Mosler MT900 History
History
Mosler Automotive revealed the MT900 in prototype form in 2001, designed in collaboration with stylist Rod Trenne. The car was built on a carbon-fiber chassis with tubular steel front and rear subframes, mid-mounting a GM LS-family V8. Early cars used the 5.7-liter LS1 producing 350 hp; from around 2003 the street MT900S received the Corvette Z06-derived LS6 making 435 hp. The entire package weighed approximately 2,500 lb — a remarkable figure for a road-legal supercar of the era.
Performance was stratospheric relative to cost. Car and Driver documented a 0–60 mph time of 3.1 seconds and a 0–100–0 mph run of 10.98 seconds for the MT900S — besting the McLaren F1 LM's then-benchmark 11.15-second figure. George Lucas reportedly took delivery of the first MT900S. From 2007 onward the car was updated with the 7.0-liter LS7. Approximately 20 road cars and up to 30 racing versions were completed across the MT900 program.
The racing MT900R was equally successful. At the 2003 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona it won its class, and Rollcentre Racing scored three consecutive one-two finishes in the 2003 British GT Championship with the type. Total production of all MT900 variants was roughly 35 road cars and 50 race cars combined, though figures vary by source. Mosler Automotive closed its factory in May 2011; remaining assets and the MT900 design were acquired by Rossion Automotive in June 2013, ending the Mosler marque.
Generations
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MT900 / MT900S · LS1/LS6-powered original
Photo: “2006FOS - Mosler MT900 (green) - 001” by Mark Woodbury from Southampton, England / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
Prototype debuted 2001 with a 350 hp LS1; the MT900S entered production circa 2003 with the LS6 producing 435 hp in a ~2,500-lb carbon-fiber body.
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2005 Photo: “Mosler MT900” by Thomas Vogt from Paderborn, Deutschland / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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2006 Photo: “Mosler MT900 at the British International Motor Show 2006” by Grant Mitchell / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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MT900S (late) · LS7-powered evolution
Photo: “Mosler MT900 GTR Gen1 000 2006-2011 frontleft 2012-10-07 A” by Detectandpreserve / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
Late MT900S upgraded to the 7.0-liter LS7 V8; production continued in small numbers until the factory closed and assets passed to Rossion Automotive in June 2013.
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2007 Photo: “Mosler MT900s” by J Q from LA/OC, US / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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2012 Photo: “Mosler MT900 GTR Gen1 000 2006-2011 frontleft 2012-10-07 A” by Detectandpreserve / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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Body styles
- Coupe
Notable special editions & performance variants
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MT900S Photon
Extreme lightweight variant with carbon-fiber bodywork, magnesium wheels, titanium springs, and Hewland transmission; weight reduced to approximately 1,980 lb.
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MT900R
Full racing version; won the GTS Division at the 2003 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and competed in the British GT Championship.
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