Left/Right Hand Drive

racer69 · 24 Sep 2002, 02:02 (Ref:387010)

Is there a rule in V8Supercars that says the driver must sit on the right hand side? I guess the rule may say that the driving position can't be changed, but Commodore's are sold as other cars in other countries in left hand drive.

I remember how in '99 the two factory Volvo's how one was LHD and the RHD, and back in the Sierra days Johnson's were right hand drive and Longhurst's LHD, just got me thinking.

RaceTime · 24 Sep 2002, 02:14 (Ref:387015)

But with Johnson and Longhurst this was done to try and keep them as far apart on the track as possible <g>

Flaggie · 24 Sep 2002, 02:28 (Ref:387019)

There's a fair few LHD Sports Sedans, too. Also our Porsche 944's down here are about half and half on what side.

I know with a 944, that's something to do with better balance when the car's LHD. Assume that's the same for Sports Sedans and so on. With the Group A days I was under the impression that you had to run the car with the configuration that the road car was. Suppose that means a few LHD and a few RHD shells were imported?

mickj · 24 Sep 2002, 06:15 (Ref:387066)

In the 60"s Peter Manton used to run his Cooper S in left and right hand drive at some tracks.

alfasud · 24 Sep 2002, 07:43 (Ref:387090)

Flaggie, is it possible that some of those sports sedans, might have began life as ex USA Trans Am cars?

As for the 944, doesn't the engine tilt over to one side (can't remember, but it's half a 928 engine isn't it?) in that one?

I know the BMW M3 (E30 BMW - Group A days) had an issue with the location of the steering column that meant when the RHD version of the road car came out, it had less power due to the different exhaust manifold (showing my age here if I remember things like that!) required to clear the steering cloumn. So it's likely that most, if not all of the Group A (and N) M3's were LHD.

Flaggie · 24 Sep 2002, 09:23 (Ref:387140)

Alfasud, dunno. But in the case of some of the Mazda RX7 sporties getting around, I'd doubt it.

And now you mention it on the 944, yeah you're right. That's jogged my memory.

Crash Test · 24 Sep 2002, 12:56 (Ref:387260)

There is an ex-Trans Am reshelled as a Commodore (LHD) up these ways.

Remember when Moffat harped on about the advantages of a LHD car at Bathurst with weight balance and vision through the left hand corners?

Airhead · 24 Sep 2002, 13:00 (Ref:387266)

Yes, I do.

And of cause the great MAN was right. Mazda was just the wrong vehicle.

275 GTB-4 · 24 Sep 2002, 13:09 (Ref:387274)

I think I'm showing my age, ws it Pete Geoghan? Neil Allen? Jane? Bondy? 1960s - 1970s someone had imported a yank musclecar and was raving about how close they could drive through the tunnel of love being on that side (Catalina went anticlockwise). So horses for courses - Bathurst goes anticlockwise so I suppose it would an advantage there as well...

Chris Gray · 24 Sep 2002, 13:12 (Ref:387277)

I read that with most circuits (at least in GB) being clockwise, the LHD position gave a better view past the A pillar.

Crash Test · 24 Sep 2002, 13:19 (Ref:387279)

That's an interesting way to look at it, and contradicts Moffat. I think it probably depends on the car.

William Dale Jr · 26 Sep 2002, 02:20 (Ref:388564)

Quote:

Originally posted by racer69
...back in the Sierra days Johnson's were right hand drive and Longhurst's LHD...

That's something I could never understand. All RS500 Sierras were built as RHD, yet most of the European cars were LHD (such as the Eggenberger and Wolf cars). I can only assume that there were no rules then to say what side of the car you had to sit on, and the seating position was changed to suit the drivers.

Incidentally, one of Johnson's first Sierra's (the one the late Gregg Hansford drove in 1987) was LHD, while Longhurst's 1988 Bathurst-winning car was RHD. It was only when Tony's new ex-Wolf Sierras were used that he sat on the left, and that was mainly due to his experience driving LHD BMWs.

hoffy · 26 Sep 2002, 05:06 (Ref:388599)

I was under the Impression you could buy a road going Sierra as LHD as well. Didn't they make them in Germany or Belgium as well?

Dazz · 26 Sep 2002, 05:39 (Ref:388614)

Quote:

Originally posted by AMoffat
Yes, I do.

And of cause the great MAN was right. Mazda was just the wrong vehicle.

That Mazda brought Moff another touring car title, Sandown and an endurance championship title, as well as a 6th, two 3rd's and a 2nd at Bathurst against HDT when they were at the peak of their powers. Can't have been too bad a car!

One of the main advantages for running a left hand drive RX-7 was that you were not sitting above the incredibly hot exhaust system.

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