Competition vehicle Unregistered

Chassis no. MP84-05-00/MP91-01

- Raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003 in the Bucknum team

- Eligible for historic racing series and Endurance Racing Legends series

- Well-preserved car, documented history

At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, everyone knows the top teams such as Toyota, Porsche or Audi, but most of the entries, often forgotten, are from private teams, who make up for their limited resources with unlimited passion. This Pilbeam is one of them.

Formerly an engineer at Lotus and BRM, where he contributed to the design of the P201, Mike Pilbeam created Pilbeam Racing Designs in 1975 to design racing cars and to work with manufacturers to develop their cars. In 1999, he stepped up a notch with the MP84, an LMP prototype which made its debut in the International Sports Racing Series.

 

The car we are offering is the MP84 chassis no. 05, which began its career with Pilbeam Racing America and took part in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2001, before being acquired by the Bucknum Racing Team run by Jeff Bucknum, son of the late Ronnie Bucknum (Honda’s very first F1 driver). With a JPX engine (120 deg. V6, 3.5 litres, 500 bhp) and a Hewland gearbox, it took part in several races in the American Le Mans Series in 2002, before it was converted by the factory to MP91 spec in 2003. In this configuration, it continued its career in the American Le Mans Series, culminating in its entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003, in the LMP675 class. With the racing number 23, the car was driven by Jeff Bucknum, Chris McMurry and Bryan Williams and posted the 31st fastest time in testing, out of the 56 cars competing. On the day the race was due to start, 14 June, good fortune was unfortunately not on its side, and at 5.25 PM, it pulled into the pits for the first time, due to a gearbox problem. A few hours later, it stopped at the side of the track with an electronic problem, but was able to get going again; at 10.20 PM, however, it had to retire due to engine failure.

It completed the 2003 season and continued to race in the US in 2004 in the ALMS series, finishing 30th at the 12 Hours of Sebring. It subsequently took part occasionally in various races.

 

In 2017, it was purchased by its current owner, who entered it in historic racing events such as the Masters Endurance Legends (in 2021, it won the ‘Group C Classic’ championship), and he is now selling it. Well-maintained, this Pilbeam is reported to have clocked up 12 hours since its last service, so the engine and gearbox still have a remaining life of around 10 hours. The seatbelts and fuel tank will need replacing, and the fire extinguisher must be checked.

It comes with eight dry tyres on rims (four of which are new), a set of wet tyres on rims, clutch removal tools, transport wheel nuts, fans, a battery charging cable and small parts, as well as several documents: FIA certificate of conformity for the MP84 chassis, homologation form for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP675, gearbox manual, parts logbook, DSMB-Wagenpass No. 36096/21 (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund), and a complete list of race results.

 

Eligible for the Masters Endurance Legends, Historic Sportscar Racing and Sportscar Vintage Racing series and Le Mans Classic Legend, it offers a relatively easy way to get into high-level historic motorsport. A car that once raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it tells the story of a private team with a historic name and is ready to continue its career on track in the hands of an enthusiastic driver.

Photos © Peter Singhof