Ray Mallock began building racing cars alongside his brother Richard, assisting their father, Major Arthur Mallock, who created the Mallock U2 chassis for Clubmans racing. After racing in Formula 3, Formula Atlantic, and sports cars, Mallock founded Ray Mallock Atlantic Racing in 1979 and renamed it RML in 1984.
Ray Mallock, driving for Viscount Downe Racing, helped develop the privateer Aston Martin-powered Nimrod NRA/C2 for Group C regulations in the World Endurance Championship in 1982, 1983, and 1984. In 1984, RML was contracted to build the Ecurie Ecosse prototypes for the C2 class, winning the class title in 1986. In 1987, RML returned to the main class by developing the Aston Martin AMR-1, a project closed in 1990.
RML then found work with the works Nissan team, developing and preparing NPTI's Nissan R90CK programme for Le Mans, with one car leading the race for five hours and setting a new lap record.
In 1999, RML produced the RML Mallock P20 Supersports Car in association with Mallock Sports, his brother Richard's company. The car won the National Supersports championships in 1999 and 2000, driven by Michael Mallock. In 2000, RML created the Saleen S7 supercar, initially as a road car and then as the racing S7-R, winning the European Le Mans Series in the GT1 class in 2001 and the Spanish GT Championship overall in 2002. In 2004 RML entered the FIA GT Championship with two S7-R cars.
Also in 2004, RML ran an MG-Lola EX257 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Le Mans Endurance Series. Following new LMP2 regulations, RML merged components from the EX257 into the Lola B05/40's chassis and bodyshell to create the MG-Lola EX264, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class in both 2005 and 2006. The car was upgraded for 2008 using a new XP21 motor developed by MG, renamed EX265. Before the 2008 season finale, a coupé bodyshell based on the Lola B08/80 was introduced; using components of the EX265 including the MG XP21 motor, the new car was christened the EX265C, debuting at the 2008 1000km of Silverstone.
In 2009, RML switched to a Mazda MZR-R turbocharged engine in the Lola B08/80, but issues with the spec fuel caused several engine failures, with the car finishing only twice that season. For 2010, RML retained the Lola B08/80 chassis fitted with a normally aspirated V8 developed by Honda Performance Development, the same engine used in the HPD ARX-01. RML competed in the Le Mans Series in 2011 with an HPD ARX-01d LMP2 car, becoming the second team to run the ARX-01 in Europe after Strakka Racing.
In 2012, RML developed a new engine on behalf of Nissan for the Nissan DeltaWing RML, providing engineering and technical support at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans, where it finished fifth overall. For 2014, RML designed and built the Nissan ZEOD RC for Le Mans Garage 56 — the first car designed to switch between electric and petrol propulsion. RML developed a new 3-cylinder 1.5-litre engine weighing only 40 kg and producing over 400 bhp. In practice the ZEOD RC achieved the first ever all-electric lap of Le Mans and exceeded 300 km/h in electric mode before suffering a gearbox failure caused by a material defect during the race.
RML debuted in the British Touring Car Championship in 1992, running two semi-works Vauxhall Cavaliers for Ecurie Ecosse. In 1993, RML built its first ground-up Super Touring car, the Vauxhall Cavalier RML P7, taking RML's maiden BTCC victory with David Leslie at Thruxton. The team's success earned it the full works Vauxhall contract in 1994. The RML Vauxhall Cavalier RML P11 won both the teams' and drivers' championships in 1995. Vauxhall launched the new Vectra RML P12 for 1996; that transitional season yielded just one victory with James Thompson.
RML's association with Nissan in touring car racing began with the design of the South African Touring Car Championship Sentra RML P8 in 1993. It grew in 1997 when RML became Nissan's works partner in Super Touring, responsible for the build, development, and operation of the BTCC cars as well as cars for the German and Japanese series. RML secured the BTCC manufacturers' and teams' titles in 1998 and 1999 with project numbers P17 and P18 respectively, and Laurent Aïello won the drivers' championship in 1999.
In 2004, RML contracted with SEAT Sport UK to run two SEAT Toledo Cupras in the BTCC with drivers Jason Plato and Rob Huff.
RML re-entered the BTCC in 2009, running ex-WTCC Chevrolet Lacettis for Jason Plato, Mat Jackson, James Nash, and Alex MacDowall. The 2009 campaign produced 11 wins with Plato finishing second in the drivers' championship. In 2010 RML ran the works Chevrolet team, winning the drivers' championship with Plato. Chevrolet announced its withdrawal from the BTCC on 1 February 2012.
At the end of 2004, RML moved into the World Touring Car Championship with Chevrolet, winning the contract to build, develop, and run the works Chevrolet Lacetti from 2005. The Lacetti won one race in its first year, seven wins in 2007, and five wins in 2008. The new Chevrolet Cruze was introduced in 2009, taking six wins in its debut year. In 2010 the RML Chevrolet team won the Manufacturers' Championship by 74 points and the Drivers' Championship with Yvan Muller. The team won the WTCC again in 2011 with Muller and in 2012 with Rob Huff. Chevrolet Europe announced the end of its WTCC programme after the 2012 season.
RML announced on 4 March 2013 that it would enter the WTCC in 2013 as an independent two-car entry, running Chevrolet Cruzes for Yvan Muller and Tom Chilton. Muller won the 2013 WTCC championship; Chilton finished fifth overall. From 2014, RML developed the Chevrolet Cruze to new TC1 specifications for various teams but did not field a team of its own.
In late 1997, Opel contracted RML to develop the Opel Astra Kit-car to Formula 2 regulations for the World Rally Championship and several European national championships. The RML Astra won titles in Germany, Norway, and Sweden in 1999. In late 2000 Opel assigned RML to design and build the Opel Corsa for the new Super 1600 category, which replaced the F2 kit-cars. The car made its competition debut in the 2002 JWRC class of the Monte Carlo Rally and won its first title in the following year.
In 2002, RML entered the British ASCAR stock car series, winning the 2002 and 2003 titles with Nicolas Minassian and Ben Collins. Also in 2002, RML prepared Darren Manning's Team St. George car for the British Champ Car race at Rockingham race track.
RML's engineering skills were first applied to road cars in 1990, when the company built a small number of Ford GT40 replicas. In 2000, RML created the Saleen S7 supercar. In 2003, Nissan commissioned a prototype based on the Nissan Micra, initially powered by a 265 hp Touring Car race engine and later by a 309 hp Nismo-tuned V6, called the Micra R, which debuted at the Geneva Auto Show. In 2011 RML showcased the Nissan Juke-R, with Nissan announcing a limited production run in 2012. In 2014 RML developed the Q50 Eau Rouge concept for Infiniti Motor Co. RML also produced a road-legal converted version of the Aston Martin Vulcan before 2018.
In 2021, RML launched the Short Wheelbase, a modern interpretation of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB, with a limited production run of 30 units. The company's current flagship bespoke project is the GT Hypercar, developed under the P39 codename as a modern-day interpretation of road-going Le Mans racers. It features a 912 PS turbocharged six-cylinder engine, active aerodynamics, and a carbon fibre body. The first customer car was delivered in September 2025, with production under way at RML Group's Wellingborough campus.
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