Lister Storm GTM-005

2001 Lister Storm GT1 Sports-racing Prototype

Chassis no. GTM005 (see text)

Ex-Julian Bailey/Nicolaus Springer; Bobby Verdon-Roe/Paul Knapfield; Miguel de Castro/David Sterckx/Justin Law; Jamie Campbell-Walter/Nathan Kinch

• Factory entry 2001-2003
• Extensive in-period competition history
• Winner at Anderstorp 2003 (Campbell-Walter/Kinch)
• Running condition
• Well documented

The Lister Motor Company was created in 1954 by engineer Brian Lister and is best remembered today for its Jaguar-powered ‘Knobbly’ sports-racers, most notably campaigned with enormous success by the late Archie Scott-Brown. Lister withdrew from motor sport in 1959 and would remain absent from the racetracks until the Lister Storm’s arrival in 1993. By this time the firm had been revived as Lister Cars Ltd by engineer Laurence Pearce, its stock in trade being high-performance conversions of the Jaguar XJ-S.

Designed by Mike Hughes, the Storm featured an aluminium honeycomb chassis, carbon fibre body, pushrod suspension, and a 7.0-litre Jaguar V12 engine based on that used in the Le Mans-winning Jaguar-TWR XJR-9 Group C sports prototypes. The Lister Storm competed against the McLaren F1, Jaguar XJ220, and Ferrari F40 in the British GT and FIA GT championships, and at Le Mans. When the regulations changed in 1997, Lister developed a new car around the Storm concept to comply with the new GT1 class: the Storm GTL. Results were disappointing, and for 1999 the company produced the revised Storm GTM.

Despite strong opposition from larger and better funded top teams, this small-scale constructor managed to win the British GT Championship in 1999 with Jamie Campbell-Walter and Julian Bailey, who went on to win the FIA GT Championship for Lister the following year. From 1999 to 2005 the Listers were always front runners and secured numerous victories. Only six Storm GTMs were built; spectacular and highly successful, they are worthy successors to the fabulous Listers from the 1950s.

This Lister Storm, ‘GTM005’, was built at the beginning of 2001 and entered by Lister Racing in FIA GT events from 2001 to 2003 as a factory car, being driven by Jamie Campbell-Walter among others. For 2001, sponsored by Prionics, ‘GTM005’ contested the FIA GT Championship; driven by Julian Bailey and Nicolaus Springer, its best results were a brace of 4th places: at the Hungaroring and A1 Ring. For 2002, again in the FIA GT Championship, ‘GTM005’ was driven by Verdon-Roe and Paul Knapfield, their best result being 2nd place at Silverstone. In that year’s Spa 24 Hours race, ‘GTM005’ finished in a highly creditable 2nd place driven by Verdon-Roe, Miguel de Castro, David Sterckx, and Justin Law. The Storm’s best results were achieved in 2003 when, driven by Campbell-Walter and Nathan Kinch, it won at Anderstorp and Oschersleben, though it was subsequently disqualified from the latter event. Nevertheless, the team’s 2nd place at Monza proved good enough for 2nd place overall in that year’s FIA GT Championship.

Lister Racing subsequently sold ‘GTM005’ to the French team Red Racing, which campaigned the car with Lister factory backing in the FFSA GT Championship during 2005, their best result being a win at Pau. Towards the end of the season, ‘GTM005’ crashed during qualifying at Albi and subsequently was rebuilt using the original chassis from Lister Storm ‘GTM001’.

That chassis had been retained by Lister after ‘GTM001’ had crashed in Italy in 2004 but had not been rebuilt. Originally owned by Nicolaus Springer, ‘GTM001’ had been raced in the FIA GT Championship in 2000 and 2003, the Spanish GT Championship in 2001, and the Italian GT Championship in 2004. Lister duly rebuilt ‘GTM005’ for Red Racing using the repaired chassis from ‘GTM001’. Red Racing continued to campaign the Lister throughout the 2006 season in the FFSA GT Championship.

Its racing career over, the Storm was restored in 2007/2008 and returned to the colour scheme it had featured at the time of its major win at Anderstorp in 2003. In 2008, ‘GTM005’ was invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed where it proved an immensely popular attraction. This is the only occasion the car has been used since the 2006 rebuild. Currently in late 2003 configuration, it is fitted with a later engine, transmission (Hewland sequential), front suspension, and bodywork.

The engine has very low hours after a major overhaul during the 2006 season, and the car was fully serviced with extensive works done at that time. In running condition, it would be a welcome entry in the various events for GT1 cars in Europe or the USA. Built for endurance racing, the Storms are easy to maintain and reliable, very fast and easy to drive.

The accompanying history file contains numerous photographs of the car in action in the FIA GT and other championships; Lister factory correspondence; various bills of sale; and a full listing of races entered and results achieved. The car is offered with the damaged chassis (‘GTM005’) and a set of spare rims.