Conference terri::cars_uk

    I went to the MVS factory a couple of weeks ago. Here is a short
    update:
      
    - MVS now belongs to Swiss PRIMWEST venture capital firm, together
      with Automobiles de la Chapelle. Mr Xavier de la Chapelle is the
      President. Founder Claude Poiraud is now head of technical design
      office.
      
    - Good financial results. The current models include the Venturi coup�
      and Venturi Transcup roadster with the 210bhp engine + the same
      models equipped with the 260bhp engine. All with catalytic
      converters.
   
    - they're currently manufacturing 50 Italian spec VENTURI's (Renault
      21 turbo engine installed in place of the PRV V6). Italian VAT
      favors cars under 2 liter of engine capacity
    
    - Factory will move from Cholet to Coueron (near Nantes) on the
      Atlantic coast on Jan 1, 1991. They will have 3 times the current
      space + a test track
    

    For the MVS VENTURI fans living in the south :
    
    Club VENTURI (owners club) is meeting at Circuit Paul Ricard in a
    couple of weeks. The F1 circuit is booked all day Sat. Feb 16th.
    
    Unless major problem, I'll be there.

    MVS are introducing this week a lightweight version of the Venturi
    called the ATLANTIQUE. The car weighs 1110kg compared to the 1255kg of
    the original coupe. The engine is the 260bhp 2849cc V6 turbo. Later MVS
    plan to have the new 3ltr, 4valves, twin turbo (300+bhp).
    
    Minor modifications have been made to the suspension in order to cope
    with the lighter body. All the testing has been carried out by Mauro
    Bianchi as usual. Mauro told me that he could easily achieve under
    24sec on the 0-1km acceleration test. Top speed unchanged 265kph with
    'low speed' final drive, 280kph with high speed version.
    
    Light weight has been obtained by various means: thinner sheet metal at
    some places, drilling holes, removing the air conditionning, replacing
    the leather/wood decoration by ordinary plastic/carbon fibre stuff,
    replacing certain panels by kevlar, replacing the standard seats by
    lightweight RECAROs, ....

    VENTURI will launching a 'VENTURI Challenge Series' next year in a way
    similar to last year's Jaguar XJR15 championship.  
    
    20 cars or so will be built specially for this. I have a picture which
    shows the basic VENTURI coupe with aerodynamics modified in F40 style.
    They will have bigger and wider wheels. The engine will be spec'ed at
    around 450bhp peak (peak torque unknown). 10 races are planned, 6 on
    french tracks with the remaining 4 on major european places.
    
    More details to come.

                 Gentlemen Drivers Trophy

More details. 

The Venturi trophy (renamed) will start this year. Reserved to non-professional
drivers. Preliminary calendar:

- 31-May	Italian Championship meeting, Monza
- 28-Jun	4h endurance, Le Mans
- 12-Jul	GB F1 Grand Prix, Silverstone
- 23-Aug	DTM race, Nurburgring
- 20-Sep	Super Sports cars race, Montlhery
- 04-Oct	Procar race, Spa

Technical details. Car is based on production Venturi, 10cm longer wheelbase, 
wider track, dry weight around 1000kg.

Engine designed by EIA based on PRV V6, 3l capacity 93x73mm, 2 overhead cams,
4 valves per cylinder, 2 turbos, air-air heat exchanger, compr. ratio 7.3:1,
peak output: 407bhp @6000rpm, peak torque: 550Nm @4500rpm

5speed gearbox, racing clutch

Suspension almost identical to road Venturi, lower ride

Carbone Industrie carbon disk brakes, 13" diameter

18" alloy wheels, 235/40ZR18 front tyres, 285/35ZR18 rear

Wheelbase 2500mm

28 cars out of 32 sold today. Price: 596000FF. Maintenance cost for 1992: 100kFF

Car designed by

- Venturi founder Claude Poiraud
- Synergie (ex-Rondeau team)

Cars built by Larrousse at Signes (Paul Ricard)

    .28�                 Gentlemen Drivers Trophy
    
    The 32 cars have been handed to their owners (and drivers) at Circuit
    Paul Ricard on 27-May.
    
    The car looks great, very much like an F40 (basic Venturi, wide wheel
    arches, rear wing).
    
    Interesting point: it uses carbon brakes ! same disks and pads, made
    by Carbone Industrie, as fitted to most F1 cars.
    
    For the 1st day, the engines were detuned to something like 330bhp and
    the springs were relatively soft so that drivers could easily get used
    to the car. For the 2nd day they increased to boost pressure and
    mounted the hard springs and shocks.
    
    1st race: LeMans, Bugatti, 28-June

    I have received
    
    		3 x VENTURI glossy brochures in ENGLISH 
    
    that I'll send to the first 3 readers interested. First come first served
    
    The brochures are beautiful with superb photos. They cover all models 
    from the 210hp coup� to the 400hp trophy including the cabriolet and 
    the 260 atlantique.  As one can imagine these brochures are made in very 
    limited quantities.
    
    Patrick

    
    Yes, please. William Betts, Mail stop UCG AG4.
    
    Thanks Patrick!

    Me too !   Tony Orchard @NEW
    
    	(I'll let anyone in Newbury have a browse through it)
    
    Ta!

    
    Patrick -
    
    Yes,please, if not too late....
    
    I'll be in Les Templiers next Wednesday, so I can save you all the
    trouble of bagging up!
    
    Colin

    OK. Sold out.
    
    If more interested I'll ring Venturi.

If you can get another from Venturi, I'll take it,

Dave Burden
ALF1-2/W21

    Likewise,  if any others become available I'm interested.
    
    Rob Hasking.  UVO-G3.

    Venturi News
    
    - the company is suffering. They've had to let 30 people go (one third
      of the workforce)
    
    - they've built 120 cars in 1992, they plan to build 70 in 1993
    
    - the Gentleman's Driver Trophy races will take place at approx. 10
      race locations this year. Unlike last year FISA has approved the
      Venturi races. 60 drivers/cars registered.
    
    - The Venturi 400 (trophy, racetrack version) is fully developped,
      carbon brakes, 400bhp engine, race clutch, etc ... and is reliable
    
    - Venturi will build a FISA/ACO GT compliant racer called the Venturi
      500 or LM. 6 drivers/teams will race the Le Mans 24h. Engine output
      will be whatever FISA decides is the max output for GTs: 450bhp ? 

    More Venturi news
    -----------------
    
    Venture capital PRIMWEST have bailed out of Venturi. The owner and boss
    of Venturi is a wealthy business man from Bretagne (Brittany). Venturi
    now mostly sells race cars: 
    
    - the Venturi 400 Trophy (Gentlemen Drivers Trophy)
    - the Venturi GT 500
    - the Venturi GT 600 and LM (Le Mans)
    
    Stephane Ratel is the guy who launched the new GT categories together
    with friends J�rgen Barth (Porsche) and Patrick Peter (Ferrari) to form
    the BPR trio. The 500 and 600 models are competing in the BPR series
    against various GTs like Porsche Carrera GTs and Turbo LMs and Ferrari
    F40s and 348s.
    
    On special order, Venturi will build a Venturi 400 GTR, the road
    version of the above race cars. The 400 GTR has the 408bhp twin turbo
    3litre engine and carbon brakes.
    
    At the Paris Auto-Show (Mondial de l'Automobile) Venturi made a
    surprise announcement of a new ATLANTIQUE 300 model. Basically it has a
    very similar shape to the traditional Venturi, except that every bit of
    the body has been smoothed. I don't have any technical data yet but I
    expect the new car to weigh around 1200kg and develop 300bhp. It should
    be equipped with all the previous luxury items.  

  Is the Atlantique 300 named after the Bugatti Atlantic Coupe from the
  30's?  That Bugatti is one of my favorite designs.
  
  Dave

    .39�  Is the Atlantique 300 named after the Bugatti Atlantic Coupe 
    
    That might be one reason. The other one is that the Venturi factory is
    situated in Nantes which is close to the Atlantic ocean. Note that
    there was a Venturi Atlantique 260, limited edition (25 units), all
    atlantic blue, lightweight version of the Venturi 260 (the one I had).
    
    .39�  30's?  That Bugatti is one of my favorite designs.
    
    I saw Ralph Lauren's (dark blue ?). Truely exceptional.

    Carbon brakes in a road car ? How could you keep them at operational
    temperature. I know that Gordon Murrey tried to use them in the McLaren
    F1 and gave up for just this reason.
    
    	Rik

    .41�    Carbon brakes in a road car ? How could you keep them at operational
    .41�    temperature.
    
    Brake hard ! If you stand on the brakes, no problem. It's only when you
    gently put your foot on the brake pedal that .... nothing happens.
    
    To be honest I really don't know. I haven't had the opportunity to test
    drive this road going Venturi. Knowing the Venturi guys and the Carbone
    Industrie guys I feel confident about the results. 

    
    Patrick,
    
    Do you know how the Venturi company are faring now? In the last couple
    of years GT racing must've helped sales a lot, but there are virtually
    no Venturis left in the BPR series now.
    
    Mark

    Well, I haven't followed Venturi as closely as before for the last year
    but here is what I know:
    
    - Venturi has gone through several hands, mainly venture capitalists,
      who have done more destructive than constructive work
    
    - Eventually Venturi was bought by a french businessman from Brittany
      (I think he is in some plastics business) called O'Neill. Never met.
    
    - It's true that the Venturi factory has built mostly (only ?) race
      cars for the last 2 years, which seems to be a good business with
      spares and race assistance, etc ...
    
    - there are several GT championships: the BPR is the top one and as you
      rightly noticed the Venturi 500, 600, LM have been replaced by McLarens
      F1 GTR. However the Ventury Trophy for 'gentlemen drivers' is still
      on and is open to the Venturi 400. They have regular races on french
      circuits, gathering 30+ cars.
    
    - Venturi have just released their new Atlantique 300 with smoothed
      lines, wider track, etc ... I haven't seen any on the road. Friend
      Mauro Bianchi is not doing anymore development work with them.
    
    - The Venturi owners club has changed several times. I don't seem to
      receive newsletter and invitations. I sold my 260 (modified 200) in
      June 1993.