Crazy Glickenhaus SCG003S set for Geneva '17 debut

The avid car collector, and former film director and Wall St investment banker, certainly has made his own car – there’s no mistaking the Glickenhaus SCG003C – and he has certainly raced it in Europe, in the VLN Nurburgring endurance series. There has been a crash and a fire, but this year there’s also been a class win in the Nurburgring 24 hours, a fourth overall and, in the last race of the season at the weekend (22 October) another class win and a seventh overall.

Ahead of the Glickenhaus after four hours of racing on the “Green Hell” were an Audi R8 LMS and GT3 cars from BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Nissan and Porsche; plenty more big-name GT3 cars came home after it. So it’s not quite a giant-killer… yet.

The surprise now is that this dramatic-looking 217mph racer is about to trade its “C” suffix for an “S” and swap a spot in the pitlane for a place in your driveway. Or, in line with Jim’s passion for racing cars in which you can drive to and from the circuit, one car that does both, half Competizione and half Stradale in Glickenhaus speak (the car is actually made in Italy). The first “production” Glickenhaus road car, the SCG003S will be launched in March 2017 at the Geneva Motor Show, says the company.

Glickenhaus – his movies include The Exterminator – has been at the Geneva salon with his cars before, in 2015, when he showed both road and race versions of his 003 and spelled out his particular sports racing dream. New pictures of the updated 003S road car released this week show his dream is alive and well.

“The all-new road car is a direct descendant of the SCG003C race car… in homage to the legendary Italian road racers of the 1960s, which were equally at home on the track as on the road,” says the company.

“While the inspiration behind the car is classical, the SCG003S is packed full of the latest technology, incorporating the lessons learned from competition against the most renowned manufacturers in motor sport.”

Glickenhaus says the car – with bespoke carbon tub and chassis and 4.4-litre twin-turbo engine with around 750hp – will get from 0-62mph in under 3secs and generate more than 2g in cornering.

Jim Glickenhaus said: “It’s the culmination of a long-held dream to see our race car born again as a road car, using all the know-how we have taken from competing in international races. This will be a collectable car like no other, capturing the spirit of the road racers that have defined automotive history during the heyday of grand touring.”

The car will be hand built in Italy, by Manifattura Automobili Torino, in limited numbers from mid 2017, they say. There will be lots of personalisation options to ensure “a tailor-made driving experience for every customer”. Paolo Garella, ex Pininfarina, is the man behind the body and what is said to be its exceptional aero package. There is no word on price though US mags have talked in the region of US$1.3 million.

Paolo Garella said: “Our philosophy in building this car has been uncompromising: to take the most exhilarating aspects of a racing car and put them on the road. The resulting product is something that has never been seen before, with unprecedented levels of downforce and driver engagement.”

Cunningham, Shelby, Jim Hall’s Chaparral…and Glickenhaus? One thing for sure, he has an awful lot still to prove before he joins the ranks of the great.