In 1981, American automotive giant Ford decided to orchestrate a reentry into the highest level of endurance racing. The brand had been absent in works capacity since their dominant final victory in 1967. The brutish seven liter MkIV was swiftly banned after the race, leaving space for the five liter GT40 MkII entered by privateers John Wyer Automotive to take back to back victories in 1968 and 1969.

The Ford MkIV absolutely destroyed the competition at Le Mans and Sebring in 1967. The Ford MkIV absolutely destroyed the competition at Le Mans and Sebring in 1967.

With the rise of Porsche and the absence of a dedicated factory program, Ford fell to the wayside. Ford-branded Cosworth-powered cars managed to win at Le Mans twice during the company's absence however, as Gulf-Mirage and Rondeau scored popular victories in 1975 and 1980.

Le Mans local Jean Rondeau secured the last ever Ford-powered outright win in 1980. Le Mans local Jean Rondeau secured the last ever Ford-powered outright win in 1980.

The popularity of the customer engines and the prospect of a new, more level playing field with the introduction of FIA Group C in 1982 motivated Ford to return to sportscar racing. British designer Len Bailey, a key part of the GT40-project, was given the task of designing the new car.

The resulting C100 was a sheet aluminum monocoque closed top prototype, built in anticipation of the coming Group C regulations. However, as the car was a year early, it was registered as a Group 6 prototype. Up to 1980, this would have meant a limited displacement of 3.0L, but 1981 was treated as a transitional year.

As a result, Bailey was able to incorporate the new 3.3L, 490 horsepower Cosworth DFL V8. This engine was a long-stroke version of the venerable 3.0L DFV used in Formula One since 1969. Although the engine had miraculously won Le Mans in 1975 and 1980, its heavy vibrations and high-strung, high-revving nature made it ill-suited to endurance racing.

The longer stroke of the DFL was supposed to make the engine smoother and easier on auxiliary parts, as the old DFV was known for shaking both itself and the cars it occupied to pieces.

The original Ford C100. The original Ford C100.

Though the project seemed promising, Len Bailey lost motivation halfway through, and the first guise of the car became a resounding failure. The outdated sheet aluminium chassis lacked stiffness, the suspension setup was botched, and even the steering column was out of place. Tellingly, legendary British designer Tony Southgate immediately identified these issues at first glance after having been called in to finish Bailey's work.

As Bailey left the project, fabricator John Thompson was also pulled on, as the vastly superior aluminium honeycomb chassis he had built for Alain de Cadenet had caught Ford's eye. Thompson's work was fitted with Southgate's heavily revised suspension setup front and rear, and was used throughout 1982. Helped by an enlarged 3.9L DFL providing 540 horsepower, the car was some 2.5 seconds faster than the original concept.

Thompson's version proved substantially faster. Thompson's version proved substantially faster.

For 1983, Cosworth's Keith Duckworth was commissioned to fashion two turbochargers to the DFL, to help the car keep up with the overbearing power of the Porsche 956. However, just as the 1983 evolution undertook its first shakedown at Paul Ricard, still powered by a normal DFL, Ford suddenly pulled the plug.

Though the car had shown flashes of speed in 1982, reliability had been a continuous headache for the team. With ten retirements out of eighteen starts, the car was less than successful. Of those eight finishes, seven were in the top ten.

The C100's running in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (German Racing Championship) were the most successful, as the Zakspeed team managed to clinch two victories at Hockenheim and the Nurburgring. Despite this, the performances of the official Ford team in the World Endurance Championship were far more important. Since those were objectively terrible, the program was promptly cancelled.

The Zakspeed C100 leading the way at Zolder, DRM 1982. The Zakspeed C100 leading the way at Zolder, DRM 1982.

Zakspeed was able to retain their two chassis, and decided on a radical new direction for one of them. Since the heart of the car's problems was the unruly Cosworth engine, Erich Zakowski's famous outfit opted to combine the car with his experience with turbocharged engines.

Zakspeed had been tremendously successful in the Group 5 era of the late 1970's, with various highly modified silhouette racers being propelled to the forefront by their home-built turbo engines. With everything from the Lotus Europa and Ford Escort, Capri and Mustang falling under Zakspeed jurisdiction, Zakowski had a plethora of dedicated turbo engines to choose from.

The impressive Zakspeed Mustang Turbo GTX donated its engine to the C1/4. The impressive Zakspeed Mustang Turbo GTX donated its engine to the C1/4.

The solution then, was very simple. The Cosworth DFL was promptly removed, and replaced by a 1.8L turbocharged four cylinder taken straight from the IMSA GTX Mustang. As the largest of the Zakspeed engines, it was the best fit for endurance racing, as the overstressed 1.4L out of the more well-known Capri wouldn't have been up to the task.

The engine was roughly based on the Cosworth BDA, which in turn traced its origins to the pedestrian Kent block produced by Ford. Owing to a massive turbocharger and substantially reworked internals, as much as 560 horsepower was available.

The power was directed to the rear wheels by a Hewland 6-speed manual transmission. Several alterations were made to the bodywork to accommodate the new engine. The large intakes on the sides were deleted, as the radiator was moved to the nose section, creating a distinctive bulge.

A wider and lower, flush-mounted wing was also fitted, further distinguishing the car from its corporate forebear. With double wishbone suspension on all four corners and a total weight of just 800 kg (1764 lbs), the car seemed like a worthy opponent to the early Group C contingent.

The finished car was given to German racing legend Klaus Ludwig, 1979 and 1981 DRM Champion and 1979 Le Mans winner. Ludwig had been a longtime Ford campaigner, and became closely involved with Zakspeed during the Group 5 years. Known as Konig Ludwig (King Ludwig) for his immense talent, he was the perfect candidate to push the new C1/4 to the very limit.

Joining him was German touring car ace Klaus Niedzwiedz, another Zakspeed regular. Niedzwiedz took command of the second Zakspeed chassis, which featured the same sort of updates as the C1/4, but retained the Cosworth V8. As a result, the car was renamed C1/8.

Both cars were entered into the 1983 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, a six round series contested on mainly German tracks, with one excursion into Belgium. The Zakspeed crew faced competition from not one but four examples of the daunting Porsche 956, an older open-top 936/80, a Group C-converted Joest 936C JR005, an exotic BMW M12 turbo-powered Lola T600, two URD C81's, a Lotec M1C and a surviving Zakspeed Capri.

Start of the 1983 DRM season at Zolder, the Porsches chased by Klaus Niedzwiedz's C1/8 in third. Klaus Ludwig in sixth. Start of the 1983 DRM season at Zolder, the Porsches chased by Klaus Niedzwiedz's C1/8 in third. Klaus Ludwig in sixth.

The first round of the season took place on the tight and twisty track of Zolder, in the North-Eastern Belgian province of Limburg. As expected, the Porsche's took charge in qualifying, but the big surprise came from Klaus Niedzwiedz.

His C1/8 performed fantastically, with a 1:30.250 laps securing a 3rd place on the grid. However, he was still 2.8 seconds behind the Joest Racing Porsche of Bob Wollek on pole, and 2.11 seconds behind the John Fitpatrick 956 in 2nd. Conversely, Klaus Ludwig's C1/4 struggled to keep up, being stuck in 8th, some 6.24 seconds down on the Wollek car. On race day though, neither car was classified.

At Hockenheim, the big Porsche teams were absent, setting the stage for a unique opportunity. Klaus Ludwig grabbed it with both hands, outclassing the rest of the field with ease. He put the C1/4 on pole position with a 3.53 second margin over the Joest 936C, with Niedzwiedz following behind in 3rd place.

Sadly, he was unable to convert his qualifying prowess into a meaningful result, as he again failed to classify. Teammate Niedzwiedz took advantage of the situation, taking a commanding victory by over a minute from the Joest Porsche.

On the autobahns of Berlin that made up the AVUS-Ring, the C1/4 again struggled. Klaus Ludwig couldn't manage more than 9th place, again far behind the naturally aspirated C1/8, which had clocked a time good enough for third once more. The race took a similar course. Niedzwiedz held on to third, while Ludwig dropped out with turbo failure.

Start of the race at AVUS, 1983. Start of the race at AVUS, 1983.

The airfield circuit of Mainz-Finthen was next on the calendar, and finally saw the C1/4 come up to steam. Klaus Ludwig took pole position on his own merit for the first time, as he beat the Joest 956 in a straight fight, with .390 of a second to spare. Niedzwiedz and the C1/8 settled for third, making for a strong showing from Zakspeed.

Bob Wollek got the upper hand in the race after all though, forcing Ludwig to concede the lead and bring in a second place for his first finish of the season. Meanwhile, Niedzwiedz finished fifth.

Strangely, the car's form fell once again at the tiny Norisring street circuit. The C1/4 dropped to 9th and second to last on the grid, while the naturally aspirated C1/8 produced a time good enough for sixth. The race itself was a big drama for the Zakspeed squad, as Ludwig broke his brake pedal, and Niedzwiedz suffered a destroyed gear selector.

Airfields seemed to suit the plagued C1/4, as it was once again ahead of its more conventional brother at Diepholz for the final round of the DRM season. This time around Klaus Ludwig was just behind the two Porsches 956, with Klaus Niedzwiedz's C1/8 behind in 5th. Both cars made it through the field, as Ludwig climbed up to second in front of a resurgent Niedzwiedz in third.

At the end of the season, the more consistent and reliable performances of Klaus Niedzwiedz in the conventional C1/8 had become painfully apparent. Niedzwiedz finished third in the standings with 52 points over Ludwig's fifth place with just 30 points.

The C1/4 in the pits at Spa. The C1/4 in the pits at Spa.

The C1/4 made its world championship debut at the fifth round of the World Endurance Championship at the legendary track of Spa Francorchamps. Both Klauses teamed up for the six hour event, and qualified sixth behind four Porsches and the new Lancia LC2. Sadly, the superduo failed to make the finish, as a disintegrating gearbox put paid to their race prematurely.

After the world championship excursion, Zakspeed focused its efforts on the Interserie, a minor championship which had previously served as the European equivalent to the American Can-Am Challenge. By 1983 however, it had become a refuge for outdated and outlawed sports prototypes and home-built specials.

In this less professional environment, the Zakspeed machines ruled supreme. Future DTM-star Jorg van Ommen took over from Klaus Ludwig, and immediately won the first heat at the airfield track of Siegerland.

Klaus Niedzwiedz remained with the C1/8, but encountered differential problems in the first heat, and failed to make the start of the second, where Van Ommen finished second. Klaus Ludwig returned for the final race of the Interserie at Hockenheim, where he finished second in the absence of Niedzwiedz.

The C1/4 switched to the C1/8's GWB colors in 1985, with Klaus Niedzwiedz at the wheel. The C1/4 switched to the C1/8's GWB colors in 1985, with Klaus Niedzwiedz at the wheel.

For 1984, Zakspeed elected to mothball the C1/4, as it had proven too inconsistent and unreliable compared to the V8 model. The C1/8 was consequently used solely in both the DRM and Interserie. A second C1/8 was entered for Jochen Dauer, but was largely unsuccessful. Klaus Niedzwiedz once again used the car to great effect however, clinching the 1984 Interserie title with five wins.

In 1985, the C1/4 got a second chance when Klaus Niedzwiedz switched to the car for the third round of the Interserie season, predictably at an airfield. Just as in 1983, the car performed admirably, with 3rd and 4th place finishes in the two heats. At the Norising, Niedzwiedz managed to win the first heat, but failed to finish in the second. As he result he finished a mere sixth overall.

Zeltweg saw the C1/4 start from third on the grid. The position was retained in heat 1, but Klaus Niedzwiedz failed to finish in the second with mechanical problems, causing him to drop out of the overall standings of the event as well. At Erding, he finished both heats in second place.

The only DRM race of the season saw Klaus Niedzwiedz fall to 13th, as the tight, low speed Norisring didn't jive with the aggressive but laggy Zakspeed turbo engine. Ironically, the lower profile Interserie would prove to outlive the more prestigious Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, which was cancelled after 1985.

Franz Konrad took over from Klaus Niedzwiedz at the seventh round of the Interserie at the new Nurburgring GP-Strecke. Konrad took fifth in the first heat, but was unable to finish the second, leading to an overall retirement.

Klaus Ludwig was reunited with the C1/4 at Siegerland, and promptly picked up where he left off. Again showing his and the car's knack for airfield circuits, he finished second in the first heat, followed by a 5th place in the second. Overall, the combined result put him on the podium in third.

The last round of the Interserie would see another surprisingly competitive performance for the C1/4, as Klaus Ludwig piloted the car to a well-deserved 3rd place. After this showing, the car was retired for good, and its C1/8 brothers were sold off to privateers, including former Zakspeed driver Franz Konrad.

The Zakspeed C1/4 was an opportunistic attempt by a revered private tuner to capitalize on a cancelled works program. Utilizing their experience with blisteringly Group 5 and IMSA GT silhouette racers, Zakspeed reckoned it could get the beleaguered Ford C100 to the top.

Though the aerodynamic refinements worked their magic, the self-developed turbo engine wasn't exactly up to snuff. Though it was capable of respectable power, it lagged behind the overpowering Porsches, and was far less reliable. Ironically, the underpowered Cosworth-propelled C1/8 usually bested the turbo car, as its notoriously self-destructive flatplane V8 actually proved more reliable than the Zakspeed machine.

Unsurprisingly, Zakspeed gave up on the concept after two inconsistent seasons, and promptly plunged into another wholly overambitious project. Just as the C1/4 rolled into retirement, the team rammed head-first into the mad and incredibly taxing world of Formula One, basing their efforts on a worryingly similar engine.