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Touring: Revolutionary new Reynard 2KQ Sportscar unveiled

22 October 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Brackley, UK.--Adrian Reynard, Chairman and Chief Executive, Reynard Motorsport, unveiled the new Reynard 2KQ Sportscar at the Reynard headquarters in Brackley today. The car is the first new Reynard marque customer car to be produced by the company in the last five years, following the successful introduction of the Reynard Champ Car in 1994. This move into the Sportscar category of the racing industry is a major step for the world beating race car constructor and has already created substantial interest within the marketplace.

Reynard Motorsport decided to enter the Sportscars market believing that this is a new opportunity for the company to take on an international challenge with a revolutionary new car. The resources of manufacture, the depth of design talent within the Special Projects Division and the research capabilities that Reynard has developed led to Special Projects building the next generation Sportscar.

Adrian Reynard praised the project team on the new car, saying, "This is a very important day for us at Reynard Motorsport. Everyone has worked very hard to bring this car to fruition within a very short time span, and building the most innovative, technologically advanced Sportscar available today. There are points when you think that we have reached the boundaries within aspects of vehicle engineering, but then the limits are pushed further and we move forward again. This car is a testament to the abilities within the company. From composites manufacture, component engineering, and design to the multitude of research techniques that we are using within our development, our staff are the best. I'm confident that the 2KQ will be a credit to everyone here and that we will have another winning car in the hands of our customers."

The Reynard 2KQ Sportscar embodies the philosophies of Reynard Motorsport, utilising the internal resources of research, design and manufacture, and embracing new technologies to develop the most advanced race car of its type for 2000 and beyond. The car has been produced to both ACO and FIA regulations with the ability to run in generic Sportscar series around the world and has the flexibility to accept standard engines to customer specifications.

A high specification carbon composite chassis, bodywork and nosebox, maximises the use of the monocoque as body surface to reduce the number of parts. The transmission is unique to this car. In a joint venture with Gemini Transmissions, a state of the art Sequential Endurance gearbox, which can be changed in less than five minutes, adds a new dimension to the Reynard 2KQ.

Olivier Beretta, ORECA Chrylser Team driver, gave the car its first shakedown run at Paul Ricard last week and was impressed with the 2KQ, commenting, "I was very happy to be the first driver to run the car. It was a big pleasure for me. I have known Reynard for a long time, having driven in F3 and F3000 with their chassis. I know that Reynard have always done a good job in the Series that they have competed in, so it was a pleasure to test this car."

"I am very impressed with the potential of the car. There were no problems at all. This was a big surprise to me, as we ran all day problem-free. Usually you have big problems on the shakedown. I think the potential (for the car) is very big. All the Reynard people are very motivated to take the car to the top. I would love to drive this car in Sportscar racing."

In recent years, Reynard has seen substantial growth with the continuing domination in Champ Cars, production of chassis for the Barber Dodge one-make Series and the development and build programme for Formula Nippon cars for Japan, in addition to specialist projects in partnership with other companies. The introduction of the 2KQ Sportscar adds a fourth Reynard marque race car for the 2000 season.

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