Thunder Roadster
A Brief History
US Legend Cars, formerly called 600 Racing and headquartered in Harrisburg, NC, is considered to be the largest race car manufacturer in the world. This is due in large part to the success of their 5/8 scale spec Legend race car that was followed by the Bandolero and Thunder Roadster. Since the unveiling of the first Legend car in 1992, they have sold more than 9,000 race cars worldwide.
The Thunder Roadster concept and design was the contribution of legendary race promoter and former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler. Though he is widely known as Humpy, we will call him Mr. Wheeler out of respect.
In 1997, Mr. Wheeler decided to commission the design of an affordable, open cockpit, race car. The look of the car was inspired by the nostalgia of the classic race cars of 1950's and 1960's. Concealed under the beautiful new body was a tube frame, full roll cage, 122 horsepower DOHC Yamaha engine with the same motorcycle's 5 speed sequential transmission, complete rear end from a 1970's Toyota Celica, Volkswagen master cylinder, front disc and rear drum brakes from the same Toyota, and assorted proprietary parts from US Legend Cars.
The body of the Thunder Roadster has changed over the years, with 3 different generations of bodies. First generation bodies had open rear wheels and enclosed front wheels. Second generation bodies had open front and rear wheels. Third generation bodies, typically called a GT or Thunder Cup, have fully enclosed wheels. Thunder Roadsters with all three body styles can still be seen computing against each other today. Additional changes to the spec car include changing from air to water cooled and an optional Wilwood brake system.
While the Thunder Roadster was much loved by drivers for its performance, reliability, and overall low cost of ownership, in its original form it had one major drawback. Despite its low weight, power was limited by the powerplant it shared with the Legends car. Mr. Wheeler expressed that he initially intended to use the more powerful Suzuki Hayabusa motor, but he was unable to secure a deal with Suzuki to supply the motors. US Legend Cars never produced a Thunder Roadster with the more powerful engine; nevertheless, Hayabusa powered Thunder Roadsters now frequently outnumber original spec Thunder Roadsters at race events.
Since it's inception, the Thunder Roadster has been raced under the sanction of INEX, SCCA, and NASA. Today, it continues to enjoy immense popularity with NASA in national and regional series, in 3 different preparation levels:
Prep Level I - Original Spec Thunder Roadster (Yamaha powered)
Prep Level II - Thunder Roadster GTR (Hayabusa powered carbureted)
Prep Level III - Thunder Roadster TRX (Hayabusa powered fuel injected)
To learn more about the different Thunder Roadster preparation levels, click here or the button below.
The Thunder Roadster concept and design was the contribution of legendary race promoter and former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler. Though he is widely known as Humpy, we will call him Mr. Wheeler out of respect.
In 1997, Mr. Wheeler decided to commission the design of an affordable, open cockpit, race car. The look of the car was inspired by the nostalgia of the classic race cars of 1950's and 1960's. Concealed under the beautiful new body was a tube frame, full roll cage, 122 horsepower DOHC Yamaha engine with the same motorcycle's 5 speed sequential transmission, complete rear end from a 1970's Toyota Celica, Volkswagen master cylinder, front disc and rear drum brakes from the same Toyota, and assorted proprietary parts from US Legend Cars.
The body of the Thunder Roadster has changed over the years, with 3 different generations of bodies. First generation bodies had open rear wheels and enclosed front wheels. Second generation bodies had open front and rear wheels. Third generation bodies, typically called a GT or Thunder Cup, have fully enclosed wheels. Thunder Roadsters with all three body styles can still be seen computing against each other today. Additional changes to the spec car include changing from air to water cooled and an optional Wilwood brake system.
While the Thunder Roadster was much loved by drivers for its performance, reliability, and overall low cost of ownership, in its original form it had one major drawback. Despite its low weight, power was limited by the powerplant it shared with the Legends car. Mr. Wheeler expressed that he initially intended to use the more powerful Suzuki Hayabusa motor, but he was unable to secure a deal with Suzuki to supply the motors. US Legend Cars never produced a Thunder Roadster with the more powerful engine; nevertheless, Hayabusa powered Thunder Roadsters now frequently outnumber original spec Thunder Roadsters at race events.
Since it's inception, the Thunder Roadster has been raced under the sanction of INEX, SCCA, and NASA. Today, it continues to enjoy immense popularity with NASA in national and regional series, in 3 different preparation levels:
Prep Level I - Original Spec Thunder Roadster (Yamaha powered)
Prep Level II - Thunder Roadster GTR (Hayabusa powered carbureted)
Prep Level III - Thunder Roadster TRX (Hayabusa powered fuel injected)
To learn more about the different Thunder Roadster preparation levels, click here or the button below.