Darrian
This car is a Pro-Tarmac spec Darrian T90 GT “R”. The T90 moniker denotes the type of chassis, and the GT denotes the type of bodywork or aero package. The final letter signifies that the car is a Rally car (Darrian Cars have produced many very successful GT endurance race cars, and this particular car uses the Aero package developed for the 1997 British GT championship).
Originally built during 1999 from
a Team Duffee (Darrian Cars) new rolling shell, it was fitted
with an almost stock Rover 3.9 litre V8 engine (ex Range Rover).
This engine was chosen both on the grounds of cost (it’s
a very inexpensive and very strong engine option) and because
the team wanted to make something a bit different. Hence, DV8
not only stood for Darrian V8, but more importantly DEVIATE
to do something away from the ”norm”.
The Darrian concept is based upon the premise
of maintaining a rear weight bias of sufficient magnitude to optimise
traction and promote predictable handling characteristics. Careful
consideration is also given to the durability and serviceability
of the engine, gearbox and drive shafts, while the suspension
remains simple and rugged in design.
The layout is of classic in-line mid engine
design with mid mounted petrol tanks and dry sump tank while the
spare wheel is mounted at the back above the transmission.
Hinging front and rear bodywork sections provide
quick access for routine maintenance while these can be quickly
detached for racing car style accessibility.
The body chassis assy. is a GRP monocoque structure utilizing
Kevlar/Carbon/Glass fibre re-enforcement and incorporates a comprehensive
F.I.A. specification roll cage. The detachable outer bodywork
is constructed in different weights/materials to suit required
specification.
 The
Darrian fabricated semi trailing rear suspension utilizes Ford
Escort WRC running gear. At the front the GTR utilities a double
wishbone system incorporating a Sierra front axle with an aluminium
upright.
The now hotly contentious MSA rule K.37.1.3
was just coming into force when we were building the car and this
rule caters for engine greater than 3 litres. The exact specification
of our engine, was agreed with the MSA and power was restricted
by ensuring that valves remained as standard. A certified Dyno
sheet was supplied (on request to the MSA).
Over the years the engine has had various MSA
approved upgrades, most importantly when it went from the original
4 downdraft carburettors to Jenvey Throttle bodies and Motec M800
ECU. In its final form the engine made just under 300bhp, but
more importantly had an almost flat torque curve giving 310ft.lb
of torque from 3500rpm up to the rev limit of 7000rpm. The engine
was making 96ft.lb at idle ! This made for a very easy engine
to drive.
The car has run various different gearboxes
over the years. It started with a Hewland FGC Transaxle. The torque
of the engine was such that at low ground speeds (out of hairpins
and off the start line) the diff outputs shafts could not cope.
Next we moved to a Hewland DG300 Transaxle
and immediately our reliability issues were solved. This was a
tremendous (if very old design) gearbox and proved bomb-proof
over 4 years of National Tarmac competition.
In 2004 we joined the “sequential”
brigade and fitted a Hewland NLT transaxle. Again, this was a
fantastic gearbox and just as bomb-proof as the DG300. Intended
for Le Mans GT Endurance type racing, this box is rated at a whopping
600 Ft.Lb of torque. The gearbox performed faultlessly and had
almost zero wear rate over a season. In addition the performance
benefits of running a sequential box were astonishing; not only
in terms of fatser gearchanges, but also in terms of less missed
changes and more time with hands on the steering wheel !
At the start of the 2005 season we caught wind
of the gathering clouds hovering over K.37.1.3 and decided to
opt out of this classification.
 The
V8 came out during the autumn of 2005 and we handed out Cat III
papers back to the MSA.
The car is now a sub-2.5 litre production based
engine using the Nissan / Renault V6 commonly found in The Nissan
350Z, Roadster, Murano, and the Renault Espace.
The engine produces a similar power to the Rover (300bhp) and
a bit less torque at 260 ft.lb.
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