Former Formula One driver Howden Ganley was co-owner and chief designer of the Tiga factory during the marque's successful Group C era. Tiga cars competed in numerous international endurance championships, including the World Endurance Championship (WEC), Thundersports, IMSA and Interserie.
The first Group C chassis designed by Howden Ganley and Mike Coughlan was GC83 chassis 250, ordered by Neil Crang with the intention of competing in sports car racing. Powered by a Ford Cosworth DFV engine, the car made its debut late in 1983 at Imola and Mugello, carrying a red livery and the number 17.
For 1984, the car was converted to Group C2 specification. Racing as a Tiga-Spice entry, it achieved class victories at the Nürburgring, Brands Hatch, Spa-Francorchamps and Sandown.
Their 24h Le Mans race (G.Spice/ R.Bellm.N.Crang) ended in a DNF (Photo below).
In 1985, chassis 250 was sold to Tim Lee-Davey, who campaigned the car in the Thundersports Championship and selected World Endurance Championship events without much success.
The car was upgraded to full Group C1 specification for 1986 after the availability of a Cosworth turbocharged engine. Although intended to debut at the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans, the engine was not ready in time. The car eventually appeared later that season at the Nürburgring, Spa and Kyalami.
In 1987, Lee-Davey sold the car to Bruno Sotty and Patrick Oudet, who continued racing it during the season.
Sotty later decided to return to the C2 category with a 3.9-litre turbocharged engine and acquired an unassembled Tiga GC87 chassis. Completed for 1988, the car was registered as GC88 chassis 359. During Le Mans practice it completed only five laps before electrical problems intervened. Later that season at Brno, a broken oil line caused a fire that destroyed the car.
GC85 chassis 249 remained in the United Kingdom and was campaigned by Ray Barker Racing.
Its first major appearance came at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans, carrying number 99 and driven by Paul Smith, Will Hoy and Nick Nicholson. The car finished 21st overall. During the same season it also competed in World Endurance Championship rounds at Spa-Francorchamps and Brands Hatch, while Jochen Dauer raced the car in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM).
For 1986, chassis 249 contested both the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours with Costas Los and Dudley Wood, before appearing in the Interserie at Thruxton with Los.
The car returned to Le Mans in 1986 carrying number 97, driven by Mike Allison, Val Musetti and Tom Frank, but was forced to retire from the race.
Its final known appearance during the period came at the 1986 Spa 1000 km in September. Chassis 249 resurfaced several years later in the 1991 Interserie Championship, entered by Swedish private owner-driver Björn Ribers.
In 1985, Neil Crang ended his partnership with Gordon Spice. Spice and Ray Bellm chose to retain GC85 chassis 279, campaigning it with considerable success in World Endurance Championship competition.
At the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans, the number 70 car finished 14th overall and secured victory in the Group C2 category. Additional C2 victories followed at Mugello, Monza and Mosport.
The chassis was subsequently sold to Kelmar Racing, which campaigned the car in endurance racing from 1986 through 1988 while retaining the Tiga name.
For 1986, Spice SE86 chassis 001 became the first Spice Group C car built and would prove to be the most significant chassis produced by the team.
Entered as a works car in 1986 and 1987, it was initially driven by Gordon Spice and Ray Bellm. The car immediately demonstrated its competitiveness, recording a victory and a second-place finish in its first two races. Additional success at Jerez and several further podium finishes helped Gordon Spice and Ray Bellm secure the 1986 Group C2 Drivers' World Championship.
The car also completed its first Le Mans 24 Hours, finishing sixth in class. Today, chassis 001 continues to appear in its iconic Cannon/Listerine works livery, the colours in which it achieved its greatest successes.
While the early Tiga Group C programme was gaining momentum, Howden Ganley began work on a new C2 chassis at the end of 1983. The first concept involved a Mazda-powered Thundersports car, but the project ultimately evolved into a completely new generation of Tiga GC chassis.
The high point of Tiga's Group C programme was undoubtedly 1987. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, no fewer than seven Tigas appeared on the entry list. The best-placed Tiga finished ninth overall, far behind the winning Rothmans Porsche 962C. This leading Tiga was a GC287 powered by a Ford Cosworth DFL engine and entered by Cosmik GP Motorsport.
One of the strengths of the Tiga chassis was its adaptability. During 1987, Tigas competed with a wide range of powerplants, including:
Ford Cosworth DFL V8s Hart DBT-E 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines Rover 3.0-litre V6 engines Porsche 935-derived turbocharged flat-six engines Ferrari powerplants in several older chassis
In 1988, Tiga introduced its final Group C evolution, the GC288. Three chassis were built, each following a different racing career.
Chassis 367, powered by a Buick-based engine, was exported to the United States where it competed in the IMSA Lights Championship.
Chassis 365 and 366 were acquired by Kelmar Racing and entered in the World Sports Car Championship. Chassis 366 subsequently competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 1989 and 1992.
Chassis 366 was fully restored before being entered by Xavier Micheron, founder of the Ascott Collection, at the Spa Classic 2017 event. The restoration proved successful when the car achieved its first historic-racing podium finish, marking the beginning of a new chapter in its career.
