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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">LE MANS</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">15/03/2001</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Lister Prototype For Le Mans</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">In 2002</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2"> At the Monza FIA Tests last week, Laurence Pearce was happy to announce the news that Lister Cars will be taking an LMP900 Prototype to Le Mans next year. "It's a toe in the water exercise," he explained. "We're building towards a full scale effort in 2003."<BR> <BR> The designer of the car is Andy Thorby, the man who created the Panoz LMP07. With design work only just starting, it's early days yet, but some aspects of the car are already becoming clear. "It will have a carbon tub, obviously," said Thorby. "But this will be an interim car. We'll use a gearbox off the shelf, plus existing hubs and uprights. For 2003, we'll have the finished article. We're not going to be too ambitious too soon."<BR> <BR> The engine was something of a puzzle last week, but already it's becoming clear which way Pearce and Thorby are heading. "There's no point having a customer engine," said Pearce. So what unit will it be? The answer is a bit of a surprise in one respect, not at all in another. It will be a Lister version of the Jaguar XKR8, four litre engine. "The V12 dates back to the sixties, we can't use that," said Pearce. "But we've got the expertise to develop the Jaguar V8 in-house. We'll do what's needed to make it work."<BR> <BR> Ian Smith has been responsible for all the V12s to come out of Lister's Leatherhead premises since 1997, and that engine has provided reliable power for up to 40 hours between rebuilds. 24 hours shouldn't be a problem.<BR> <BR> So, front-engined, or rear-engined, Laurence? "Rear-engined, definitely. The packaging of a front engine is too much of a compromise."<BR> <BR> If all goes to plan, the car should be ready for its shakedown early next year. It will be an open car.<BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>