Mosler
Encyclopedia
- This article concerns an American auto company. For the now-defunct manufacturer of safes and bank vaults, please see Mosler Safe CompanyMosler Safe CompanyThe Mosler Safe Company was a manufacturer of security equipment, most notably safes and bank vaults, beginning in 1867 and ending with its bankruptcy in 2001....
.
Mosler Automotive is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
supercar
Supercar
Supercar is a term used most often to describe an expensive high end car. It has been defined specifically as "a very expensive, fast or powerful car"...
manufacturer based in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It was founded in 1985 by Warren Mosler
Warren Mosler
Warren Mosler is an American economist, president and founder of Mosler Automotive, and co-founder of the Center for Full Employment And Price Stability at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He briefly ran for President of the United States as a member of the Democratic Party in the 2012...
as Consulier Industries, and manufactured the now-defunct Consulier GTP
Consulier GTP
The Consulier GTP was a sports car produced by the former Consulier Industries in the early 1990s.Consulier Industries was later renamed Mosler Automotive, which then updated the car as the Mosler Intruder and again as the Raptor before production ended by 2000...
, which was later rebranded and updated as the Mosler Intruder/Raptor when the company spun off its automotive division as Mosler Automotive.
The company currently produces the MT900R
Mosler MT900
The MT900 is a sports car built in the United States and the United Kingdom by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was...
racer and the street-legal MT900S
Mosler MT900
The MT900 is a sports car built in the United States and the United Kingdom by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was...
, as well as several unique project vehicles. Additional manufacturing facilities are based in St Ives, Cambridgeshire
St Ives, Cambridgeshire
St Ives is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England, around north-west of the city of Cambridge and north of London. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Huntingdonshire.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Filmmaker George Lucas was the first to take delivery of the MT900S.
Consulier Industries
In 1985, Warren Mosler, a bond trader who managed a hedge fundHedge fund
A hedge fund is a private pool of capital actively managed by an investment adviser. Hedge funds are only open for investment to a limited number of accredited or qualified investors who meet criteria set by regulators. These investors can be institutions, such as pension funds, university...
with $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5 billion under management, started a company called Consulier Industries and introduced the Consulier GTP
Consulier GTP
The Consulier GTP was a sports car produced by the former Consulier Industries in the early 1990s.Consulier Industries was later renamed Mosler Automotive, which then updated the car as the Mosler Intruder and again as the Raptor before production ended by 2000...
, a 2200 lb.
Pound-force
The pound force is a unit of force in some systems of measurement including English engineering units and British gravitational units.- Definitions :...
mid-engined car powered by a mid-mounted turbocharged Chrysler 2.2 L engine producing 190 hp. The chassis was a fiberglass
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
-and-foam monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
.
Mosler was so confident in the performance of his creation that he offered a $25,000 bounty to anyone who could pilot a street-legal production car around any US racetrack faster than a Consulier GTP. Car and Driver
Car and Driver
Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011...
magazine took up the challenge, racing a stock Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
around the Chrysler Proving Grounds
Chrysler Proving Grounds
Chrysler LLC operates proving grounds around North America, for development and validation testing of new vehicles.-Arizona Proving Ground :Location:The Arizona Proving Ground is a vehicle test facility established in 1955 in Yucca, Arizona...
racetrack in Chelsea, Michigan
Chelsea, Michigan
Chelsea is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,398 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a village....
. Antoine and Csaba Csere
Csaba Csere
Csaba Csere is a former technical director and editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine.Csere is an American of Hungarian descent. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975. He went on to join Ford Motor Company's Advanced...
took three laps each in the Corvette and a 1988 Consulier GTP Series I Sport. Both had similar lap times in each car, with the Corvette's best lap at 1:21.01 and the Consulier's best at 1:22.56. They stated that the Consulier was "difficult to handle," with "anemic" brakes.
Confronted with this test, Mosler stated that the test car was older and worn out. In fact, the Consulier obtained by Car and Driver was borrowed from a Track Time Driver's School: it had worn tires and brake pads, no interior trim, and three cigarette lighters which were specially installed so Track Time could plug in their computer equipment. Mosler offered to send his company test driver with new brake pads for the car and agreed to pay the $25,000 if the Consulier didn't lap faster than the Corvette. Car and Driver refused, saying it might be faster because of the driver. Mosler responded that could use any driver they wanted for their car, but to have them drive the Consulier and get paid if it lost was a conflict of interest. Car and Driver refused and subsequently published a negative article where they ridiculed the interior, the three lighter plugs, and compared the overall fit and finish negatively with a new Datsun ZX. They also claimed that Mosler defaulted on his promise. To back up his claims, Mosler raised the challenge to $100,000 which was later won by Chet Filip at the Sebring road course. The Consulier GTP went on to compete successfully in many races for the next six years, before being banned by the IMSA
IMSA
IMSA can refer to:* International Management Systems Association, original name of the International Project Management Association * Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a residential magnet school located in Aurora, Illinois...
in 1991. Overall, 100 Consulier GTPs were produced.
In the early 1990s, Consulier also developed environmentally friendly vehicles, including electric cars, composite-bodied cargo vans, and small city-car commuter vehicles.
Mosler automotive spin off
In 1993, Consulier Industries spun off its automotive division, now named Mosler Automotive, and changed its name to Consulier Engineering. (Consulier Engineering (NASDAQ:CSLR) through its subsidiary Patient Care Technology Systems markets the Amelior patient care systems which are data based integrated emergency room information systems and passive tracking systems. Additionally, through its subsidiary Consulier International, it markets Captain Cra-z Hand and ALL Purpose Cleaner and through its affiliate, Biosafe, develops and markets environmentally safe products as alternatives to traditionally toxic pesticides.)The newly named Mosler Automotive introduced the Intruder, a rebodied Consulier with a new 300 hp GM LT1 engine. This car raced at the 24 hours of Nelson Ledges for two consecutive years, winning both years - unfortunately, the Intruder was also banned after its dominating 1993-4 performances. In 1996, an Intruder modified by Lingenfelter Performance Engineering to yield 450 hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
won Car and Driver
Car and Driver
Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011...
's One Lap of America. It too was banned after three victories.
In 1997 the Intruder was given a v-shaped windshield that reduced drag, and renamed the Raptor, once again winning the 1997 One Lap of America. It also went on to win the 1999 One Lap. The Raptor entered in the 1997 One Lap weighed 2773 lb (1,258 kg) and had 443 hp (330 kW) from a Lingenfelter modified 6.3 L V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
.
In 2001, an all-new Mosler debuted - the Mosler MT900
Mosler MT900
The MT900 is a sports car built in the United States and the United Kingdom by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was...
. This carbon-fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
chassis, rear wheel drive supercar was designed by using Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
advanced design software, and used a 350 hp (261 kW), mid-mounted GM LS1 engine. An early prototype MT900S, despite being 390 pounds (177 kg) heavier and having 65 hp (49 kW) less power than the production version could achieve a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 12 seconds flat. Since then, the MT900 has undergone several revisions to become the 2005 MT900S, which has 435 hp (324 kW) from its Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
Z06-derived LS-6 V8, powering a 2,500 lb (1136 kg) car (without fuel). A Photon variant is available which adds a Hewland transmission
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
, thinwall subframes, BBS magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
wheels, titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
springs, and carbon fiber seats and bodywork
Coachwork
Coachwork is the body of a horse-drawn coach or carriage, a motor vehicle , a railroad car or railway carriage. Usually reserved for bodies built on a separate chassis, rather than being of unitary or monocoque construction...
, reducing the car's mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
to 1,980 lb (900 kg). MotorTrend with its guest hot shoe, Le Mans winner Justin Bell, behind the wheel reported a 0-60 time of 3.1 seconds, a standing quarter-mile time of 11.72 seconds and a standing mile time of 30.4 seconds. In addition to breaking acceleration records, Motor Trend also reported 60-0 braking in 100 feet, braking from 100-0 in 275 feet and the ultimate test, 0-100-0 in 10.98 seconds, breaking the 11.15 second record previously held by the McLaren F1 LM. It was discovered after the Motor Trend test that the Mosler MT900 test car had a faulty O2 sensor and was very down on power.
Introduced concurrently was the MT900R, a race prepared version of the MT900. In 2003, the MT900R won the GTS Division of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. In Europe, the MT900R has successfully raced and won in the British GT Championship, FIA GT Tourist Trophy races, International Open GT Championship, Britcar Championship, Spanish GT Championship as well as selected races in other series. In 2008, The Mosler Dutch Supercar Challenge, an MT900R only race series ran its inaugural event at the famed Nürburgring F1 track.
Mosler has also produced several one-off project vehicles, including a six wheel custom Jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
that uses many GM components (dubbed the J-10 Sport
Mosler J-10 Sport
The Mosler J-10 Sport was a one-off automobile designed by Mosler Automotive and built mostly with existing General Motors parts.The front half of the vehicle visually resembles that of the Jeep CJ and the rear half of the vehicle is taken from the Chevrolet S10 Pickup truck, although the frame and...
) and the TwinStar
Mosler TwinStar
The Mosler TwinStar was an automobile developed by Mosler Automotive in 2000. The vehicle was essentially a Cadillac Eldorado that had been modified to fit two Northstar V8 engines...
, a Cadillac Eldorado
Cadillac Eldorado
The 1953 Eldorado was a special-bodied, low-production convertible . It was the production version of the 1952 El Dorado "Golden Anniversary" concept car, and borrowed bumper bullets from the 1951 GM Le Sabre show car...
boasting twin Northstar V-8s.
Models
- Consulier GTPConsulier GTPThe Consulier GTP was a sports car produced by the former Consulier Industries in the early 1990s.Consulier Industries was later renamed Mosler Automotive, which then updated the car as the Mosler Intruder and again as the Raptor before production ended by 2000...
- Intruder
- Raptor
- J-10 SportMosler J-10 SportThe Mosler J-10 Sport was a one-off automobile designed by Mosler Automotive and built mostly with existing General Motors parts.The front half of the vehicle visually resembles that of the Jeep CJ and the rear half of the vehicle is taken from the Chevrolet S10 Pickup truck, although the frame and...
- TwinStarMosler TwinStarThe Mosler TwinStar was an automobile developed by Mosler Automotive in 2000. The vehicle was essentially a Cadillac Eldorado that had been modified to fit two Northstar V8 engines...
- MT900Mosler MT900The MT900 is a sports car built in the United States and the United Kingdom by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was...
- MT900R
- MT900S
- MT900S Photon