1994 VENTURI 600 LM

Unregistered
Competition car
Chassis n° VK8CLM61194CE00008

- Winner of the 1000km of Paris with Henri Pescarolo/JC Basso
- The only 600 LM built by the factory and homologated in GT1
- Very high performance
- A legend of GT racing

Certainly the quickest French GT ever produced, the 600 LM remains the most powerful, the fastest and the most desirable car from Venturi, the marque founded in 1984 by Claude Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy, who were featured in the French TV programme Automoto. Created at the start of the 1990s by Jürgen Barth, Patrick Peter and Stéphane Ratel, the BPR Series allowed the leading makes in the history of motorsport to do battle again on the top racetracks. Venturi was determined to make its mark among the Ferraris, Porsches and Jaguars. Already heavily involved in racing with the Venturi Challenge and its Trophy model reserved for ‘gentlemen drivers’, the French manufacturer developed models with increased performance which could go after victory in international events. And so, after the 400 GT, derived from the Trophy model, and the 500 LM, the time came for the most incredible model of all, the 600 LM.
The car we are presenting is the only 600 LM built by the factory, all the others having been assembled from existing 500 LMs. Delivered new to its current owner, the racing driver Jean-Claude Basso, the car boasts an extraordinary history in competition. Basso and the great Henri Pescarolo shared the wheel to win the 1000km of Paris on 29 May 1994, with the racing number 43. It is the only Venturi to have been entered in the GT1 class. It subsequently took part in several rounds of the BPR Series and the GT1 Championship, in Europe, Japan and China against F40 and Porsches, recording several class wins. Although its racing career ended in 1998, its 600bhp V6 PRV engine was completely rebuilt in 2015. Since then, the car has only been driven for 2 hours and has remained untouched since it last raced. It will therefore come on to the auction stage with its engine running. The car will be sold with numerous parts, including various service items, four extra wheels and a full set of different gearwheels for its Hewland gearbox. It is the most powerful Venturi ever built, a unique works car which won the 1000km of Paris with one of France’s greatest racing drivers.

Photo © Christian Martin

The auction of this lot will take place on Saturday 19 March 2022.
https://www.artcurial.com/fr/lot-1994-venturi-600-lm-4134-349