Description:

Impressive track record: 2nd in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Morgan LMP2 P1 & P2), 2nd in the WEC at Spa, Shanghai and Bahrain, 2nd in the FIA Endurance Championship (OAK RACING 1st & 2nd), Winner in the USA

Pescarolo 01 chassis, highly renowned

The latest evolution of roofless LMP2

Restored by LIGIER

Eligible for all the most prestigious events and new series

Before regulations forced teams to use closed-cockpit LMP2 cars and select from a limited number of manufacturers, the category was characterized by a tremendous diversity. Lola, Norma, Oreca, and Zytek were prominent during the 2010-2016 period. It was also the Pescarolo, later rebranded as Morgan, that shone brightly, embodying this transition period between the Le Mans Series and the World Endurance Championship (WEC).**
Ascott Collection is pleased to offer for sale the Morgan LMP2 chassis 01-18, which competed in the 2013 WEC season, notably at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This car, piloted by a strong crew, consistently secured podium finishes and even excelled in the United States.

From the Pescarolo 01 to the Morgan LMP2

At the Monza round, which marked the opening of the 2007 Le Mans Series season, the diesel-powered Peugeot 908s were, naturally, the major new entry! The French manufacturer was back, competing in endurance for the first time since 1993. But just a few pit boxes away, another car was making its debut, also with a strong French DNA: the Pescarolo 01. Driver turned team principal, Henri Pescarolo had established his own operation and decided to become a constructor. Having previously competed with Pescarolo C60s – so named due to the extensive modifications carried out on the Courage C60 chassis – Henri Pescarolo launched the 01, his very first "in-house" car. While a family resemblance to the C60s was noticeable, it was because the aerodynamic revolution was not complete. Indeed, while the Pescarolo 01 LMP1 largely retained the Courage C60's design, the chassis itself was entirely new.

Aerodynamic development was carried out at the French military airbase in Brétigny-sur-Orge using straight-line tests. Mechanically, the new Pescarolo was very similar to the 2006 Courage C60, but equipped with the new Judd GV5 engine.
But why did Pescarolo choose to build his own car rather than buying Courage LC70 chassis produced just a few meters from his office in the Le Mans Technoparc? "Over the past three years, we had designed and built our own car around the C60 chassis. Therefore, we were ready to build our own car from scratch, which is a far more interesting project." While managing the construction of a new car from end to end is valuable, it nonetheless requires significant financial outlay.

Pescarolo Sport's financial difficulties in 2010 led to Jacques Nicolet and his teams taking over its operations. Oak Racing assumed the racing operations, while Onroak Automotive (which would later become Ligier Automotive in 2019) became the constructor arm, building upon Henri Pescarolo's foundational work. It was in this context that, starting in 2012, Onroak Automotive developed the Morgan LMP2 based on a Pescarolo 01 LMP1 chassis, capable of accommodating Judd HK V8 and Nissan VK 45 V8 engines.

Key features included a shark fin, openings above the wheels, and a redesigned front end. As a development partner for Dunlop in LM P1, the Oak Racing team conducted extensive research and modifications on the suspension and bodywork within its own in-house engineering department. The Pescarolo 01s evolved into Oak Pescarolos in LM P1, while the chassis meeting LM P2 regulations were named Morgan.

Success came swiftly for the Morgan in their very first WEC season (the inaugural World Championship season), securing four podium finishes, one pole position, and three fastest race laps.

​

Morgan Nissan Oak Racing LMP2 Chassis 01-18
A World Championship Debut

The Morgan LM P2 chassis #01-18 was assembled for the 2013 season. That year, it exclusively competed in the WEC, bearing race number 24. Like other Oak Racing team cars, the LMP2 was powered by the Nissan VK45 engine. It ran on Dunlop tires and sported the team's traditional black and purple livery.

At Silverstone, Olivier Pla, Alex Brundle, and David Heinemeier Hansson contended with erratic weather throughout the race but finished 2nd. A remarkable debut.

At Spa-Francorchamps, another 2nd place finish. Olivier Pla immediately took the class lead by overtaking Jota Racing's #38 Zytek-Nissan and Pecom Racing's #49 Oreca-Nissan. He maintained this leading position until his first pit stop. However, the subsequent deployment of the safety car trapped the LMP2, causing it to lose 2 minutes to the leaders, who benefited from a 'free stop'. Victory seemed assured.

At Le Mans, ambitions were high. Olivier Pla secured pole position on Thursday evening with a time of 3:38.621, placing the #01-18 at the top of the LMP2 timesheets! In the race, the Morgans achieved a 1-2 finish, with Bertrand Baguette, Martin Plowman, and Ricardo Gonzalez in the #35 car finishing ahead of the #01-18.

The team arrived at the Brazilian round leading the championship. However, the #24 could only manage 6th in LMP2, a result that was replicated shortly after at the 6 Hours of the Americas. The Asian leg of the season was much better, yielding a 4th place at Fuji, followed by two 2nd place finishes at Shanghai and Bahrain. In that final race, the #24 also finished just off the overall podium!

The #24 concluded a strong season by finishing 2nd in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams, thanks to five 2nd place finishes out of eight races. Eight races completed without any technical issues.

2014: The American Dream

The 2014 season began across the Atlantic. Leveraging the convergence between the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Grand-Am, which led to the emergence of the United SportsCar Championship (USCC), Oak Racing embarked on a dual program, competing in both the WEC and this new American championship. In the USCC, Oak Racing could contend for overall victory! The adventure began with the support of 8Star Motorsports, which stored the prototype.

The #01-18 was the car for this challenge, and it all began at Daytona. The debate regarding the equivalency between Grand-Am-derived DPs and ACO-series LMP2s was in full swing. The challenge was significant for Oak Racing, having never raced in the United States, and needing to contend with a sole tire manufacturer, Continental. The season would be largely dominated by the DPs, numerically superior, particularly by Action Express Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing. The fiercest opposition, however, would come from the Oak Racing team!

The 8th place finish at Daytona (6th in class) did not fully reflect the excellent performance. The Morgan suffered an alternator issue, causing it to lose 17 laps, and it ultimately finished... 17 laps down! A victory was therefore possible right from the very first race of the new series.

The 12 Hours of Sebring and the Long Beach round yielded 4th place finishes. In the streets of Belle Isle, Gustavo Yacaman and Olivier Pla secured 3rd. The Morgan, despite a top-speed deficit compared to the DPs, proved agile with its much more modern and responsive chassis on tighter, more winding tracks. At Watkins Glen, Gustavo Yacaman, assisted by Alex Brundle and Ho-Pin Tung, finished 2nd after starting from pole position. A late-race safety car allowed Spirit of Daytona Racing's #90 DP to close the gap and overtake the French prototype, which had been solidly in the lead. Victory seemed within reach but slipped away from the French team by a single lap. It finally came in the subsequent mid-July round at Mosport. Gustavo Yacaman and Olivier Pla secured the first ever LMP2 victory in the championship. The undulating road course near Toronto allowed the Morgan to suffer less from its power deficit against the DPs and their Chevrolet engines. This was particularly significant as all DPs had received an 'aero-mechanical kit' for 2014.

Philippe Dumas, Oak Racing Team Principal, stated that their "Commando mission" was accomplished, as reported in Auto Hebdo (No. 1983, October 22, 2014): "We came with a maximum of ten people to win, in other words, to leave our mark. It's done. However, our schedule and budget meant we arrived the day before practice to service the car, race, stay the day after to review, before returning to France. Everything was timed, meaning the slightest delay became problematic."

It should be noted that the Morgan did not participate in the Austin and Petit Le Mans rounds, as Jacques Nicolet opted to enter the new JS P2 instead.

The Human Achievement

While the car was not seen in 2015, it reappeared in 2016. It competed in an event of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), as well as a race in the VdeV series. Each time, Frédéric Sausset was behind the wheel. The quadri-amputee driver, following a bacterial infection in 2012, embarked on the audacious project in early 2013 to one day compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
His preparation spanned several seasons, culminating in his entry aboard the Morgan LMP2. Specially adapted for him to drive, the car thus competed at Le Mans a second time (after 2013), securing a 38th place finish. In the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans annual, he described the system: "I have paddles that extend to my thighs and are directly connected to the accelerator and brake pedals. This, of course, requires an automated gearbox. Furthermore, my forearm is attached to what serves as the steering wheel via a prosthetic socket that locks into a ball joint."
Oak Racing played a central role in this endeavor, contributing chassis 01-18. For a time, Audi's support for engine supply was discussed (as with another CN prototype used in VdeV), but a Nissan V8 was ultimately used.
Frédéric Sausset's human adventure was widely documented in media worldwide, covered by leading publications.

​

A Very Fast LMP2 for the new historic Series and Le Mans Classic Legend 2026

This Morgan Nissan LMP2 represents the pinnacle of open-cockpit LMP2s. Boasting a superb track record and having been restored by its constructor, this LMP2 clearly possesses numerous assets to attract a competitor-collector. Indeed, it grants access to the world's most prestigious historic races, whether in the USA or Europe. With the promising 2026 season on the horizon, given the racing programs announced by Masters Historic Racing and Peter Auto, this superb LMP2 should soon return to the circuits and, we hope, to Le Mans for the Le Mans Classic Legends, where it achieved a superb second-place finish!

​​

Race History

30/03/2013 - FIA WEC Official Test - Olivier Pla / Alex Brundle - 4th (No. 24)
14/04/2013 - 6 Hours of Silverstone - Olivier Pla / David Heinemeier Hansson / Alex Brundle - 8th (No. 24)
04/05/2013 - 6 Hours of Spa - Olivier Pla / David Heinemeier Hansson / Alex Brundle - 9th (No. 24)
09/06/2013 - Le Mans 24 Hours Test - Olivier Pla / David Heinemeier Hansson / Alex Brundle - 10th and 1st LMP2 (No. 24)
23/06/2013 - 24 Hours of Le Mans - Olivier Pla / David Heinemeier Hansson / Alex Brundle - 8th and 2nd in LMP2 (No. 24)
01/09/2013 - 6 Hours of Interlagos - Olivier Pla / David Heinemeier Hansson / Alex Brundle - 11th (No. 24)
22/09/2013 - 6 Hours of Austin - Alex Brundle / David Heinemeier Hansson / Olivier Pla - 10th (No. 24)
20/10/2013 - 6 Hours of Fuji - Olivier Pla / Alex Brundle / David Heinemeier Hansson - 7th (No. 24)
10/11/2013 - 6 Hours of Shanghai - Olivier Pla / Alex Brundle / David Heinemeier Hansson - 6th (No. 24)
30/11/2013 - 6 Hours of Bahrain - Olivier Pla / Alex Brundle / David Heinemeier Hansson - 4th (No. 24)
05/01/2014 - Daytona Test - Olivier Pla / Roman Rusinov / Gustavo Yacaman / Martin Plowman - 10th (No. 42)
26/01/2014 - 24 Hours of Daytona - Olivier Pla / Roman Rusinov / Gustavo Yacaman / Oliver Webb - 8th (No. 42)
21/02/2014 - Sebring Test - Gustavo Yacaman / Olivier Pla / Ho-Pin Tung - 2nd (No. 42)
15/03/2014 - 12 Hours of Sebring - Olivier Pla / Alex Brundle / Gustavo Yacaman - 4th (No. 42)
12/04/2014 - Long Beach 100 Minutes - Gustavo Yacaman / Olivier Pla - 4th (No. 42)
04/05/2014 - 2 Hours of Laguna Seca - Gustavo Yacaman / Alex Brundle - 19th (No. 42)
31/05/2014 - Detroit 100 Minutes - Gustavo Yacaman / Olivier Pla - 3rd (No. 42)
29/06/2014 - 6 Hours of Watkins Glen - Gustavo Yacaman / Alex Brundle / Ho-Pin Tung - 2nd (No. 42)
13/07/2014 - Mosport - Gustavo Yacaman / Olivier Pla - Winner (No. 42)
25/07/2014 - 2h45 Indianapolis - Gustavo Yacaman / Ho-Pin Tung - 8th (No. 42)
10/08/2014 - Road America - Gustavo Yacaman / Olivier Pla - Retired (No. 42)
23/03/2016 - ELMS Paul Ricard Test - Frédéric Sausset / Christophe Tinseau / Jean-Bernard Bouvet - 14th (No. 84)
16/04/2016 - 4 Hours of Silverstone - Frédéric Sausset / Christophe Tinseau / Jean-Bernard Bouvet - 31st (No. 84)
24/04/2016 - Le Mans 4 Hours (VdeV) - Frédéric Sausset / Christophe Tinseau - 15th (No. 84)
05/06/2016 - 24 Hours of Le Mans Test - Frédéric Sausset / Christophe Tinseau / Jean-Bernard Bouvet - 33rd (No. 84)
19/06/2016 - 24 Hours of Le Mans - Frédéric Sausset / Christophe Tinseau / Jean-Bernard Bouvet - 38th (No. 84)

The car is presented with race number 26, which it carried in the Masters Endurance Legends at the Silverstone Festival in 2023.

Photo credits for period photos: John Brooks

Website:

Facebook:

Keyword Search Terms: