In 2005 Jim Glickenhaus commissioned Pininfarina and Ferrari to build him a modern day version of the famous 1960 Ferrari 330 P3/4 racecar. It became the now famous Ferrari P4/5 that is based on an Enzo with a body that was been designed by Pininfarina.
However, because this car was built as a road car it wasn't allowed to participate in any race. But Jim Glickenhaus wanted more, so in 2009 he set out to build a racecar version of the P4/5 called the P4/5 Competizione. But this time it would be without the help of Ferrari and Pininfarina; more on that subject later. He contacted Paolo Garella who worked with Glickenhaus on the P4/5 but left Pininfarina in 2009. He is now the program manager and responsible for the design and technical aspect of the P4/5C.
Now all he needed was a race to compete in. And he decided that race should be the 24hr at the Nürburgring.
The car would be entered in the E1-XP2 class. Both the BMW M3 GTs campaigned by BMW Motorsport would also enter in the same class because just like the P4/5C they are based on GT2 spec machines.
When I first arrived at the paddock area it was already buzzing with people. First we checked in at the Schubert Motorsport tent to get settled, meet the drivers and see the cars. Quickly after that I made my way outside to look for the P4/5C that I had read so much about. Finally I spotted the tent, it is the one in the middle on the right side. All that was left was to somehow make my way through the crowd.
And there it was in all of its naked glory. What you're actually looking at is the combination of three cars. The Ferrari P4/5 is based on the Ferrari Enzo but this one is a bit different. The team wanted to base the car on the Ferrari 333SP chassis and engine but the organizers of the 24hrs Nürburgring don't allow a carbon fiber chassis nor the 333SP engine.
It was then decided to buy a Ferrari F430 GT2 and mate it with a Ferrari F430 Scuderia. The Scuderia was upgraded with all the running gear from the GT2. The third car is the original P4/5 on which the body has been based on. So basically it uses the F430 Scuderia chassis and drivetrain upgraded to full F430 GT2 spec with a P4/5 carbon fiber body. Using the F430 Scuderia chassis enables Jim Glickenhaus to return the car to road going status, which explains the New York State license plate.
But don't be fooled into thinking that this is just a mash up of parts thrown together. The car still has numerous custom parts scattered throughout the car and the body isn't an exact copy of the P4/5. Instead the body has been designed from the ground up to fit the Scuderia chassis.
The carbon fiber body parts are easily to remove for fast maintenance. Behind them are some of the Pirelli tires. Pirelli is one of the big sponsors on this project providing the team with specially designed tires. They are using the P4/5C as a test bed for their new GT tire.
When all the body panels are fitted it looks gorgeous. Here it is just about ready to go for a qualifying lap. They managed to qualify in 36th position and after the first pit stop they were in 29th position. But a punctured tire just before the Karussell caused several other mechanical problems. They did manage to end the race and that is a victory in its own right. They finished in 41st after they completed 133 laps with a fastest time of 8:49.472.
You won't find any Ferrari logos on this car despite it is being based upon their products. It has to do with the fact that Jim Glickenhaus contracted the L.M. Gianetti organization and N.Technology. Both these companies joined forces under the name ProTo. Together with Paola Garella they have build the entire car from front to end, so Ferrari didn't provide input into the project. The new logo says SCG what stands for Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. Cameron is Jim's wife's maiden name.
Here is the man himself. I felt like I had walked into a candy store, so naturally I wanted to meet the owner and tell him how great the store wa!. Jim Glickenhaus was very friendly and open and took the time to answer the questions the people had. It was very cool to meet him.
Another famous person that I recognized was none other than former F1 driver Mika Salo. He was one of the drivers of the car together with Fabrizio Giovanardi, Luca Cappellari and Nicola Larini. Here you see him signing a small handout. The father of the kid was standing next to me and I think he was even more excited to see Mika than his son.
Time to roll the car out towards the pre-grid ceremony. At this time I was already in the pitlane waiting for the cars to come out from hiding.
It wasn't hard to find because the car was surrounded by mechanics wearing this jacket. So I knew I was in the right place.
This is the license plate I mentioned earlier, which is a sign of its future intentions. Behind it lies the V8 3996cc engine. Funny thing is though that this engine has less power than a stock F430 because of the GT2 restrictor plate and the fact that it has been destroked. A F430 has 483hp and this restricted version only has 450hp. They even had to carry ballast to comply with the GT2 rules that states that the minimum weight of the car had to be 1230kg.
The interior is pure racecar with a rollcage, flocked dash and carbon everywhere. You can also see the extra padding inside the seat for the driver. Every driver has their own so they can switch it out quickly during driver changes.
Lots of buttons and switches dominate the control panel. The driver changes gear using the lever because according to GT2 regulations you aren't allowed to use paddle shifters. Behind it you'll see a map of teh Nordschleife for reference.
When it threatened to rain the mechanics quickly put up a tent to shield the car hence the red reflections. Here is one of the mechanics going through some of the final checks.
Another mechanic was making sure everything was okay and checked the latest telemetry.
These final shots were taken during qualifying before the actual race.
During the night the car would gain some extra headlights. They are used to have better visibility but maybe even more important they are there for the other cars. This way they see you sooner as you come up in their rear view mirror
Another great shot from Rod where we see the P4/5C dipping into the Karussell.
-Jeroen Willemsen