The Ligier JS2 R is a
GT racing
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing that uses sports cars with two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be either purpose-built sports prototypes, which are the highest level in sports car racing; or grand tourers (GT cars) ba ...
car manufactured by French automaker
Ligier
Ligier () is a French automobile and minibus maker created by former racing driver and rugby player Guy Ligier (1930–2015), specialized in the manufacturing of microcars.
Ligier is best known for its involvement in the Formula 1 World Cham ...
. Designed solely for track use, the car is an homage to the original
Ligier JS2
The Ligier JS2 is a Mid-engine design, mid-engined sports coupé that was built by Ligier in the French commune of Abrest near Vichy in the department of Allier between 1971 and 1975. Road-going and competition versions were built.
Conception an ...
introduced in 1972.
Model information
The JS2 R debuted at the
Paris Motor Show
The Paris Motor Show () is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently takes place in Paris expo Porte de V ...
in 2018, the Ligier company's 50th anniversary year. It was inspired by the Ligier JS2 introduced in 1972, a car described as having superior driving dynamics and the best power-to-weight ratio of the time. The original JS2 finished second in its class at the 1975
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
. The JS2 R borrows many design cues from the JS2. The "R" in the car's name is said to stand for either "Revival", or "Race".
While it is designed to be an easy car to drive, no road-legal variant of the JS2 R is planned.
Features
The car is powered by the same 3.7 L
Ford Duratec 37 V6 engine
A V6 engine is a six- cylinder piston engine where the cylinders and cylinder blocks share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, ...
used in the
JS P4, coupled to a 6-speed
sequential manual transmission
A sequential manual transmission, also known as a sequential gearbox or sequential transmission, is a type of Non-synchronous transmission, non-synchronous manual transmission used mostly in motorcycles and Auto racing, racing cars. It produces ...
with pneumatic shift mechanism and paddle shifters. Early engines generated a maximum power output of , but in 2020 power rose to . The braking system is from
Brembo
Brembo N.V. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive parts that most notably produces braking systems, for high-performance cars and for the sim racing series Gran Turismo. Its operational head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy, while Amst ...
, with 6-piston calipers and
rotors in front, and 4-piston calipers over rotors in back. The suspension is a double wishbone system with actuated push-rods at the rear, with adjustable
anti-roll bar
An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, stabilizer bar) is an automobile suspension part that helps reduce the body roll of a vehicle during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It links opposite front or rear wheels to a t ...
s and dampers. The interior is driver focused, and designed to accommodate tall drivers. A heated windscreen is standard equipment.
The JS2 R is designed to deliver low running costs and ease of maintenance. The car can be homologated for FIA Group E category.
Test days were scheduled for November 2018 for prospective buyers.
Motorsports
Since 2020 the car competes in its own category in the "Ligier European Series" of racing.
Technical data
Ligier JS2 RH2
The JS2 R provided the basis for development of a demonstration hydrogen powered vehicle to be unveiled at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in early June 2023. The car, called the JS2 RH2, is a joint project of
Bosch, who has oversight of the overall vehicle concept including engine, hydrogen storage, and development of a safety concept, and Ligier, who is responsible for vehicle architecture, H2 system integration and cooling.
References
External links
{{Ligier, state=collapsed
Cars introduced in 2018
Ligier racing cars