Mosler
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- This article concerns an American auto company. For the now-defunct manufacturer of safes and bank vaults, see Mosler Safe Company.
Mosler Automotive is an American supercar manufacturer based in Florida and St Ives, Cambridgeshire, England, founded by Warren Mosler in 1985. It currently produces the MT900R racer and the street-legal MT900S, as well as several unique project vehicles.
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[edit] History
In 1985, Warren Mosler, a bond trader who manages a Hedge Fund with 3.5 Billion under management, started a company called Consulier Industries and introduced the Consulier GTP, a 2200 lb. mid-engined car powered by a mid-mounted turbocharged Chrysler 2.2 L engine producing 190 hp. The chassis was a fiberglass-and-foam monocoque. Mosler was so confident in the performance of his creation that he offered a $100,000 bounty to anyone who could pilot a street-legal production car around any US racetrack faster than a Consulier GTP. Car and Driver took up the challenge, racing a stock Chevrolet Corvette (not even a ZR-1) around the Chrysler Proving Grounds racetrack in Chelsea, Michigan. Antoine and Csaba Csere took three laps each in the Corvette and a 1988 Consulier GTP Series I Sport. Both had similar lap times in each car, with the Corvette's best lap at 1:21.01 and the Consulier's best at 1:22.56. They felt that the Consulier was "difficult to handle," with "anemic" brakes. Confronted with this test, Warren Mosler claimed that the test car was older and worn out. The Consulier GTP competed successfully in many races for the next six years, before being banned by the IMSA in 1991. Overall, 100 Consulier GTPs were produced.
In the early 90's, Consulier also developed environmentally friendly vehicles, including electric cars, composite-bodied cargo vans, and small city-car commuter vehicles.
In 1993, Consulier Industries created the Mosler Automotive division to focus on high-performance cars. The newly named Mosler Automotive introduced the Intruder, a rebodied Consulier with a new 300 hp GM LT1 engine. This car raced at the 24 hours of Nelson Ledges for two consecutive years, winning both years - unfortunately, the Intruder was also banned after its dominating 1993-4 performances. In 1996, an Intruder modified by John Lingenfelter Performance to yield 450 hp won Car and Driver's One Lap of America.
1997 brought another change to the Intruder - a v-shaped windshield that reduced drag. The Intruder was renamed the Raptor, and once again won the 1997 One Lap. It also went on to win the 1999 One Lap. The Raptor entered in the 1997 One Lap weighed 2773 lb (1,258 kg) and boasted 443 hp (330 kW) from a Lingenfelter modified 6.3 L V-8.
In 2001, an all-new Mosler debuted - the Mosler MT900. This carbon-fiber chassis supercar was designed by Rod Trenne (who worked on the Chevrolet Corvette C5), and used a 350 hp (261 kW) GM LS1 engine mounted amidships, powering the rear wheels. Introduced concurrently was the MT900R, a race-prepped version of the MT900. Since then, the MT900 has undergone several revisions to become the 2005 MT900S. It now boasts 435 hp (324 kW) from its Corvette Z06-derived LS-6 V-8, powering only 2,200 lb (1000 kg) of car (without fuel). A Photon variant is available which adds a Hewland transmission, thinwall subframes, BBS magnesium wheels, titanium springs, and carbon fiber seats and bodywork, reducing the car's weight to 1,980 lb (900 kg). An early prototype MT900S, despite being up 390 pounds (177 kg) and down 65 hp (49 kW) from the producion version boasts a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 12 seconds flat.
Mosler has also produced several one-off project vehicles, including a strange custom Jeep that uses many GM components (dubbed the J-10 Sport) and the TwinStar, a Cadillac Eldorado boasting twin Northstar V-8s. Mosler also produced 4 special customade MT900 for the Sultan of Brunei.
[edit] Models
[edit] References
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