Reynard's success story... followed by bankruptcy

Adrian Reynard was an accomplished racing driver in the mid-1970s when he founded Sabre Automotive Ltd, which later became Reynard Motorsport.

The company developed and marketed cars in a number of series and, by winning championships, helped the small British marque to build up an excellent reputation. An attempt to enter Formula 1 in the early 1990s was unsuccessful. Reynard Motorsport was also involved in development programmes for several leading manufacturers, including the Panoz Esperante and the high-performance Viper GTS-R for Chrylser.

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At the end of the 90s, Reynard Motorsport thought big and acquired Riley & Scott and Gemini Transmission in quick succession. At the time, Riley & Scott Mk3s were dominating endurance racing on a number of occasions against the Ferrari 333SPs, even though they were very sharp. It was therefore necessary to pay a high price to acquire this nugget.

It was at this time that the idea of building a Sportscar was born. The first Reynard 2KQs were assembled in 1999. In 2002, after an unsuccessful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange and a debt burden that had become insurmountable, the company went into liquidation. 

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REYNARD 2KQ: Carbon chassis, Kevlar/carbon bodywork - sequential gearbox

The Reynard 2KQ was developed with the aim of offering private teams a competitive Endurance car. At the time, Reynard Motorsport was at its peak. But the Reynard 2KQ got off to a somewhat rocky start. Nigel Stroud was called in to help, and he made a number of changes to the car that proved successful from the start of the 2000 season, in particular the modification of the front end.

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The best technology of the time was used in the construction of the 2KQ, with a carbon tub providing rigidity, lightness and safety, and a Kevlar carbon body. The car's design is highly advanced, with a sequential gearbox in the longitudinal position, in this case an 'in-house' gearbox, the 6-speed Reynard / Gemini. The engine compartment accommodates a range of different powerplants. As was often the case, Reynard and Lola were offering 'open architecture' cars that could be fitted with a variety of different power units, at the customer's discretion. A very wide variety of engines would be used in the long career of certain chassis. JUDD V10 GV4 4-litre, MOPAR V8 6-litre, VW Lehmann HPT/ROC L4 Turbo 2-litre, Nicholson- Cosworth 4-litre, and even the JUDD 5-litre when chassis 2KQ 006 became the Nasamax DM139 LMP1 of the 2004 Le Mans 24 Hours, running on 'green' ethanol fuel.

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A real commercial success

Reynard enjoyed great success with the 2KQ model. No fewer than 9 chassis were sold in the United States and Europe. At the beginning of 2000, Reynard Motorsport and LOLA shared the private team market. By way of comparison, LOLA, which managed to sell 7 running chassis of the B98/10 in 1999, sold only 6 models of the 2000 B2K/10. Highly reputed teams chose the Reynard 2KQ chassis. Oreca will place an order for two chassis in order to embark on the "Le Mans 2000 - 2002" LMP900 programme, which was aimed at winning the Mancelle race. Naturally, the engine was supplied by Chrysler. It's the 6-litre engine redesigned by John Caldwell to meet the constraints of endurance racing, while Chrysler's parts/competition division was offering it in its catalogue to power ... Dragsters... Its power output was therefore reduced from 1,800 bhp to 600 bhp at 6,500 rpm. The truck torque of 620N/m should do the trick. This is the engine fitted to the 002 chassis offered for sale. In keeping with its tradition, ROC AUTO, managed by Fred Sadler, opted for a smaller engine, in this case a VW 4-cylinder turbo developed by Lehmann for LMP675 racing. 

The cars underwent a number of changes over the years

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REYNARD 2KQ 002: 12 Hours of Sebring & test at the 24 Hours of Daytona with George Robinson and Jack Baldwin 

Chassis 2KQ 002 offered for sale was acquired by Team Robinson Racing, which today continues to enter prototypes in endurance races in the USA. 

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George Robinson is a seasoned driver who has taken numerous Trans Am victories and 3 class wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring. George Robinson shared the wheel with Jack Baldwin. He is a famous driver in the USA, having accumulated victories in all the series in which he took part, as well as victories on all the major circuits in the United States during a career that spanned four decades. Jack won 5 professional championships and more than 30 major races, including a victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona and two more at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Entered in the 2000 Sebring 12 Hours by the American duo, our Reynard 2QK was powered by a Judd GV4 V10 engine. Qualifying in 15th position, it was forced to retire due to a gearbox problem.

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Like the other 2KQs, chassis 002 was given a new front end, but that was to be the end of its brief career. The new owner, an American collector, decided to put it in ORECA configuration, with a MOPAR V8 engine and the PLAY STATION livery of one of the CHRYSLER ORECA team cars from the 2000 Le Mans 24 Hours. In 2005, it took part in a demonstration run organised by HSR at Watkin Glen in this configuration. In 2012, it took part in the parade organised on the Daytona circuit to mark the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 24 Hours. Finally, it was exhibited at the Daytona Classic in November 2017.

 

Restored and eligible for the finest historic races

Having been restored to its 2000 livery, this Reynard 2KQ LMP900 is now available for sale. Its next owner will be able to enjoy the generous torque of the Mopar 6-litre V8. What's more, if they wish to enjoy the vocals of the Judd GV4 V10, they will have the option of putting this prestigious original engine back in their car. This superb LMP900 benefits from all the technological advances of the time, with its carbon chassis, sequential gearbox and superb lines developed in the wind tunnel. It is eligible for the finest historic events, including Endurance racing Legends and Le Mans Classic.

Period photos: John Brooks