The 1994 Brazilian Mille Miglia was one of the best editions ever held. Held on January 22nd, the race brought together 107 entered cars, of which 78 attempted to qualify and only 66 started. Furthermore, the race brought one of the best entry lists ever, with names such as Nelson Piquet, Christian and Wilson Fittipaldi, Camilo Christófaro, Paulo Gomes, Ingo Hoffman, Rubens Barrichello, Franz Konrad, Jair Bana, and many others. The race saw an invasion of imported models such as Porsche 911s, BMW M3s and 325is, Ford Escort RS Cosworths, and Nissan 300ZXs, which were met by the valiant Aldee RTTs, Opalas, and other unique designs of Brazilian motorsports.
One of the race’s most promising competitors was the Mythos F40R, a replica which development started in 1989 by Mythos Sport, with a tubeframe chassis and fiberglass body. The bodywork was modeled after 1:24, 1:18, and 1:8 scale models, as well as technical books. Development cost an estimated $150,000, resulting in a car “exactly like the original,” in the words of Nicola Henrique Monaco, director of Mythos Sport and one of the project’s founders.
Underneath the fairing, the model used adjustable Koni shock absorbers on all four wheels, 16” x 8” alloy wheels and would be equipped with a 6-cylinder Chevrolet engine similar to those used by Stock Car and Hewland gearbox, weighing a modest 680 kg.
The project also planned to sell replicas with Chevrolet V8 engines, ZF transmissions, and imported tires, but neither the Mil Milhas nor the sale of the replicas came to fruition. It would have been interesting to see the model on the track, especially since the 1994 edition also featured the Aurora 122C with Paulo Gomes and Fábio Sotto Mayor, a remarkable Brazilian car known for its similarity to the F40.
You might also be interested in:
TM1 (2003 – 2004)
The TM1 is a grassroots project from the early 2000s, built on a Formula 2 Muffato chassis and with bodywork “inspired” by the Toyota GT-One.
TB-1 (1973)
Developed in 1972 shortly after the Fúria, the TB-1 was the first car built by Toni Bianco in his own workshop, Toni Bianco Competições. Despite expectations for its debut in Division 4, the TB-1 never officially raced. Decades later, its fairing was rediscovered by Maurício Marx, rekindling hopes of seeing this historic project finally completed.
Sources:
1994: Um ano que ficou marcado na história. Available at: https://blogdamilmilhas.blogspot.com/2012/05/1994-um-ano-que-ficou-marcado-na.html.
Protótipo Aurora. Available at: https://blogdamilmilhas.blogspot.com/2011/02/prototipo-aurora.html.
Réplica da Ferrari F40 na Mil Milhas. Revista Quatro Rodas Nº 400, year 34, November 1993.
MYTHOS. Available at: https://www.lexicarbrasil.com.br/mythos/.
