Grid S1 #49 – Spark

1983 Grid S1 #49
Pilots: F. Stiff, D. Wood, R.Ratcliff
Team: Grid Motor Racing Ltd.
Race: DNF (Group C) at Le Mans in 1983
Spark - S9424 (resin)

Published 11/15/24

The first time the Grid team raced at La Sarthe was in 1981, using a Lola T600. They finished in 15^th place, inspiring team bosses Giuseppe Risi and Ian Dawson to build their own Group C car. The following year, at team headquarters in Leamington, England, they contacted Geoff Aldridge, a former Lotus employee. Aldridge designed and built an aluminum monocoque chassis, and to power the new car, they went with a crate engine. As was ubiquitous for privateers at the time, they chose a Ford-Cosworth 3955 cm³ DFL V8. And for shifting, they used a Hewland 5-speed manual gearbox. With the DFL in the chassis, and ready to roll, they christened the new car (chassis #GA01) Grid S1.  However, the car’s aerodynamics were a bit off. Due to excessive ground-force, the S1 only reached 300 km/h on the Hunaudières.

With the car anchored down, they started out in 17^th place on the grid. However, excessive ground-force would not be their only problem. Just 25 minutes into the race, on the 7^th lap, a burnt-out piston prematurely terminated S1 #37’s race. Even with the terrible result, undaunted, Grid came back to La Sarthe in 1983. Using the same chassis and sporting #49, however this time the team revised the aerodynamics. Unfortunately though, with a not-so-strong team of pilots, S1 #49 started in 47^th place on the grid. Moreover, the driver’s door opened on the track, causing a spin, and the car went through several pit stops. And finally, on the 69^th lap, the engine spilled its guts on the track, bringing an end to their race. As always, Le Mans is not for the weak.

Like so many before and after, the Grid S1 was one of those cars that “just passed through” Le Mans. Basically, a futile attempt by a bunch of garagisti to leave their mark in motorsport history. Harsh as that may sound, the S1 was essentially a flight of fancy. And exactly because of that, this is a fantastic model to have in a Le Mans collection. That and also because Spark hit a home run with the model. Of course that I l-o-v-e to have class and overall winners, who doesn’t? Nonetheless, these oddballs are what make the W-143 Garage really interesting 😉. The weirdos, the take-a-look-at-this, the flights of fancy. So, if you’re that kind of collector, S1 #49 is a great buy.