Snag this offbeat Group C car for Porsche power, British roots, and Le Mans allure

Porsche was highly successful in endurance racing, and while the 956 had to make do with a 2.65-liter turbocharged flat-six, the 962 was upgraded to 2.8-, 3.0-, and 3.2-liter variants of Stuttgart’s twin-turbo Type 935 engines. In England, the pair of Giuseppe Rise and Ian Dawson also wanted a piece of that glorious Group C action. Their company, Grid Motor Racing, ended up fabricating two Porsche-powered chassis, with the S1 and S2 entered into 46 races in total between 1982 and 1988. At Le Mans, Grids went with a red livery.

The car now offered via Bring a Trailer at $200,000 is the second built by Grid, with a chassis designed by former Lotus employee Geoff Aldridge. The S2 is powered by Porsche’s air-cooled, twin-turbo 3.2-liter flat-six, which sends all its might through a Hewland five-speed manual transaxle. Launched in 1984, the S2 was only entered into seven races in period and ending up finishing two. 

Now, it’s your turn to improve its records. With its frame, body, wheels, brakes, and engine all rebuilt by experts, the now-yellow-and-blue Grid S2 is a unique offering, ready to be enjoyed by somebody who prefers to stay on the historic racing field’s more extravagant side. The S2 is located in North Carolina, and Bring a Trailer’s auction ends in a week. Counting your pennies yet?