914s could possibly be the finest cheap road car to turn into a track monster 917 is awesome but dangerous My pick would be a Mosler MT900, you can add monster power to these and they are modern and relatively safe
I just bought a vintage Lola formula ford. I plan to track it this year and see what it is like. I want to try open wheel, and it is pretty cheap (much cheaper than most of the "cars" listed here). I also like the look, so if I don't enjoy the drive, I will just park it in the garage as art and get something else
What/which Ruf upgrades??? I'm intrigued.... I'm hearing the C5 Z06 is quite the track star for those on a tight budget...cheap, reliable and fast....
Wow...thanks for all the feedback.... So let's see... Radical, ariel atom, lotus exige/elise/211, viper ACR, ZO6, alboreto, catterham, mosler, porsche 914/917/C4/Cayman, formula ford/mazda I think I am most intrigued by the radical, the 211 and an open-wheel formula car. Does anyone know how much a modern formula ford costs (both up front and to maintain)?
OK ,Lets see...How can you narrow this down. You must prioritize. Categories in no particular order:Maintenence costs,top speed,cornering compliance,street legal/or not,parts availability,cool looks,club racing eligability,club racing competetiveness,safety factors,number of other similiar cars typically found at the track(good for some close wheel to wheel competition). Once you have placed these categories in order of YOUR priority you can sort the above recommendations. "To each their own" Jon (you know where)
Maybe but the problem with many purpose built race cars is that you are restricted to trailering them and you can't just jump in on a trackday with them. There are many more tintop venues to play from low stress arrive and drive streetcar club venues to full on arrive and drive W2W racing. A couple weeks ago my suburban that I tow with was out. So I put the licenseplate on my Z06 racecar with full cage, no interior, and race seat and drove to the track on "street tires" and just raced it and drove home after the event. It is nice to have options either when you have to or when you are lazy.
I have been idly dreaming about getting a track car sometime in the future. I want a relatively cheap and fast car with the driving wheels visible from the cockpit. Thus the Caterham R400/500 or a Formula Renault/Mazda would be an ideal purchase. An old school Formula car (like a Lotus 49) would be really desirable but it wouldnt be a safe or cheap option due to difficult to obtain parts. On a much cheaper budget, a Superkart would be fantastic too!
Caterham R500 will prep you nicely for a Caterham RS Levante. Would need to be a second hand car though as all the Levante's have been sold. @ 1000bhp-per-tonne I can understand why !
I highly recommend a Pro Formula Mazda. I have driven mine once a week for the past 2 years during the season. Initial cost is higher, about $105,000 brand new, but maintenance is very low. More importantly, it is so reliable, that I have never gone to the track and not been able to drive it. It also has a carbon fiber tub that greatly increases the safety of the car. I have owned/driven many different cars on the track, nothing come close to the performance and fun.
I can't believe I am saying this............but I think...... errrrrrrrrr....... the new ZO6 with a brake upgrade (stop tech) and a transmission cooler is the best....bang for the buck. That was hard to say!!! My logic is the parts are cheap, the car is balanced and extremely fast in the right hands. The viper ACR is too fast. Then the next step up from there is a Porsche 911 ( I don't know what year or model). The performance parts are available and the cars are bullet proof. They only have electrical problems NOT engine failures!!! It's a Porsche joke. Then if you are a real idiot and you decide to buy a Ferrari track car then you must be comfortable with the following: 1. Opening your checkbook to a stranger! 1. Pretending you like buying expensive parts from a country that doesn't have next day shipping!!!!!!!!or two day or three day. It's a slow boat my friend. 2. Becoming a computer science major or you like hanging around Ferrari dealerships because they own the Ferrari computer. 3. What to learn to speak Italian. 4. Bob Woodman will become your best friend or Tire Rack.com knows you by your first name and says "Welcome back Mr....." 5. You get to stay in exotic hotels...and eat at fancy trackside dining establishments with dishes called the "heart attack special" 6. You must learn to become a Ferrari mechanic on track day because no else will know what's wrong with your car. Everyone will have an opinion. The Porsche guys always do. No it's not air cooled!!!!! 7. Get comfortable with being chased off the track by other cars trying to beat "the Ferrari" on the first corner. 8. Be prepared to say NO for passenger rides. Everyone from instructors to professional drivers want to go for a ride in "the Ferrari". 9. The ferrari track car is NOT the fastest car. It sounds the fastest, but be prepared to hear it from the other drivers; "the Ferrari is not the fastest car out there and he paid too much for that thing!" 10. Wearing a Ferrari shirt or jacket to a track day and getting the question "What car are you driving?" 11. You must be comfortable with a retired car for the day because when a Ferrari breaks you cannot go down to the local Autozone and get another part. You are done for the day. 12. Bring spare parts and fluids. 13. If you total your car then it's done or buy track day insurance. If you are comfortable with the following join the club!!!
That's funny but mostly true! Some solutions are possibly... or in my own case... take the passenger seat out buy 348 or 355 not F1. These cars can be diy cars and mostly never need to see an SD2 computer 348 brakes are about 100 bucks a set of all 4 wheels! Just the front of my Z06 is nearly 300 bucks My 348 used no fluids used hardly any oil I ran giant 3" brake ducts from naca ducts in the foglight holes on stock brakes! I got no fade and just bleed brakes before a weekend and basically set it and forget it. Nothing ever broke and the cost per year was brakes tires and 1 timing belt service every year. I did everything myself. No electrical problems when you gut the electronics and just keep what makes the car go fast. Weight is speed. A gutted 348 is about as fast as a 355. A gutted 355 may be very competative with a 360?? I had a homemade clutch and homemade delrin suspension bushings and DeltaVee shock valving as my only modifications besides weight reduction. None of those parts ever failed me nor did the car once all the unnessessary electronics were removed. I started buying from BobWoodman but then found out about "scrub tires." Yes they were slower but still slicks and speed/dollar was better than new slick cost/speed. The 348 was only fast enough in my hands to be a mid pak car in any open class casual wheel to wheel race with mixture of cars from a NASCAR to miata kind of field. Ferrari so sound *****in but you will get beat by stock Z06's, M3, evos, and P-bugs.
I looked at a lot of choices for a track car and we finally chose a Radical SR3. It's an absolute hoot. Feff Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
at a 1/4 mile track they turn a few heads...true torque monsters in the V12 biturbo...picking up a used CL65 costs under $60k now so that's a plus. modding them can be a bit pricey, but an ECU flash a few tricks under the hood can bring 700HP/900TQ no problem, but you're still screwed when it comes time to buy parts.
Open Wheel is the only way to go, but you need the proper kit, especially the shoes Image Unavailable, Please Login
Nice, Dave! Radnor, a modern FF is about $25-30K. I LOVE the purpose-built route. The AMG, F-cars and even the Noble are overweight and underpowered in comparison. The C6 Z06 is the best street/track car. YMMV, but that's after working with drivers doing just this for over twenty years... )
A vintage FF is about the same, but without the extreme level of competitiveness. Trust me on that, I raced SCCA FF for several years, its close extreme racing, might be a bit much for a novice. For a seldom used track car a vintage FF will hold value much better, might even appreciate, most vintage cars do. My track car, 1969 Brabham BT29 FB car one of the best vintage open wheel cars available without excessive maintenance, but its four times the cost of a FF Image Unavailable, Please Login
