Mosler MT900
Encyclopedia
The MT900 is a sports car
built in the United States
and the United Kingdom
by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was introduced in 2001 and the MT900S finished production in May 2011. Components for 25 MTs were produced as of January, 2005, though only about 35 road cars and 50 racing versions have officially been completed. The MT900 was the replacement for the Mosler Raptor. On July 26th 2011 this car was on NBC
's It's Worth What?
.
C5. The name stood for Mosler, Trenne, and the car's 900 kilogram
(1984 lb) target weight.
The MT900 used a carbon-fiber
chassis with a LS1 V8 engine mounted amidships, powering the rear wheels. Power output is 350 hp (261 kW), with 350 ft·lbf (475 N·m) of torque
. A ZF
transaxle
, designed for Porsche
, was mounted upside down to allow the engine to sit in front of the rear axle.
The original MT900 weighed 1175 kg (2590 lb), much more than the target weight, but could still accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds according to Car and Driver
. The MT900 they tested could also do a 12.0 second quarter mile at 118 mph (190 km/h), and they recorded a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h), limited by the redline. More impressive, the MT900 pulled 1.02 g on the skidpad. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
estimated 19 and 28 mpg (12.4 and 8.4 L/100 km) in city and highway driving, respectively.
The car had a somewhat plain exterior designed for aerodynamics
, with a low 0.25 coefficient of drag. List price was US$164,000. Sales were certainly slow, however, with some reports even indicating that not a single road version of the MT900 was sold, with only a single prototype produced.
, and would be campaigned by a factory Mosler team for the full season of the Grand American Road Racing Championship. The entry finished the year ninth in their class championship.
For 2002, the French Perspective Racing team would become the full-season entry in Grand American and saw an improvement in performance. At Daytona the MT900R finished 13th overall and fifth in their class before winning at the next round at Homestead-Miami Speedway
, helping the team to third in the championship. Rollcentre Racing and Balfe Motorsport (with aid from Rollcentre) would bring the Moslers to Europe in 2003, starting the British GT Championship
year strong with three straight one-two finishes, before finishing the year with four more victories. The Rollcentre squad edged out Balfe for the championship that year. In Grand American, the Moslers were moved to the faster GTS class, but Perspective Racing improved on the previous year's Daytona effort with a ninth place finish and the class victory. Mosler Automotive would take one more victory that season.
Rollcentre and Balfe would continue in the British GT Championship in 2004, although Balfe would also enter the Spanish GT Championship
. The Moslers would struggle in British GT and score no wins, but Balfe was able to earn two victories in Spanish GT, winning the drivers' championship by a mere point. 2005 would see Balfe entering the FIA GT Championship
, although the car was not homologated
and could not fight for points. Rollcentre would go on to win the Britcar
24 hours at Silverstone
. Escuderia Bengala and Escuderia Motor Terrasa would compete in Spanish GT, while Eclipse Motorsport and Cadena GTC took over British GT competition.
, Australian GT Championship
and Belcar
series along with the British GT championship which runs to GT3 rules, but has not been approved for other series which use the GT3 category. MT900R GT3's use the LS7 7.0L V8 rather than the LS1 5.7L version from the original MT900R.
An early prototype MT900S, despite being up 390 lb (177 kg) and down 65 hp (48 kW) from the production version, boasted a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12 seconds flat.
A newer edition featuring 600 bhp prestated 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds in Car & Drivers test in early 2006.
In June 2005, Mosler announced that they had reached EPA and California Air Resources Board
(CARB) certification on the MT900S, finally allowing road car sales to begin in the United States
. The price is set at $189,000 with two examples having been built as of January 2005. George Lucas
took delivery of the first street-legal MT900S in December 2006.
aluminium block and heads
Bore x stroke: 3.90 x 3.62 in, 99.0 x 92.0 mm
Displacement: 346 in³, 5665 cc
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Fuel-delivery system: port injection
Supercharger: Eaton, Roots type
Maximum boost pressure: 6.0 psi
Valve gear: pushrods, 2 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters
Power (SAE net): 600 bhp @ 6300 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 557 ft.lbf @ 4000 rpm
Redline: 6500 rpm
Final-drive ratio: 3.44:1, limited slip
Gear, Ratio, mph/1,000,000 rpm, Speed in gears
I, 3.82, 6.1, 40 mph (6500 rpm)
II, 2.15, 10.9, 71 mph (6500 rpm)
III, 1.56, 15.0, 98 mph (6500 rpm)
IV, 1.21, 19.4, 126 mph (6500 rpm)
V, 1.00, 23.4, 152 mph (6500 rpm)
VI, 0.85, 27.6, 179 mph (6500 rpm)
0 to 100 mph (160.9 km/h): 6.5 s
0 to 150 mph (241.4 km/h): 13.8 s
Street start, 5–60 mph: 3.7 s
Top-gear acceleration, 30–50 mph: 4.7 s
Top-gear acceleration, 50–70 mph: 3.8 s
Standing quarter-mile (400 m):386798637 11.0 s at 135 mph (217.3 km/h)
Top speed (redline limited): 179 mph (288.1 km/h)
transmission
, thinwall subframes, Dymag carbon fiber magnesium
wheels, titanium
springs, and carbon fiber seats and bodywork, reducing the car's weight to just under its initial target at 898 kg (1980 lb). This is technically a $50,000 option package for the MT900S. As of January, 2011, a second Photon had been built and was sold for use in the United Kingdom.
. A rendering was made of the face lifted MT900 which was as far as the redesign progressed. Also the MT900 was to be renamed "Raptor". In May 2011 production was stopped and the factory closed down.
, unlike the other MT900 entered in previous Super GT seasons, it uses a 3.4L V8 Judd
powered Engine, an Aero kit specified for GT300 class' regulation is used.
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was introduced in 2001 and the MT900S finished production in May 2011. Components for 25 MTs were produced as of January, 2005, though only about 35 road cars and 50 racing versions have officially been completed. The MT900 was the replacement for the Mosler Raptor. On July 26th 2011 this car was on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's It's Worth What?
It's Worth What?
It's Worth What? is a reality game show that debuted July 19, 2011 on NBC. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, the show's primary focus is the cost and value of items. Announcer Dave Mitchell would describe each item that appears on stage...
.
MT900
The MT900 was designed by Rod Trenne, who previously worked on the CorvetteChevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
C5. The name stood for Mosler, Trenne, and the car's 900 kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
(1984 lb) target weight.
The MT900 used a carbon-fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
chassis with a LS1 V8 engine mounted amidships, powering the rear wheels. Power output is 350 hp (261 kW), with 350 ft·lbf (475 N·m) of torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
. A ZF
ZF Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German public company headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German region of Baden-Württemberg....
transaxle
Transaxle
In the automotive field, a transaxle is a major mechanical component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential, and associated components of the driven axle into one integrated assembly....
, designed for Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, was mounted upside down to allow the engine to sit in front of the rear axle.
The original MT900 weighed 1175 kg (2590 lb), much more than the target weight, but could still accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds according to Car and Driver
Car and Driver
Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011...
. The MT900 they tested could also do a 12.0 second quarter mile at 118 mph (190 km/h), and they recorded a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h), limited by the redline. More impressive, the MT900 pulled 1.02 g on the skidpad. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
estimated 19 and 28 mpg (12.4 and 8.4 L/100 km) in city and highway driving, respectively.
The car had a somewhat plain exterior designed for aerodynamics
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
, with a low 0.25 coefficient of drag. List price was US$164,000. Sales were certainly slow, however, with some reports even indicating that not a single road version of the MT900 was sold, with only a single prototype produced.
MT900R
Introduced at the same time as the basic MT900 was the race-ready MT900R. It was designed for use in various international motorsports series for an estimated price of $119,000. The MT900R made its competition debut at the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
, and would be campaigned by a factory Mosler team for the full season of the Grand American Road Racing Championship. The entry finished the year ninth in their class championship.
For 2002, the French Perspective Racing team would become the full-season entry in Grand American and saw an improvement in performance. At Daytona the MT900R finished 13th overall and fifth in their class before winning at the next round at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
, helping the team to third in the championship. Rollcentre Racing and Balfe Motorsport (with aid from Rollcentre) would bring the Moslers to Europe in 2003, starting the British GT Championship
British GT Championship
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called the...
year strong with three straight one-two finishes, before finishing the year with four more victories. The Rollcentre squad edged out Balfe for the championship that year. In Grand American, the Moslers were moved to the faster GTS class, but Perspective Racing improved on the previous year's Daytona effort with a ninth place finish and the class victory. Mosler Automotive would take one more victory that season.
Rollcentre and Balfe would continue in the British GT Championship in 2004, although Balfe would also enter the Spanish GT Championship
Spanish GT Championship
The Spanish GT Championship is a Spanish auto racing series founded in 1999 and organised by the GT Sport Organización. The series runs multiple classes of grand tourer cars in events around Spain and Portugal...
. The Moslers would struggle in British GT and score no wins, but Balfe was able to earn two victories in Spanish GT, winning the drivers' championship by a mere point. 2005 would see Balfe entering the FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
, although the car was not homologated
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
and could not fight for points. Rollcentre would go on to win the Britcar
Britcar
Britcar is an Endurance Motor Racing series formed in 1997, as a result of a discussion in a Nürburgring bar between Willie Moore and James Tucker. Folklore has it that James Tucker and John Veness formed the organizing European Endurance & Racing Club with a £10 note found on the ground...
24 hours at Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
. Escuderia Bengala and Escuderia Motor Terrasa would compete in Spanish GT, while Eclipse Motorsport and Cadena GTC took over British GT competition.
MT900 GT3
Launched in late 2006, the Mosler MT900 GT3 was an attempt by Rollcentre Racing to adapt the MT900R for compliance to the new FIA GT3 category used in various championships. However, the lack of production Moslers led to the FIA rejecting the homologation and forcing Rollcentre to turn elsewhere. The car is allowed into the International GT OpenInternational GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It is a spin-off of the Spanish GT Championship, and uses a similar format, except its races are held internationally.-Format:...
, Australian GT Championship
Australian GT Championship
The Australian GT Championship is a CAMS-sanctioned national title for drivers of GT cars, held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985 and from 2005. Each championship up to and including the 1963 title was contested over a single race and those after that year over a series of races...
and Belcar
Belcar
The Belcar Endurance Championship is the national sports car racing championship of Belgium. The series is sanctioned by the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium and run by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation . The series' title sponsor is Mediagroep Van Dyck.Since the 2007 season, the series has run...
series along with the British GT championship which runs to GT3 rules, but has not been approved for other series which use the GT3 category. MT900R GT3's use the LS7 7.0L V8 rather than the LS1 5.7L version from the original MT900R.
MT900S
The MT900 underwent several changes to become the MT900S. It now boasts 435 hp (324 kW) from its Corvette Z06-derived LS6 V8. The car weighs just 2200 lb (998 kg) without fuel.An early prototype MT900S, despite being up 390 lb (177 kg) and down 65 hp (48 kW) from the production version, boasted a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12 seconds flat.
A newer edition featuring 600 bhp prestated 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds in Car & Drivers test in early 2006.
In June 2005, Mosler announced that they had reached EPA and California Air Resources Board
California Air Resources Board
The California Air Resources Board, also known as CARB or ARB, is the "clean air agency" in the government of California. Established in 1967 in the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, CARB is a department within the...
(CARB) certification on the MT900S, finally allowing road car sales to begin in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The price is set at $189,000 with two examples having been built as of January 2005. George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
took delivery of the first street-legal MT900S in December 2006.
Engine
Type: supercharged and intercooled V-8,aluminium block and heads
Bore x stroke: 3.90 x 3.62 in, 99.0 x 92.0 mm
Displacement: 346 in³, 5665 cc
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Fuel-delivery system: port injection
Supercharger: Eaton, Roots type
Maximum boost pressure: 6.0 psi
Valve gear: pushrods, 2 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters
Power (SAE net): 600 bhp @ 6300 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 557 ft.lbf @ 4000 rpm
Redline: 6500 rpm
Drivetrain
Transmission: 6-speed manualFinal-drive ratio: 3.44:1, limited slip
Gear, Ratio, mph/1,000,000 rpm, Speed in gears
I, 3.82, 6.1, 40 mph (6500 rpm)
II, 2.15, 10.9, 71 mph (6500 rpm)
III, 1.56, 15.0, 98 mph (6500 rpm)
IV, 1.21, 19.4, 126 mph (6500 rpm)
V, 1.00, 23.4, 152 mph (6500 rpm)
VI, 0.85, 27.6, 179 mph (6500 rpm)
Acceleration
0 to 60 mph (96.6 km/h): 3.1 s0 to 100 mph (160.9 km/h): 6.5 s
0 to 150 mph (241.4 km/h): 13.8 s
Street start, 5–60 mph: 3.7 s
Top-gear acceleration, 30–50 mph: 4.7 s
Top-gear acceleration, 50–70 mph: 3.8 s
Standing quarter-mile (400 m):386798637 11.0 s at 135 mph (217.3 km/h)
Top speed (redline limited): 179 mph (288.1 km/h)
Photon
A MT900S Photon variant is available which adds a HewlandHewland
Founded by Mike Hewland in 1957, Hewland is a British engineering company specialising in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland was the first company to manufacture a bespoke racing-car gearbox....
transmission
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
, thinwall subframes, Dymag carbon fiber magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
wheels, titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
springs, and carbon fiber seats and bodywork, reducing the car's weight to just under its initial target at 898 kg (1980 lb). This is technically a $50,000 option package for the MT900S. As of January, 2011, a second Photon had been built and was sold for use in the United Kingdom.
MT900SGT
In 2010, Mosler announced they will release a facelifted version of MT900, based on the MT900M which participated in 2010 Super GT season2010 Super GT season
The 2010 Super GT season was the 17th season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship....
. A rendering was made of the face lifted MT900 which was as far as the redesign progressed. Also the MT900 was to be renamed "Raptor". In May 2011 production was stopped and the factory closed down.
MT900M
In 2010 Super GT season, the MT900M made its debut at the second round of the season in Okayama by Thunder Asia Racing, a GT300 team based in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, unlike the other MT900 entered in previous Super GT seasons, it uses a 3.4L V8 Judd
Judd (engine)
Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
powered Engine, an Aero kit specified for GT300 class' regulation is used.