1990 Spice SE90 GTP

British-based Spice Engineering was founded by driver Gordon Spice and Raymond Bellm in the early 1980s. They became a sports car constructor in 1986 and competed in the IMSA GT Championship in North America as well as the World Sportscar Championship in Europe. The Graham Humphreys-designed SE89 racer of 1989 was followed by an evolutionary model called the SE90 the following year. The SE90C version competed in the Group C category while the SE90P was built to IMSA's GTP or GTP Light regulations.

Nearly thirty examples of the SE90P were built including this example which was sold new to John Hotchkis for IMSA GTP racing. It wore the purple livery of Wynn's automotive products and was branded as a Pontiac as Hotchkis had partnered with GM. Power was from a 6.0-liter (367 cubic-inch), small-block V-8 engine that currently has a MoTec Electronic fuel management system and produces an estimated 800 horsepower. It had a four-wheel independent double-wishbone suspension, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes, and a five-speed manual transaxle.

Hotchkis predominately shared driving duties in the Spice with Jim Adamas and finished in the Top 10 a total of nine times throughout the 1990 and 1991 GTP seasons. The highlight was John Paul Jr.'s 2nd place finish at the 2 Hours of Del Mar in 1991.

Before the car was sold to William M. Wonder in 2006, the engine was completely rebuilt by Hertel Racing Engines of Spartanburg, South Carolina.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022