to CAMS Group A Sports Car specifications. Powered by a Chevrolet V8 engine, the car is generally regarded as the fastest sports car ever built in Australia and as of 2016 remains one of Australia's fastest race cars.
In December 1984, Australia held its first ever FIA World Championship motor racing event, a 1000 km World Sportscar Championship event at Melbourne's Sandown Raceway (pre-dating the 1985 Australian Grand Prix Formula One race in Adelaide by 11 months). One of the spectators at the event was Adelaide based Australian Sports Car Championship competitor and professional photographer Bernie van Elsen who was inspired to build an Australian Group C sports car. At the time it was to be the first of three WSC races at Sandown, but the 1985 and 1986 races which van Elsen planned to enter with the car were eventually canceled.
Van Elsen commissioned Adelaide based engineering firm K&A Engineering run by Dale Koennecke (a former engineer for Garrie Cooper's Ansett Team Elfin) and Harry Aust to build a Ground effect racing sports car that not only complied to CAMS Group A rules but also to the FIA's Group C rules while also being compliant to the American IMSA GT Championship regulations. K&A were already prominent in Australian motor racing having rebuilt John Briggs' rapid Dekon Chevrolet Monza which had raced in the national Sports Sedan and GT championships during the early 1980s, and most notably the Don Elliot owned Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV (originally powered by a Repco Holden V8 and later a 5.0 and 6.0 litre Chevrolet) that Tony Edmonson drove to win the 1980 and 1981 Australian Sports Car titles.
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