The Venturi 400 GT is an oft-forgotten, but fascinating French supercar from the ’90s, and you could now own this esoteric piece of motoring history and win best-in-show at every Cars and Coffee meet you care to attend.
Although no longer original, this is actually even cooler than a simple Venturi 400, because it is one of the 73 examples that were built for racing in the Gentleman Drivers Trophy. The series campaigned throughout Europe on some of its most famous tracks, in a single-make racing series conceived of by Stephane Ratel – the man behind SRO Motorsports Group which today runs the Total 24 Hours of Spa, and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, among others.
Originally painted blue and yellow, this example raced in 1992, but was painted red before being exported to Japan in 1993. There, it was modified to be roadworthy by its new owner, and was even featured on the legendary TV series Best Motoring.
It benefits from a wide variety of modifications, including a Venturi 600 LM-style vented hood, Brembo slotted disc brakes from a Ferrari 355 Challenge, adjustable Ohlins coilovers with Swift springs, and more.
It is still powered by a 3.0-liter V6, though it has also been modified. It features HKS GT-SS turbochargers, coil-on-plug ignition, and a MoTeC M48 engine management system. The engine is connected to a Porsche G50 five-speed manual transmission, which sends power to the rear BBS E88 wheels.
Just how much power the engine makes with all of those modifications is unclear, but the Venturi 400 Trophy’s twin-turbocharged engine made 408 hp (304 kW/414 PS) and 391 lb-ft (530 Nm) of torque when it was new, so this is unlikely to be a slouch. With just 6,213 miles (10,000 km) on the odometer, it’s pretty fresh, too.
The current seller got this Venturi 400 Trophy about six months ago, and it now has a clean Florida title. Offered for sale on Bring a Trailer, you have until Tuesday, August 8 to put in a bid, if you’re interested in this piece of French racing history.
