User:Thundersaloon/Thundersaloons

Thundersaloons

Thundersaloons was a saloon car racing series that ran in Britain from 1986 to 1995. The idea was to create the fastest saloon cars in the country, with the hope of recreating the dramatic racing that the Supersaloons of the 1970s had produced with drivers like Gerry Marshall in the famous 'Baby Bertha' Vauxhall Firenza. It would also be a parter to the dramatic Thundersports series for Can-Am & Group C/Group 5 machinery.

The big difference between the 'Supersaloons' and the new Thundersaloons was that the cars would be steel shelled, and therefore much closer to their road car basis, unlike the 'Supersaloons', which in many cases were sports cars or formula cars beneath a saloon body.

In the first year of Thundersaloons the fields were small and mixed, with the Broadspeed Capri of Vince Woodman, the similarly engined Ford Sierra of Rod Birley, and the ex-Peter Brock Vauxhall Senator (re badged Holden Commodore) being the class of the field. However by 1987, racing teams were building purpose built thundersaloon cars, most significantly the entry of a 'works' Vauxhall Carlton, powered by a Chevrolet V8, driven by John Cleland & Vince Woodman, and the 'Stars & Stripes' Opel Manta of Nick Oatway and Holman Blackburn.

The series shot to fame from 1987 and became just about the biggest race series in britain, rivaling the BTCC for poplarity. The now high profile championship was beginning to attract big names too: John Cleland, Tim Harvey, Vince Woodman, Gerry Marshall, Holman Blackburn, Lawrence Bristow to name a few. Derek Bell even tested the Vauxhall entry. The series even raced at Zandvoort Circuit in Holland. Big money was being spent on the cars too, with 700bhp Porsche 962 engined Ford Sierras, ex-Btcc RS 500 Sierras with 550+bhp, a very sleek Cosworth powered Honda Prelude, the 7.1 litre 650bhp Opel Manta (known as the 'Stars & Stripes' due to its american flag livery), and of course the 6 litre works Carlton.

There was even prize money of £125,000 for winning the Championship, and much interest from manufacturers, including Honda.

Unfortunately from 1992 onwards due to poorly chosen Regulation changes and the financial crash, thundersaloons went into decline, and ended in 1995.

Many of the cars dissappeared after the championship ended, and the whereabouts of most of these now historic racecars is unknown.