Rare French Venturi 400 Trophy

Even if you’re a self-proclaimed “Car Guy,” you may not recognize at first glance exactly what this mid-engine beast is. This French built 1992 Venturi 400 Trophy is the 50th of 73 examples built for competition in the single-make Gentleman Drivers Trophy series that was held on circuits around Europe between 1992 and 1995. Chassis 0050 was campaigned throughout the 1992 and 1993 Trophy seasons before moving to Japan, where it was modified for road use and appeared in a 1993 Best Motoring showdown between period supercars.

Highlights

Venturi was a 1990s French car manufacturer that produced models to rival Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Porsche.
One of the highest-performing French cars ever produced.
408hp V6 biturbo engine yielding 181 mph top speed.
Ferrari F40-inspired styling.
15 street conversions completed from the original 73 race cars built.
Only fourth to enter the United States.

Origins

Development of the 400 Trophy was initiated when GT racing pioneer Stéphane Ratel enlisted French manufacturer Venturi to build a supply of identically prepared race cars for use by privateers in a single-make series. The cars featured carbon-fiber and Kevlar body panels over a steel monocoque chassis, and approximately 55 examples of the 400 Trophy model were built for use in the six-race 1992 Gentleman Drivers Trophy, which returned the following year as the Pasha Drivers Trophy by Cartier.

Chassis 0050

This example is said to have originally worn a blue and yellow livery before being refinished in red prior to its departure for Japan. A 600 LM-style hood with a central airflow scoop has been added along with carbon-fiber aerodynamic aids including an adjustable dual-element rear wing, a front spoiler, and front dive planes. Additional features include faired headlights, a front tow hook, body-color side mirrors, and plexiglass windows with rear NACA ducts and sliding side panels.

Ferrari brakes

BBS E88 multipiece wheels feature gold-painted spokes and polished rims and were mounted with Michelin Pilot Sport tires following the selling dealer’s acquisition. Stopping is handled by Ferrari 355 Challenge Brembo brakes with monobloc four-piston calipers and slotted and ventilated rotors, while the suspension has been fitted with adjustable Öhlins coilovers with Swift springs.

Cockpit

The cockpit houses a pair of Recaro SPG-N racing seats that are trimmed in black leather with perforated inserts and are equipped with red Sabelt four-point harnesses. Matching upholstery covers the door panels and is complemented by black microfiber over the console, dash, and upper doors. Additional features include a roll cage, black carpeting, exposed carbon-fiber dash accents, drilled pedals, and air conditioning, the latter of which is said to have been serviced under current ownership.

The microfiber-wrapped Nardi steering wheel sits ahead of a MoTeC CDL3 configurable dash logger and a MoTeC SLM-C shift-light module. The digital odometer shows approximately 10k kilometers (~6k miles), 700 of which have been added under current ownership. Analog gauges mounted at center dash monitor oil pressure, oil temperature, and coolant temperature.

Mid-engine design

The mid-mounted 2,975cc V6 was developed by Venturi based on the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo ZPJ4 and featured twin turbochargers, air-to-air intercoolers, dual overhead camshafts on each cylinder bank, four valves per cylinder, and electronic fuel injection. This example is said to have been modified with HKS GT-SS turbochargers, coil-on-plug ignition, larger-capacity fuel rails and injectors, and MoTeC M48 engine management.