Could that have been LeMans GT1/GT2? You didn't have to sell many cars, just enough to claim the other version was there. I thought that Ferrari might have started in that class as the early street Ferraris were little more than race cars that people were wanting for themselves.

Are you thinking of FIA GT3?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIA_GT3_European_Championship

No. The teams were sponsored by the manufacturers like in LeMans GT1 and LMP1. The series that you mentioned was for amateurs racing modified street cars. However, you might have been close. FIA's GT series appears to be very much what I was talking about. Teams must use a car that is sold to the public in quantities of at least 25.

Sounds like FIA GT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIA_GT_Championship

Both categories are based on production road car designs, which must be produced in a minimum quantity of 25 examples to qualify. Both types may undergo significant modifications from the road car they are based on, but GT1 allows the use of exotic materials, better aerodynamics, larger brakes, wider tires and larger engine admission restrictors.


When BPR evolved into FIA GT. You had factory teams with BMW/McLaren, Mercedes, and Porsche in 1997 and 1998. But there really hasn't been "factory teams" perse in FIA GT1 since.