The Consulier GTP: A Wild Ride into Super Car History
When we first dug into this wild car at Donut, it was like one of those Russian Babushka dolls - we kept uncovering more and more weird and wild things about it. So, let's dive deep into how one goes about building a supercar back in the '80s.
The Man Behind the Consulier GTP
So, who is the man responsible for this thing right here? Warren Mosler, an economist with a passion for cars, that's who. Before forming his new car company, Consulier Industries, he needed some guap. In 1982, he started his own hedge fund, which turned out to be a great way to get some fun money.
Using That Fun Money to Build a Dream Car
Lucky for his investors, Mosler was good at it. While he wasn't some billionaire with unlimited cash like Tony Stark, he had enough fun money to go racing and meet people who could help him build his dream car. At a local race, he met Dick Respess, an emergency room doctor and car enthusiast, who would ultimately plant the seed for the Consulier GTP.
The Car's Design
Respess was instrumental in helping Mosler design the car that would eventually become the Consulier GTP. The mid-engine sports car was a bold move, but it paid off in the end. With its lightweight monocoque chassis, the Consulier GTP could stop from 60 to zero miles per hour in just 100 feet.
The Engine: A Chrysler Turbo II
So, where did one Warren Mosler go to seek out an engine for his American supercar? The answer is simple - he went straight to Chrysler. Specifically, he picked out a Chrysler Turbo II, a 2.2 liter turbocharged inline four that produced a respectable 200 horsepower.
The Car's Features
But the Consulier GTP wasn't just about raw power. Its design also featured some quirky details, like an NACA duct in the front end to ensure adequate airflow into the passenger compartment. The car even had a hole for the spare tire, which was super small by modern standards.
Breaking the Mold: Mosler's Marketing Strategy
Getting people to buy the Consulier GTP wasn't going to be easy. Mosler knew that traditional marketing strategies wouldn't cut it, so he came up with something entirely different - a challenge. To prove the worth of the Consulier, Mosler put out a statement: "You have a car." That's right, folks. The Consulier GTP was going to be sold without any frills or bells and whistles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Consulier GTP is an amazing piece of automotive history that showcases Warren Mosler's ingenuity and determination. From its lightweight monocoque chassis to its quirky design features, this car is a testament to what can be achieved when passion and creativity come together.
WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(engine roars)- This is one of the wildestcars we've ever coveredhere at Donut.When the team first dug into this bad-boy,it was like one of thoseRussian Babushka dolls.We kept uncovering more and more and moreweird and wild (beep) about it.So first we have to talkabout the man responsiblefor this thing right here.Then, we're gonna dive deepinto how one goes aboutbuilding a supercar back in the '80s.Finally, I'll explainwhy a 200 horsepower,no-name American exoticgot banned from racing.We're going bumper-to-bumperon this Consulier GTP.(upbeat rock music)('80s electronic music)Before we get into thenitty-gritty of this Consulier GTP,I think you'd be able toappreciate the car moreif we explained how this thing came to be.To do that, we have to goall the way back to the '80s.('80s electronic music)Now, I would imagine thatmost people who go offand start their own carmanufacturing companyhave their roots in the automotive world.They're engineers, orracing owners, or Elon Musk.Warren Mosler is none of those things.He's an economist, aguy who's had a passion,or as he puts it, a disease for cars,ever since his early days ofmessing around with go-karts.But before Mr. Mosler couldform his new car company,Consulier Industries, he needed some guap.In 1982 he started his own hedge fund,you know, a company thatinvests other people's money.Lucky for his investors,he was good at it.While he wasn't somebillionaire with unlimited cash,like Tony Stark, he had some fun money,and he used some of thatfun money to go racing.(engine revs)(tires squeal)It was at a local race that he met a guythat would ultimately plant the seedfor him to build this thingstanding right next to me.That man was Dick Respess,an emergency room doctor,and car enthusiast.Dick said that he could build Mosler a VWthat came in at roughlyunder 1,200 pounds.He got to thinking, if he could builda sub-2,000 pound production car,with good power-to-weight ratio,it would not only outrun the competition,but because it's so light,it might get really good gas-mileage.We're talking 30 milesper gallon for a supercar.If that was the case,people would be bangingon his door to buy one.At the tender young age of 36,Mosler formed ConsulierIndustries, and his car-making days(gong gongs)began.So what goes into making ahigh-strength, lightweightcomposite supercar that outrunsanything else on the road?('80s electronic music)Now, the entire basisfor this car being builtwas that it should be lightweight,so using what they discoveredwith the prototype,the Consulier team began by designingthe carbon and composite foam monocoque,and this thing?(car thumps)It's rock solid.Now, monocoques are nothing new.They've been used in racecars since the early '60s.But a production car, witha metal-free monocoque?Now that's not very common.Once it's complete,the monocoque weighs inat roughly 275 pounds.It literally weighs the same as Nolan.Now, if you take a stepback and look at the car,it's certainly different,and back when it was being shown around,it was just as polarizing.Actually, it's all for function.Without a traditional framework chassis,the body acts as a load-bearing surface,so the shape you see in this caris necessary for it'sstructural integrity,hence the fact that ithas this five inch radiusthat runs all the way to the front.And also, look at thesemassive air intake door seals.They're just ginormous.Everything on this carwas done to add more torsional rigidity.Also, the entire car was designedwithout a single computer.That's frickin' wild.(mouse clicks)So not only is the chassis light,(car thumps)it's rigid.More rigid than a metal structure,and rigidity is a racers best friend.This is, for all intents andpurposes, a frickin' race car.The GTP has fully independent suspensionon all four corners.Mosler went to McKee Engineering,who happened to be experts atthe frickin' Indy car thing,to design and engineer theinboard suspension setup.The GTP is smaller than it looks,but it still has arelatively long wheelbase.That, and it's low center of gravityallowed the car to pull1G on the skid pad.That's a huge accomplishment,especially as your firsttime out building a race car.This dude had something going for him.In the brakes department,the GTP went with Pontiac,specifically, the Pontiac Fiero,for four-wheel,ventilated, 10-inch brakes.Now because this thing is so light,it can stop from 60 to zero miles per hourin roughly 100 feet.Just for a context, a modern-day supercarsporting carbon-ceramic brakeshas roughly a similar measure to that.So the Consulier GTP is light.It's got good suspension,good stopping power,all the makings of a quick car.But what about the power plant?Where does one Warren Mosler goto seek out an engine forhis American supercar?('80s electronic music)Okay, now, under thehood of the Consulier isnot an engine.I didn't make that clear, thisis a mid-engine sports car,just like one of myall-time favorites, the NSX,and my new favorite, the C8 Corvette.Now in the front is your battery,your brake booster, power steering.I can see the spare tiredown there, it's super small.And the front end alsohas some odd features,like this hole over there.It's a NACA duct.It's an air duct placed therebecause the federal government requiresso many cubic feet of fresh airto pass into the passenger compartment.Speaking of, you know, regulations,the monocoque exceeded all crashtest standards of the time,because of it's high tensile strength.I mean, you can stand onthe roof of this thing,and it wouldn't buckle.Front to back, Mr. Moslerwent all Elon back in the day,stood on the roof of one of these things,took a sledgehammer to it,and it suffered no damage.Also, because the monocoquemade the car so safe,it was one of the few cars in the '80swithout those ugly bumper extender things,like the Countach, or the 280Z.When sourcing a motor, wellMosler went to Chrysler,and he picked out a Chrysler Turbo II.This is a 2.2 liter,turbocharged inline four,making 200 horsepower.The Turbo II was, and stillis, a bulletproof engine,and it was used in all sortsof Chryslers at the time,like the Dodge Daytona,and the Chrysler LeBaron,along with a bunch of minivans.Even Carroll Shelby usedit in his Shelby Lancer,and you know, the car thatthis engine was built for,the Omni GLHS.After Shelby used it for that car,it basically was taken overby Dodge to be put elsewhere.It's not your typicalhigh-horsepower beast,but from a power-to-weight perspective,there was nothing around that could put upthose kinds of horsepower numbers,and that was as light as this engine is.Matched up to the TurboII was the five speed,also out of the Dodge Daytona.Mosler actually purchasedas many parts from theDaytona as he could.The drivetrain, the shiftermechanics, the steering column,ignition keeps, hubs, spindles,all came directly from Chrylser.Building the Consulier wasonly half the problem though.Getting people to buythem was another hurdle,so Mosler did what allcar companies would do.He called up the pressto get some exposure,and this is where thingsget even more interesting.('80s electronic music)To prove the worth of the Consulier,Mosler put out a challenge.This is exactly what he said."Beat this car around a track,"and I'll give you $25,000out of my own pocket."Car and Driver wanted totake on the challenge,so they got their hands on a Consulierthat was used at a driving school.They took a beat-up, three year old,driver school Consulier GTP,with no brakes and old tires,and ran it against a brandnew 1991 C4 Corvette.The Consulier ran a 1:22around the test track.The Corvette, it ran a 1:21,and it had fresh tires.Mosler thought that wasn'tfair, and refused to payout.He offered to redo thechallenge with Car and Driverif they swapped in newbrake pads on the GTP,and used a driver of his choice.Well, Car and Driver rejected the deal,then proceeded to printan article on the GTPthat painted it in a bad light.This was the first of many feudsbetween Mosler, and Car and Driver,and it kicked of the GTP'sfailure in the media.Should have gone to Donut, dude.So what did Mosler dowhen car reviewers wouldn'tgive them a fair shake?He went frickin' racing,but before we get into the racing legacy,let's see what's going on inside the GTP.(upbeat '80s electronic music)Man, being in here is such a time capsule.The interior is pretty basic,but that is part of the cool factor.Like I mentioned earlier,Mosler went with a lot K-car components,and I'm not talking JapanK-cars, I'm talking Chrysler.It's a mix of reallydope stuff from the '80s,and some Dodge parts.It's pretty rad.Now the seats, they'releather-covered Recaro's,and the dash looks basic,but it has so many gauges.My favorite frickin' gauge of all time,I've never seen this on a street car,is engine hours.That's really cool, that'sreally like race car stuff.It still has some items thatmake it daily-driver friendly,like this Alpine pullout CD system.Dope.And it's got frickin' AC,power everything, the windows.This thing, it was so ahead of it's time.After he didn't get a fair shakefrom the major car reviewers,Mr. Mosler took this thing racing,to showcase it's true abilities,like I mentioned before.It first ran in the 24 hourNelson Legends in 1988.After taking pole position,it ran in first place for 12 hours,until the turbo ran into some problems,and it finished 14th overall.Over the next couple of years,the GTP went back to that race,and won the entire racethree times, to be exact.But a rule stated thatonce you win three times,you weren't allowed to race anymore.Mosler found out many years laterthat there was no such rule,they just didn't wantthe GTP's to come back,and you know, dominate the track.After being kicked out of that race,they wanted to race theIMSA Supercar series.His team put the car in first,second, fourth, and fifthduring qualifying, and won the race.It wouldn't be long before IMSAgave the car a 300 pound weight penalty.Imagine Nolan sitting next to me.But even before they could enforce it,the Consulier GTP was banned outrightfrom racing in the series.So, what does an '80sstreet-legal race car sound like?(hands clap)I've been waiting for this, all day.(car dings)(engine rumbles)Oh man, just seeing theturbo pressure go pfft.Oh, that's so sick.There's a Chrysler motor,and it sounds so rad,from the '80s, dude.I wanna drive this thing, on track.All right.That was way more excitingthan I was expecting it to be.Jesus Christ, this things loud.(electronic music)Eventually the bad pressand the inability to consistently race,put the Consulier GTPstraight in the hole.All in all, only 83 GTP's were builtbetween 1985 and 1996.Also, the Petersen Museum hasone of the two electric onesthat were built back in theday, and sold at the mall.Consulier Industries spunoff their automotive divisioninto Mosler Automotive, in 1993.They rebranded the caras the Mosler Intruder,and Mosler Raptor, beforehalting production in 2000.Mr. Mosler took a shotat building his versionof the American Supercar,and while he didn'tfind commercial success,he's done what a few have been able to do,and what a lot of us wish we could do.Also, the guy frickin'ran for president in 2009,only to drop out to runfor a US Senate seat.This story is frickin'wild, and speaking of wild,we'd really like to thank Ryan Wildfor bringing this thing out here.He drove this, on LA streets,all the way out here to this studio.That blows my mind, I wonderwhat people were thinkingwhen they saw it on the road.(video blips)Yeah.Yeah, this is him.Oh, hi Mrs. Eddie.No, yeah, he's behind thecamera, he's directing today.Oh, the Tupperware?It's still at the office.But I don't know, hekeeps bringing lasagne,but never eats it.Yeah, I'll let him know.Cool, yeah, I love you too, bye.(laughing)
