LEAF

## The Early Years

LEAF was founded in 1948 as a replacement to the racing division of the FJJ club. Their first Grand Prix win came in 1949 with the L1-49. In 1951 they won the drivers championship in Formula One with the L1-51. Soon enough, LEAF became a dominant force in Formula One, winning the drivers championship in 1951, 1954, and 1958. Their best victory of the 1950s was when they won the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans with the LE-56. They were so dominant that right when the international cup came in 1958, LEAF scooped it up in the first year. They also decided to create a road car in 1955 when they created the L1 Coupe. The car was quite fast for 1955-150 miles per hour. The LE-54 Coupe was their first road car and street legal racecar. Not only did it have great performance for 1954 but the LE-series were the world’s fastest cars in the late 1950s. They won their second Le Mans in 1958 and a third in 1961, a fourth in 1962, and a fifth in 1965. By 1966 it was Ford, Ferrari, and LEAF. In 4th and 5th there were 500 GTP cars, with 500 horsepower, 455 torque, a weight of only 1,979 pounds a monstrous top speed of 205 miles per hour.

## Even Faster

After such a loss at Le Mans in 1966, the LEAF team was seeking revenge. Hungry for revenge, the 520 GTP took first and second at Le Mans in 1967. Going up to 209 miles per hour, the cars were super fast. Turned into a road legal car, the car reached 186.679 mph becoming the world’s first production car to ever reach 300 kmh. Meanwhile in Formula One, they took both the drivers and constructors championship in 1970 so ruthlessly they lost only two races with the L1-70. Meanwhile a car built to be a production car was released in 1967, the 602. The 602 had 390 horsepower. Such car went to 60 in 4.3 seconds and would not stop until 180.573 mph. Street legal prototype race cars would be no more from LEAF, thus leaving 520 GTP as the fastest car from 1967 until 1980s. They made a Group B car called the 560 GTB, meant to compete in Group B. An AWD supercar claiming 200 mph. No car has ever made it to 200 mph. It went over that by a margin-reaching 221.576 miles per hour. In 1989, after Group B’s demise, they planned on making the ultimate supercar, codenamed Project Bass Spawn. Claiming 700 horsepower, the project, the 700 GTS reached 246.189 mph in 1996, kicking McLaren in the butt.

## Road To 250

In 1999, Project 250 was announced as a ”hyper car” that could reach “speeds of 250 up to 260 miles per hour” as the target goal. Announcing that the car would have a flat-12 engine, just like their race cars. Important to know back in 1995, Leaf made a V8 powered entry level model. The 708. The 708 was on the borderline of sports cars and supercars which was 369 horsepower, and a 176 mph top speed. Costing only $80,000, people loved it, and the 708 S was made in 1998, with a $115,000 price tag and 450 hp. Back to the 1000 GTS, the production version of the Project 250. It was a first in many ways. First with 1,000 horsepower (in 2001!) and first to 250 mph-with 256.197 mph. A middle-of-the-range LEAF also had to be made, so came the 861 in 2002. The 861 had a price tag of $330,000 and a flat-10 engine making 567 horsepower and 399 torque. It went up to 205 mph-not bad. So now the lineup was complete. In Formula One they won the constructors championship many times since 1980. In 1981, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, and 2000, with an extra drivers championship in 1983. At Le Mans they were good with the new prototypes, winning 1982, 1989, and 1998. In 1995, when their prototypes lost to the McLaren F1 GTR, they made a 700 GTE as revenge, finishing with their prototypes in third, sixth, and ninth and their 700 GTE finishing first, fifth, and twelfth at the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans. At 1998 they won again. It could be the most iconic finish for the whole team. Back to the road cars. The 1000 GTS continued until 2020. A facelift, a second generation in 2007 was the 1200 GTS. It reached 261 mph. In 2013 there was a version called the GTS MW 270 was made, with one megawatt of power and a garuntee of 270 mph. With a maximum speed of 272 it was correct.

## The Future

After beloved generations, the 708 was replaced by the 709 in 2018. It was a good with 501 horsepower. The 861 was succeeded with the 871 in 2013. It made 729 of the same power unit. In 2013 they entered the ultra-luxury market, mad about a Bentley dealer. They made the GT. It has 740 horsepower and a 206 mph top speed. They also entered the hybrid market in 2013 with 950 GTS with 950 horsepower, 221 mph, and 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. They then made an electric car which is the 1500 GT Electric Version, with 1,500 horsepower. 0-60 in 1.65 seconds and a top speed of 270 miles per hour. Yet their flagship is not a hybrid, the successor to the 1000 GTS released in 2020, that is the RS 7.2. It has multiple versions and a 7.2-liter flat-12. But the most powerful version, the Hybrid X, is aimed at 2,000 horsepower and over 300 claimed mph. At Le Mans they won in 2001, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019. They entered the Le Mans Hypercar that replaced their LMP1 car which is the LEAF 6.5 GTR Hybrid which is named for its 6.5 liter flat-12 engine, as the 6.5 GTR and the RS 7.2 are supposed to be just as good. And in F1 they won the constructors in 2002, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019, with the drivers extra in 2009 and 2017.

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