Rodin Cars has revealed its latest work of art: Project 006, a reimagined GT1-era racer in the form of the long-forgotten Sintura S99.
Project 006 is set to make its on-track debut at Sydney Motorsport Park. Later this month, it will compete in the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge 2024 at the hands of Josh Buchan, an Australian driver with years of experience at the celebrated event.
The re-imagined Sintura will compete in the Emtron Pro Class and is “set to bring high drama and ear-shattering sound; all made more intriguing by family ties in the competition lineup.”
The original Sintura S99, a grand-tourer-style racecar designed to meet GT1 regulations, debuted in the 1999 British Championship with drivers Richard Dean and Kurt Luby. The Sintura performed strongly against a competitive field that featured Listers, McLaren F1 GTRs, and Porsche GT1s and won in its inaugural season at Silverstone.
Rodin Motorsports founder David Dicker discovered the car while in the market for an ex-F1 and was initially unaware of its history. Despite this, he saw potential and had it shipped to Rodin’s South Island base.
With the 25th anniversary of the S99 approaching, Rodin Cars saw an opportunity to revive the legendary Sintura and honour its racing legacy.
In less than a year, the Sintura has been reworked from the ground up as a vehicle to showcase the company’s new 4L V10 engine and innovative manufacturing capabilities. With the purchase of the S99 came a spare chassis and bodywork moulds, which have been used for the latest build. However, under the shell, the project features all new bespoke components designed and manufactured in-house at Rodin Cars.
“Our only restriction was to maintain the original geometry. The new setup features our 4L V10 engine and bespoke FZED gearbox with paddle shifts, improving the cars drivability compared to the original mechanical sequential gearbox,” Dicker explained.
Rodin Cars General Manager Emma Duncan added, “We’ve had hurdles – quite a few, to be fair! But that’s the nature of motorsport and pushing boundaries.
“We’re building a car virtually from scratch, with our own engine and bespoke components, so of course, it will have its challenges.”
The car is designed for private and exhibition motorsport events, balancing “classic aesthetics with modern performance- appealing to vintage motorsport enthusiasts who seek improved driveability delivered through cutting-edge technology.”
Although the decision to enter the World Time Attack Challenge was initially unplanned, it meets WTAC’s Pro Class regulations to be eligible for competition.
“It’s been a hard push to get the car ready in time, and in all honesty, it’s still in testing mode,” said Dicker. “It’s likely we’ll have some challenges pop up at WTAC.
“Our goal is to unveil the reworked Sintura to the world, enjoy the competition, and entertain the crowd. And who knows—potentially, we’ll return in 2025 with something faster!”
Configured for WTAC the Sintura features 650HP and 530Nm available from Rodin Cars’ RC-TEN 4-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine. Revving to 10,500rpm, the sound has been described as bone-shattering and ear-splitting. To solidify that the British-born Sintura now calls NZ home, tuning and instrumentation are managed by Kiwi-made Link ECU units.
Modifications have been made to keep the Rodin compliant with WTAC regulations. The upcoming production version notably now runs 11-inch wheels at all four corners rather than the usual 11/13-inch staggered setup. The nimble 900kg beast will be running Yokohama A005 slicks to ensure grip is not left to be desired around the corners of Sydney Motorsport Park.
Buchan is the 2023 TCR Champion with Hyundai and featured heavily at WTAC 2023 as a commentator and a driver in demonstration runs in the IONIQ 5N. He attended his first motorsport event at WTAC 2014 as a volunteer camera runner before returning in 2017 to drive a McLaren 720S in a parade lap.
Buchan has successfully competed in various open-wheel series, racing GT4 with McLaren, and now as a preferred test driver for some WTAC teams.
The Rodin FZED will also appear over the race weekend with demonstration sessions, combining with the Sintura to showcase Rodin Cars’ engineering prowess and dedication to pushing automotive performance boundaries.
