Description:

“The Spice of Life”
1992 Spice SE92P
Chevrolet V8-powered IMSA GTP prototype
Built by iconic constructor Spice Engineering

It’s often been said that endurance prototype racing in the likes of the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is currently enjoying a golden era, with packed grids and high manufacturer involvement. While that statement is correct, many racing fans can also correctly identify that this current surge in popularity is reminiscent of the previous ‘golden period’ of endurance racing.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the introduction of the Group C ruleset in the World Sportscar Championship brought the series to previously unseen heights. A simple and open rulebook, mostly based around fuel efficiency but with little restrictions elsewhere, encouraged manufacturers to sign up en masse. Porsche, Jaguar, Lancia, Peugeot, Toyota, Mazda and Nissan all wanted a part of the action.

Over in the United States, the International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) took notice and introduced the GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) class. This ruleset was effectively the same as Group C, with one significant difference: IMSA placed no emphasis on fuel consumption. In the words of Derek Bell: “Race fans do not come to races to watch an economy run.”

One of the most venerable and beloved names from this golden age of endurance racing was Spice Engineering, founded by Gordon Spice and Raymond Bellm. Spice, himself a prolific racing driver with six consecutive British Touring Car Championship titles to his name between 1975 and 1980, initially started out by running Tiga machinery in the World Sportscar Championship’s C2 category.

Spice Engineering eventually grew to become a high-profile constructor during the Group C/GTP era, boldly taking on the category’s big manufacturers and eventually also reaching works status by becoming the factory team for Honda. The Acura-powered SE90P run by Comptech Racing and fronted by Parker Johnstone went on to win three consecutive IMSA Camel Lights championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993. This was just a small part of Spice Engineering’s success during this time period, as it also took four world championships in C2, four 24 Hours of Le Mans class wins and five class victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona, shared between the works team and the leading privateer effort of Chamberlain Engineering.

This particular car, the SE92P (P designating IMSA GTP-spec as opposed to the C suffix for Spice’s Group C cars), was one of the last cars built for IMSA’s GTP ruleset as prototype racing entered a period of decline and the golden years came to an end. That didn’t stop Spice from producing a mighty car, powered by a 6.5-litre Chevrolet V8 that could produce up to 800 horsepower. The Katech-developed dry-sump aluminium block was mated to the ubiquitous Hewland 5-speed gearbox.

As was common around this time period, big venturi tunnels in the car’s floor resulted in ground effect and with it, enormous levels of downforce. A clever engineering trick from Spice, routing the exhaust directly into the tunnels to make room for a suspension upgrade, served to increase downforce levels even further. Drivers claimed they could actually feel the grip increase as the revs built up.

Debuting with fifth at the Miami 2 Hours, the second race of the 1992 IMSA GTP season, the car was campaigned throughout the season by David Tennyson, whose David Tennyson Racing team was supported by Spice USA and backed by Denon America. The Canadian would only enter the car for the championship’s regular two-hour races while chasing opportunities with other teams for the two Florida classics at Daytona and Sebring that sandwiched the Miami race at the start of the season.

Tennyson truly got going with the car at the fourth round at Road Atlanta, once again sharing with Wayne Taylor before attacking the remaining events as a solo driver. South African-born Taylor would go on to become a multiple IMSA WSC champion and Daytona and Sebring winner before forming WTR in 2006 to evolve into one of the most successful team owners of the 21st century, currently representing Cadillac in the revamped IMSA GTP era. Sporting the no.19 at every event, Tennyson subscribed to finishing races in fifth place, continuing the string at Road Atlanta, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen and Laguna Seca, usually following home Dan Gurney’s all-conquering Eagle-Toyota MkIIIs and their rival Jaguar XJR-14s. At Portland, Tennyson, took his season’s best result with a fourth place.

The plucky SE92P would prove to be the last in line, as Spice Engineering ceased operations at the end of 1992.

The design process and period history of the car is fully documented in the book “GTP Race Cars”, a copy of which comes with the car.

In recent years, SE92P has become a sought-after car for historic competition. In the hands of Allard Kalff, the car already proved to be a force to be reckoned with and had led the field at Spa and Le Mans. After making its historic debut in the 2016 Spa Classic, the car has grown into one of the mainstays of historic Group C racing. At Paul Ricard in 2016, the car took its first of many IMSA GTP class wins, before claiming a respectable fifth overall in the 2017 Spa Classic and a second in the 2017 Monza Historic, an event where it was truly able to stretch its legs. A highlight in the pandemic era included fifth at Estoril in 2020. Diversifying to Masters Group C in 2025, Kalff teamed up with the car’s owner, led the race at the Silverstone Festival before the car eventually took second place.

Of all the cars in Group C, the SE92P is arguably one of the easiest cars to run. Massive downforce paired with a Chevy Pushrod V8 makes for an excellent package at both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

The car is eligible for the most prestigious events like Le Mans Classic, the Classic 24 hour at Daytona, Peter Auto Group C, Masters Historic Racing Group C, HSR series, Laguna Seca Motorsports Reunion and more.

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GroupC.Mastershistoricracing,Spice,GTP