The 1980s - Group C and IMSA GTP

In Europe, the FIA adopted the ACO GTP rules virtually unchanged and sanctioned the Group C World Endurance Championship (or World Sportscar Championship), featuring high-tech closed-cockpit prototypes from Porsche, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Jaguar and others. In the USA, the IMSA Camel GTP series boasted close competition between huge fields of manufacturer-backed teams and privateer squads - the cars were technically similar to Group Cs but used a sliding scale of weights and engine capacities to try to limit performance. Both Group C and GTP had secondary categories, respectively Group C2 and Camel Lights, for less powerful cars, targeting entries by small specialist constructors or serious amateur teams. One interesting example of that Group C2 Racing Car is the GKW Prototype designed and built by the Italian Genius, Engineer and Racing Driver Gabriele Gottifredi. The GKW race car ran in the world championship 1988. The car was supposed to run at Le Mans, Fuji and 1988 Monza circuits, where it performed several tests but did not participate because it was under completion at the appointed date. After this the sponsors retired (due to lack of money) and the project was stopped. The car was in GKW workshop for more than 10 years before that an Italian gentleman drive purchase with all spares package. The new owner ordered a completely dismantling and parts renew to a very specialized shop: the full GKW Porsche Race Car GKW Group C2/GTP Porsche 956/962 Powered was completely re-worked, excluding engines.

The FIA attempted to make Group C into a virtual "two seater Grand Prix" format in the early 1990s, with engine rules in common with F1, short race distances, and a schedule dovetailing with that of the F1 rounds. This drove up costs and drove away entrants and crowds, and by 1993 prototype racing was dead in Europe, with the Peugeot, Jaguar, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz teams all having withdrawn.