2013 VDS GT 001

The VDS GT 001 was revealed last Thursday at the Autoworld Museum in Brussels. It’s been developed by Belgian enthusiast Raphael van der Straeten on top of a Gillet Vertigo. It was revealed alongside its racing counterpart, the VDS GT 001-R. The VDS GT 001 features a Maserati-sourced V8 4.2 liter engine featuring 480hp and a sequential six-speed gearbox. The Vertigo carbon chassis has been lengthened by fifteen centimeters and plans have been put together to build a limited series of 22 models; each one on request and built personally for the customer. Raphael is a descendant of Count Rodolphe van der Straten Ponthoz who built his own VDS 001 and campaigned it in Can-Am races at the beginning of the 1980′s. The car you see in the pictures is a model for the moment. Work will soon begin on the real deal. In designing the VDS GT 001, Raphael wanted a car with neo-retro styling, which had to be aggressive, racy, and inspired by the cars he races in the American GT series. One specific requirement was that the radiator grill had to be inverted. The ideas were translated into a design by Charles van den Bosch, with Patrick Bataille working to turn the design into a working production car. The racing version, the VDS GT 001-R will see its competitive debut at the 24 Hours of Dubai, in January 2013. The goal is to eventually enter it in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but we’re told that this will take time. The 001-R will be entered into the SP2 Class and developed by José Close, the driver who pushed his Mustang to the finish of the 24 Hours of Spa this year! (gtspirit)