PEBBLE BEACH >> As if Jürgen Barth, Patrick Peter and Stéphane Ratel had nothing better to do, the trio of automotive experts combined their talents 30 years ago and started a racing series.

Barth, a German former race car driver who was part of the winning 24 Hour of LeMans team in 1997, joined Peter and Ratel, both long-time motorsport event promoters, and introduced the BPR Global GT Series in 1994. The collective concept took iconic supercars and adapted them to race on the track.

The iconic vehicles included the McLaren F1, Ferrari F40, Bugatti EB 110, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and Porsche 911 GT1. And there were exotics like the Lotus Elise GT1 and Dodge Viper.

The 1990’s BPR and FIA GT race cars will be one of the featured classes at Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The eight-race series was held globally from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to China, Japan and throughout Europe. The international endurance racing series replaced the World Sportscar Championship which had ended in 1992.

Teams were required to have two drivers per car, with each driver being required to drive a minimum amount to score points. Some teams, mostly amateurs, used three drivers.

“When we launched the BPR, there was really nothing else like it,” said Ratel on the SRO Motorsports Group website, an international organization he founded. “GT racing had been forgotten by most organizers, but the end of the FIA World Sportscar Championship in 1993 created a vacuum that the BPR was able to fill. You could say that we came along at the right time, but we had to build it all from scratch.”

The series changed its name to the FIA GT Series in 1997, but it remained a testament to the comparison of street and racetrack vehicles until 2009.

During the 1950s and 1960s, iconic sports cars such as the Jaguar E-type, Ferrari 250 GT and Shelby Cobra transitioned from road to race course vehicles with few changes.

“Basically, it’s street cars that were then converted into race cars,” said Martin E. Button, a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance selection committee member. “We’re displaying the street car next to the race car together on the green.

“People will be able to say, ‘Ah, there’s the street car,’ and next to it will be the full-blown race car. It will be a great class because you will be able to see the difference between race cars and street cars.”

A rare Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport, one of 139 produced from 1991-1995 in Modena, Italy, will be included in the class among eight street cars and their race car counterparts.

The EB 110, a two-door, rear-engine, all-wheel drive coupe, had a six-speed manual transmission matched to 3.5-liter quad-turbocharged V12. The short-lived machines were succeeded by the further iconic Bugatti Veyron.

“We struggled to get the guy from Austria to send us his EB 110,” said Button. “But he did and he’s coming over. It was kind of a last-minute thing. So we are very excited about that.”

Following the end of FIA GT Series, the three BPR founders continued their passions for racing and iconic cars.

Peter created a new series in association with the French FFSA motorsport organization, known as the FFSA GT Championship.

Ratel helped launch the GTR Euroseries in 1998. It allowed privateer teams to avoid the large manufacturer involvement now seen in FIA GT.

In June, Ratel announced the return of Suzuka 1,000km during the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa press conference in Belgium. After a six-year hiatus, the event will join the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar in 2025.

Barth is co-author with Gustav Büsing of “The Porsche Book: The Complete History of Types and Models.” The three-volume set is a technical history of all Porsche cars and designs, from the most famous sports cars to the most obscure prototypes.

Originally published in 1977, the first English-language edition of “The Porsche Book” in 25 years, was issued in 2002. Complete descriptions of each model’s specifications, from 1948 through the present day are complemented by details of upgrades and major options.