Test – Riley & Scott MK III C, the beautiful stranger

By imposing the 3,5-litre naturally aspirated engine on Group Cs in the early 1990s, the FIA ​​would, without knowing it, hasten the death of sports prototypes in Europe. Deemed too expensive, these new regulations pushed manufacturers to turn to GTs with more controlled costs. The salvation of these "open" cars would come via the United States and the championship IMSA, with the creation in 1994 of the World Sportscar Championship category. At the same time, recovering the title of world sportscar championship, the series was to experience great success and attract many manufacturers including Ferrari who developed, for this purpose, his fabulous 333 SP.

If the recent Glinkenhaus and Isotta Fraschini adventures (alas) came to an abrupt end due to the sums needed to even exist, it was still possible to reach the summits, at that time, with a pragmatic approach.

This is how Bob Riley and Mark Scott presented the MK III in 1995, a Sports Prototype based on a chassis made of steel tubes covered with carbon panels and designed to accommodate various V8 engines that were very popular across the Atlantic. Designed with the support of aeronautical specialist John Roncz who, in an innovative way, used computational fluid dynamics that were still in their infancy, the Rile