Group C: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Endurance Racing: Zakspeed

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

We conclude our long-running series on Group C cars with a review of Zakspeed, founded in 1968 by Erich Zakowski. The team achieved particular success in the DRM championship, where it officially represented Ford, and built legendary cars like their Group 2 Escort and Group 5 Capri.

Today, we’ll focus on the period between 1982 and 1990, when the team ran the factory Ford C100 Group C in close collaboration with Ford. Although Zakspeed entered the car in the World Championship, the team achieved their greatest successes in the DRM championship and the Interserie.

The Ford Germany factory team ran the Zakspeed-prepared sports car driven by Klaus Ludwig, Manfred Winkelhock, and Marc Surer. Top performances weren’t on the cards, but the Ford C100 was a strong contender for the midfield.

Ford Germany later withdrew, selling one car to a private team. The remaining chassis was reworked by Zakspeed and evolved into the C 1/4 and C 1/8. Although this version only made limited international appearances, it became a very successful competitor in the German Interserie championship, where Klaus Niedzwiedz won the championship in 1984.

Zakspeed made its name primarily by building its own chassis and engines. The C 1/4 and C 1/8 models were based on the same powerplant used during their Formula 1 campaign between 1985 and 1988.

The C 1/4 was a direct development of the original Ford C100. Zakspeed had developed a stiffer honeycomb chassis and improved the aerodynamics. The power source was a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, which produced approximately 568 hp. A further development of the C 1/4 was the later C 1/8, which was equipped with a Cosworth DFL V8 engine.

Zakspeed raced the C 1/4 and C 1/8 simultaneously, both cars making their debut in the opening round of the DRM championship in Zolder, Belgium, in 1983. Ludwig drove the C 1/4, and Niedzwiedz piloted the C 1/8. Mixed successes followed, after which Zakspeed concentrated on the Interseries championship.

The C 1/4 didn’t appear on track in 1984, but the C 1/8 was entered in both the DRM championship and the Interserie. A second C 1/8 was later entered, but it was Niedzwiedz who won the Interserie drivers’ title at the end of the season.

A year later, the C 1/4 was again entered alongside the C 1/8, both driven by Niedzwiedz. Kumsan Tiger Team acquired one of the two C 1/8s and entered it in the Hockenheim 1000 km, part of the world championship, albeit unsuccessfully. Niedzwiedz and the team weren’t able to replicate their 1984 success and finished a disappointing ninth in the championship.

The C 1/4 was phased out at the end of 1985. The C 1/8, on the other hand, continued to run until 1988 without any notable success.

With that, our retrospective of Group C, undoubtedly one of the most talked-about series in the world of endurance racing, finally concludes.