GP4 front spoiler options

The front spoiler on the factory G4 car in the "group 4 windows" thread resembles what Hall Pantera calls the "big GT" spoiler.

Thanks Doug. Anyone else to help on this one?

Steve Wilkinson has a gr4 that fits on the narrow body Pantera By Wilkinson
Steve will answer questions by phone only

Most Group 4 cars of the era didn't have a spoiler and personally I think they look rather aggressively good for it. However, many have since acquired spoilers for aerodynamics and if you plan to drive over about 150 mph then a spoiler is recommended and most do opt for something similar to the GT5 style as it blends well with the flares.

Take a look at Patrick Hals Group 4 cars (Candy & Andy) detomasogr4.com

VDV Grant in Belgium has GP4 for sale too vdvgrant

This one has something more subtle www.boldride.com

Other than that it would probably be the small chin spoilers as fitted to may std Panteras.

Larry Stock at Pantera Parts Connection in Carson City has 3 or 4 spoiler styles on his wall. I looked through his CD catalog to see if he has photos, but none. Give him a call and get him to send photos of the various styles. He has molds for just about everything available.

Julian

Thankyou for your help with this one,

I'm going to start off without a spoiler.

James

A front spoiler is necessary if you're going to go fast. As Julian mentioned, speeds over 100 mph will generate enough front end lift to make steering progressively more vague as mph increases. At around 150 mph just as with the GT-40, front end lift will be a real concern for your driver; this was the subject of an early wind tunnel evaluation by Ford. At around 175 mph, rear lift will cause oversteer and even traction problems, calling for some sort of NASCAR-like rear blade spoiler or small wing.
One authority mentioned the fiberglas Revson mini-spoiler not only cured front-end lift (up to around 150), it channeled enough extra air thru the radiator to drop engine temps by about 5 degrees F. There are two versions, one developed by Peter Revson (a Pantera dealer and racer before his death): the second iteration done after Peter's passing has a built-in splitter while the original does not. Neither reduces ground clearance, and neither causes front brake overheating on-track as unvented air dams sometimes do.

I always wondered if the Revson air dam was the same as the Gran Torismo air dam. If they are different does anyone have pics?

I don't know about rear lift but the front turns into a speed boat.

You don't need a lot of front spoiler. In fact the "mini air dam" as Hall calls it is effective enough for all but LeMans type efforts.

Not only that, but the shape of the L bumper helps as well. If you look it directs air over the front deck lid and the combination with the GTS, mini-air dam does more than help.

You can replace the original with a light weight fiberglass version which removes the crash shock absorbers that went along with it.

There is a picture of Revson standing alongside a Patera with his front spoiler on the car in I think, a Road & Track review of the car from around 72.

I never tried the Revson. I thought it changed the look of the car too much BUT coments I read about it was that it did reduce front end ground clearance on the car.

I have the GTS and the design is a little tricky. It actually mounts about an inch higher than the bottom of the lower radiator support.

I personally think that the best looking combination of the car is the GTS front spoiler with the fiberglass L front bumper.

These were tested by Ford in the wind tunnel also.

There is always a trade off with wings and spoilers.

You want the best combination of downforce and drag that you can get in balance.

The big front dams, just like the delta wing, slow the car down because of increased drag.

Considering what current racers run on these cars though I don't think that they are approaching 200mph on the track?

If they were, the drag on the big front spoilers would be too much. Looks like needed additional downforce on the nose is what the drivers want?

This is the fiberglass front L bumper and GTS chin spoiler.

This combination has been run in the Silver State by at least one racer.