This is one of the original 1:8th scale wind tunnel models built by Kremer Racing to fine tune the body design of the Kremer K8 which first raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1994.
Of course, most wind tunnel models don’t have full livery applied, this model had the Gulf Oil Racing livery added later as an exact match for the Le Mans car that was driven by Derek Bell, Jürgen Lässig and Robin Donovan to a 3rd in class and 6th overall.
The Kremer K8 was largely based on the Group C Porsche 962-based CK6, it would go on to achieve solid result at Le Mans, and an outright victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona.
The Kremer K8 was largely based on the Group C Porsche 962-based CK6. It was built around a rigid but lightweight honeycomb aluminum tub chassis with a carbon fiber body over the top.
The car was intended for the open prototype class and as such it had no roof, just the addition of a roll bar behind the driver’s head for some additional safety in the event of a roll over accident.
Power was provided by a Porsche flat-six with a displacement of 3.0 liters, twin turbochargers, air and oil cooling, and 530 bhp. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed transaxle, and the car was fitted with a large adjustable rear wing, and aerodynamic covers over the rear wheels to help reduce drag.
The Kremer K8 made its debut at Le Mans and historically it’s best remembered for being the car that Gulf Oil sponsored – marking the return of the Gulf brand to motorsport after 19 years. The blue and orange Gulf livery is one of the best-known and best-loved in history, and it remains in use today.
The highlight of the Kremer K8’s racing life was a dominant win at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona with the driving team of Giovanni Lavaggi, Jürgen Lässig, Marco Werner. The car finished a full five laps before the second place finisher.
The wind tunnel model you see here was made to test the body design before the car was built, the finished car had a full carbon fiber body. This model is 1:8th scale so it measures in at 410mm x 970mm x 220mm and it weighs 5 kilograms.
The car was developed for the open prototype class, and as such is has no roof, just a roll bar to try to keep the driver safe.
After the development and wind tunnel testing was complete this model was professionally painted in the Gulf livery and put on display at the Gulf UK headquarters. After this it was owned by a member of the marketing agency for Gulf UK, and they’re now offering it for sale with perfect, in-tact provenance.
It’s due to be offered by RM Sotheby’s on the 4th of November with a price guide of $10,000 – $12,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
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