Glickenhaus on expanding GT racing footprint

The grandest plans for Jim Glickenhaus and his Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus team involve entering its SCG007 in the ACO/FIA’s 2020 WEC ‘Hypercar’ class, but he’s also feeling bullish on making the company’s presence felt at home in IMSA.

Having received government approval to become a low-volume auto manufacturer based out of the same facility that once housed Highcroft Racing and Farnbacher Loles Racing in Connecticut, Glickenhaus is targeting his new SCG004 supercar as a perfect fit for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT3-based GT Daytona class. A version of the SCG004 in GT4 configuration, which could race in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Cup series, is also in the works.

“We have our SCG004, which it sort of visually resembles our Ferrari Competizione, the Dino -- that era of race cars -- and we made it a three-seater, sort of an homage to the Ferrari three-seater, which they did with one of their prototypes, and of course, later on, McLaren did with their famous F1,” he said. “We're building it from the beginning as a GT3 car. It will be legal as a GT3 car, because the numbers we're going to build and offer for sale. So right from the get go, our goal is to homologate it as a GT3.

“That would open us up to being able to raise IMSA as a GTD, although I know they have tremendous requirements before a new manufacturer can enter as a GTD, financial things you have to do. I am not sure that we are there today, but at some point we certainly will be.”

Another plan, involving the formation of a dedicated racing team, would have a SCG factory presence in IMSA, and possibly in the Blancpain World Challenge GT America series.

“Our dealers are going to form Glickenhaus North American Racing, and this will provide GT3 and GT4 cars, which would be eligible in a World Challenge, and the GT3s would be eligible in IMSA as GTDs, and we hope that our customers will enter a lot of US races,” he said.

“And our factory, which will remain Glickenhaus Racing, will absolutely enter these races, as well. We know we have to offer a car that is cost competitive, so our SG004 will be priced under a [Ferrari] 488 GT3. Our GT4 will be priced at or just under an AMG GT4, and as we are able to do that and sell more cars, we can bring those costs down. My goal is to bring the prices down so we can race more and have more people using our cars.”

Catch the full conversation with Glickenhaus here:

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International link: https://marshallpruett.podbean.com/e/mp-436-catching-up-with-jim-glickenhaus/