Trying to solve a mystery (1985 Nissan GTP)

Forza Motorsport Forza Motorsport (2023) Discussion
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I mostly ignored the 1985 Nissan GTP ZX Turbo when it was introduced in Forza 7, despite it being one of my all-time favorites, because it’s the absolute worst iteration, described by the team owner as being “diabolical to drive.” Having just recently given it a closer look, I noticed some anachronistic details.

First was the inclusion of Brabham/Morton on the doors.

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John Morton ran a single race for the Electramotive team in 1987, having been a regular for the BF Goodrich team running a Porsche 962 in 85/86, and the Group 44 Jaguar in 87. Once Tom Walkinshaw took over for Jaguar in 88, Morton was signed to Electramotive.

https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/photo/John-Morton-USA.html?page=3#google_vignette

Meanwhile, Geoff Brabham began running select races for the Electramotive team in 86 into 87, often alternating with Elliot Forbes-Robinson, finally being signed for the 88 season.

In 1985, driving duty was left to Electramotive founder Don Devendorf and Tony Adamowicz. During these first few races, the car still featured the Lola T810 bodywork:

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The second issue is that the iconic blue/red/white was introduced in 1986, and the car began receiving custom bodywork designed by Yoshi Suzuka that dramatically increased the downforce being produced. The Bridgestone tires weren’t able to withstand the heavy loads created by the redesign, which ultimately led to Electramotive switching to Goodyear for the 1988 season.

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Del Mar being the final race of the season.

All this led me to question the origin of the model being utilized in Forza. It appears that this chassis is located in the Zama Heritage Car Garage in Japan, but I’m struggling to find any information regarding where this car actually came from/chassis number. Is it chassis T810-HU3 but repainted with the wrong information or is it a different chassis altogether?

This is undoubtedly the source for the digital model:

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IMSA car so it could be located in the US, could be from the Adam Carolla collection. Now that doesn’t explain the Morton name.

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There were 4 T810 chassis built by Lola. I can’t find any up to date info on where they ended up. But the two that were sent to Electramotive received the upgraded bodywork in 86. The one in the Japanese museum is likely HU3 or HU4, but like you said, that doesn’t explain the Morton/Brabham names.

http://www.lolaheritage.co.uk/type_numbers/t810/t810.html

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Don’t expect much from a franchise that uses almost 2 decades old car models for multiple fan favourite cars. Demand more

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It seems that T-10 chose to use the '88 livery on the '85 car. '88 was the year that Brabham (with Morton as the co-driver) won the drivers championship in IMSA.

https://www.zcarblog.com/2024/04/15/featured-cars-and-projects/racing-the-nissan-gtp-zx-turbo-at-z-car-garage.html

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That’s correct. What’s odd about that is both chassis that Lola sent to Electramotive in ‘85 received the heavily upgraded bodywork in ‘86 with the first chassis being the most successful car they ran. I just can’t see someone stripping the upgrades that made it iconic, only to then paint it like it’s the ‘88 car.

My money is on chassis 4, which went straight to Japan in ‘85, seemingly without ever racing.