The Consulier GTP is an American sports car that was produced by Consulier Industries between 1988 and 1993 and successfully used in professional racing. Consulier Industries spun off their automotive division into Mosler Automotive which then rebranded the car as the Mosler Intruder and Mosler Raptor before production ended in 2000. Mosler replaced the car with the Mosler MT900 in 2001.
History
thumb|left|A Consulier GTP-LX prototype
left|thumb|Consulier GTP Series II
The Consulier GTP, conceived by Warren Mosler in 1985, was a mid-engined sports car built in two series. The first series sold about 70 copies and was powered by a Chrysler 2.2 I4 Turbo II engine producing . The second series made use of the improved Turbo III version of the same engine, which produced and had a top speed of . The GTP Sport was the base model, with the GTP LX adding luxury features such as Recaro seats, VDO instrumentation, Fittipaldi wheels, Alpine sound system, sunroof, leather upholstery, air conditioning, cruise control, power locks, power mirrors, power windows, tilt steering wheel, and wool carpet; options included a security system and car phone. Both versions had full instrumentation, in a plain flat-black panel, with eleven gauges in two sizes. the car was eventually saddled by IMSA with a 300-pound weight penalty before being banned entirely in 1991. After Consulier Industries spun off into Mosler Automotive, a few of the cars were produced as hybrids between the GTP, Intruder, and Raptor. Some were modified to accept longitudinal Chevrolet small-block V8 engines, which would eventually be used in the Intruder and Raptor. Two separate companies also modified the GTP and installed electric drive components; one of these, a company named Solar Electric, advertised their version in print ads featuring Leslie Nielsen and sold the vehicles through Neiman Marcus.
Rebrand
Mosler Intruder
In 1993, Consulier Industries spun off their automotive division into Mosler Automotive, which focused on high-performance cars. Mosler introduced the Intruder, an updated GTP with a new Corvette LT1 V8 engine modified by Lingenfelter. This car raced at the Longest Day of Nelson 24-hour race in 1993 and 1994, winning both years; like the GTP before it the Intruder was also banned from Nelson Ledges after its dominating 1993–1994 performances. In 1996, a Lingenfelter Intruder won Car and Driver magazine's One Lap of America.
Of the four Intruders built, just one was sold. Another was converted into a GT1 racing car, while the remaining pair were converted into Raptors.
Mosler Raptor
thumb|Mosler Raptor front
In 1997, the Intruder was renamed Raptor after being updated with a V-shaped split windshield that reduced drag.
thumb|Mosler Raptor prototype profile
This slightly modified car (which had previously won the 1996 One Lap event) went on to win the same event in 1997 and 1999, after which Car and Driver editor Brock Yates banned it from competing again.
thumb|Mosler Raptor prototype rear
The mechanical components were still sourced mainly from Chrysler as they had been since 1985: for example, the steering wheel came from a Chrysler minivan. The new split windshield caused visibility problems and blocked some of the air vents. The tested performance of the car included a 3.9 second run to and a 12.3 second and sprint through the quarter mile. Top speed was , limited by drag.
Challenge with C4 Corvette
Warren Mosler was so confident in the performance of the GTP that he offered a $25,000 bounty to anyone who could pilot a street-legal production car around any U.S. racetrack faster than his car. Arthur St. Antoine and Csaba Csere took three laps each in the Corvette and the GTP. They were able to obtain a best lap of 1:21.01 in the Corvette versus the GTP's best of 1:22.56. Reviewer St. Antoine opined that the GTP was "difficult to handle" with "anemic brakes". Mosler offered to rerun the test using his company test driver and after installing new brake pads in the GTP, and agreed to pay the $25,000 if the GTP still didn't lap faster than the Corvette. Car and Driver refused, saying it might be faster because of the new driver. Mosler responded that they could use any driver they wanted for their car, but to have them drive the GTP and get paid if it lost due to a conflict of interest. Car and Driver subsequently published the Consulier GTP road test article in a negative and sarcastic light, where they ridiculed the borrowed car's lack of interior fit and finish and the three lighter plugs (failing to mention these were modifications made by the driving school), and compared the overall fit and finish negatively with a new Nissan 300ZX.