SARD (Sigma Advanced Research Development) is a company and race team in Toyota, Aichi, Japan specializing in Toyota parts and vehicles.

Back in the ’90s they built several race car based on a Toyota MR2 SW20 called the MC8-R for Le Mans and Super GT. It competed from 1995-1997 but did not have a very successful career. To comply with homologation rules at the time, SARD built one road version of the race car in 1994 called the SARD MC8.

The road version features lengthened chassis supporting a twin-turbo 4.0 L 1UZ-FE V8 estimated to make 600 horsepower (447 kW). The drivetrain uses a Porsche six-speed manual transmission with a Tilton clutch and the body is a mix of steel and custom dry carbon fiber panels.

It stops thanks to Supra A80 disc brakes behind SARD 18-inch wheels.

Instagram of the road car

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Gallery of SARD MC8 Road car

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SARD MC8-R in Le Mans – story of beautifull looser

Japanese automotive giant Toyota had been campaigning at Le Mans in the Group C prototype category for most of the 1980’s. With the demise of this great series in 1993, they were left empty handed. In the meantime production-based GT1 racing had been gaining massive popularity in Europe. Race converted sportscars like the Ferrari F40 GTE and the McLaren F1 GTR were making a name for themselves in the BPR Global GT Series and subsequently Le Mans. Toyota saw this new category as a great way to keep their presence in high level motor racing.

Always in for some crazy fun, SARD threw all their expertise at the little car. First order of business was extending the compact sportscar’s body between the wheels by so much as 40 cm. This extra body length and longer wheelbase was needed to maintain stability on the long high speed straights at Le Mans. Another reason was to free up space for a brand new, much bigger engine.

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SPECS of SARD MC8-R

height: 1132 mm
length: 4540 mm
width: 1920 mm
wheelbase: 2800 mm

1995 

Along with the GT500 Supra GT LM, the MC8-R was entered into the 1995 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Listed as drivers were former Porsche and Jaguar factory Group C ace Alain Ferté (FRA), former Sauber-Mercedes and Nissan Group C factory pilot Kenny Acheson (GB), and Italian F3000 driver Marco Apicella, coincidentally the man with the shortest F1-career in history (just one corner). The car´s main sponsor was Japanese mobile network provider Do Co Mo.

In qualifying the car would disappoint dearly. It managed only 31st overall and 22nd in class, directly behind the Supra. The fierce competition of the Ferrari F40 GTE, Jaguar XJ220 LM, McLaren F1 GTR, Lister Storm GTS, Venturi 600 SLM and the confusingly named Porsche 993 GT2 Evo proved to be too overbearing for the new and unproven car. Compatriots Honda and Nissan had also deployed an attack on the Europeans, and were actually doing better than Toyota. The NSX GT1 Turbo placed 19th in class, with the fastest Skyline GT-R LM in 17th.

The somber tone set in qualifying continued on race day. After just 14 laps the MC8-R’s clutch broke, putting an early end to the car’s adventure. A reminder of the European GT1 dominance came some 23 hours later, when a GT1-class McLaren F1 surprisingly won the race overall.

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SARD MC8-R 1995 and 1996 LM for Assetto Corsa download v1.2

Here is virtual version of SARD from 1995 LM year, maybe it’s not like original car, but who of us know it? Still it’s properly made and good to ride

• Support raindrops and whipers
• 1995-1996-1997 years
• Specs according real data according each year
• No shifting animation

Download SARD MC8-R pack V1.2 HERE

Donate via PayPal for futher development if you are interested in this model. Thank you.

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1996

For 1996 SARD and Toyota were eager to compensate for their total failure the year before. To prevent another disastrous clutch failure, the Hewland VGC 6-speed was ditched in favor of a stronger 5-speed transmisson developed by March Engineering. In addition the MC8-R went on a crash diet, bringing weight down to 1061 kg (2339 lbs). The driver line up was also revised, with experienced former Group-C racers Mauro Martini (ITA) and Peter Fabre (FRA) now joining Alain Ferté. Taking up major sponsorship duty was Menicon, a Japanese contact lens company.

Even with the massive weight reduction the car did not improve in the slightest. Qualifying saw the car more or less in the same spot as 1995, 38th overall and 23rd in class. Again it had been outclassed by the Supra, which managed to reach 36th overall and 22nd in class.

The European armada had not been sitting still and their development head start meant the SARD still hadn’t caught up. A great testament of this was Porsche’s bonkers new 911 GT1 homologation special, which took Toyota’s bright idea to new extremes. Where the MC8-R was still basically a hot-rodded MR2, the 911 GT1 was more prototype than GT, sharing very little with its 993 base car. As a result the Porsche completely obliterated its competitors.

Come race day things were looking up however, as the car’s new clutch at least made it past the dreaded 14 lap mark. The team piled on hour after hour and confidence was building accordingly. Due to the event´s high rate of attrition, the car found itself 24th overall and 15th in class at the end of the race. In doing so it was still only second to last of the finishing competitors.

In 1997 the car was entered into the 24 Hours of Le Mans once again. This time it however failed to qualify in the hands of its new driver, former F1-backmarker Olivier Grouillard (FRA).

The SARD MC8-R was the first true purpose built GT1 homologation special. Although largely unsuccessful against true road car based competitors, the car paved the way for ever faster and more exotic machines with increasingly questionable legality. Toyota would itself repeat the trick with 1998´s blindingly fast TS020 GT-One, with which it tried to one-up Porsche and their mad 911 GT1..

SARD last remade in 1997

The team also entered the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans, but driver Olivier Grouillard failed to make it past pre-qualifying. Two cars were also entered in the FIA GT Championship round at the 1997 Suzuka 1000km (one by Team Menicon SARD and one entered by IDC Ootsukakagu SARD)

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