is a 360 challenge a viable daily driver?

well guys, i went to see it and had a test drive. WOW !!!! WOW !!!! did i mention WOW!!!!

ok, here is the scoop. the car was raced in the challenge series in 2000 for one season by a dr moller (sp?). after which it was sold to a company (another guy) who also raced it but then had a shunt which damaged the front right side. so it was sold onto the present owner, where they repaired it (btw, the whole front end was replaced and he said that was standard for challenge cars). he decided to make it into a gt spec:

- the front splitter, rear wing, brakes, and breathing all upgraded, and now puts out 430bhp

and then it was adjusted to be made road legal in switzerland (no mean feat), and yes i have seen all the papers, its the only one in existence.

- the steering rack was swapped out for a regular one so that you can actually turn a radius approximately the same as a 360
- the brake pads are a little less racy, so they work well at lower temps
- the race springs were swapped out for slightly less hard ones
- the ride height was raised to about 4''
- the exhaust was tamed
- not necessary but, lots of carbon fiber parts added, now weighs 1211 kg

it has now been driven a total of about 18,000 km on the street, and 10,000 km on track. it gets transported to far away tracks, and driven to the closer ones (altho he has driven it to monza twice and then swapped out to slicks, done 30-40 laps, then swapped out the tires, gone to dinner in town, and driven it back home !). it comes with a full set of slicks on separate challenge rims. cosmetically it is pretty good, but does have road/track rash here and there. the rear wing adds 100kilos of downforce already at 80kph ! the front splitter is easily taken off, but seems to clear most small curbs fine, so probably not worth taking off.

startup: when you first switch on the battery, you need to wait 5 minutes for the computer to come up and everything to be kosher. then you just push the button and it comes to life - actually it erupts into a wall of sound that reminded me of that old memorex add ! then you have to let it warm up another 5 min or so, after which the noise level decreases sufficiently to pass the swiss noise test at 70db max i think.

getting in: full padded roll cage makes it a pretty tight entry, but once inside it is typically ferrari roomy and practical. 4 point harness is easy enough. carbon fiber doors seem flimsy, but they are light. the lexan windows are not great either but again, they are light. (they also leak in the rain).

driving: well some of you were right and some of you were not (largely because of the adjustments that have been made as noted above). the ride was pretty harsh compared to any normal road car. i could hear every pebble hitting the bottom, the chassis groaned and creaked, and the engine noise was VERY loud. BUT the steering was fine, i could turn corners and park (altho rear visibility was poor thru the lexan engine cover split by the wing); the ride was hard, but not conestoga like, the brakes were immediate and firm. the gearbox was great actually. at lower speeds the gear changes are subtle and easy, at speed the gear changes are very direct and bolt-like, so it seems well adpated for both purposes. engagement at low speeds was a bit jerky and starting in reverse was not something you would want to do a lot of.

overall: this car is a race car that has been softened to become street legal and practical. it is a weapons grade track day car in the hands of an amateur such as myself, and is likely one of the least tame road cars in europe. one could say that since it is somewhere in the middle (albeit closer to 'track' than 'road'), that it will serve neither purpose well. but since i am not likely to be gunning for a challenge championship any time soon, and since i also have plenty of cushy sports cars, this might just be the ticket. i am going to give it some more thought, and the seller promised to leave it for me until sometime in september at least. ....

 

forgot to say that they also added a hand brake to pass the street test.

another question, how often do you need to re-flash the gearbox software? ie how often does it go wonky? and does the overall engine management system need the same kind of attention or does it just continue without trouble?

 

the cage is padded, but i know what you mean...i guess i will just keep a helmet in the car at all times

apart from the cage, the noise, and the harder ride (admittedly all major issues but not as bad as a normal challenge drive), i dont see that much difference in terms of comfort or safety vs a cs (i have even seen some cs's with roll cages). the 'daily driver' tag line in the thread starter was just to get some reaction from people - i do not intend to drive this daily at all - it will be an occasional weekend toy and track day weapon.

how about somebody that has cs and challenge experience give us a comparison?

 

phil, sell your lotus somewhere else !!

 

well everybody has been telling me how harsh the whole challenge driving experience is, and yet the challenge stradale is billed as being the same car with sound deadening, carpets, and softer springs....so are the real back-to-back sensations just down to this louder, harder environment?

here is another angle on the issue...is there a stradale owner here, that would prefer it if his car was more adapted to the track?

 

that was extremely helpful. thx !
if i get this car i will likely not drive it on the street that often, even though i can. (the present owner has racked up a lot of mileage on the street, so it must not be complete hell). and it is more likely that i will only drive it hard on the track, so the current set-up is more suitable.

i think i will get the car, and see what happens. you only live once ! and this is like a bargain basement F40 LM !

 

nice pic !
question for you, do the challenge cars have a door lock system? i forgot to look on saturday, and now cant see it in the pics

 

i am not yet at f1 clienti class yet. in the meantime, this bargain f40LM will have to do.

next area of difficulty is space...anybody want the best 456mgt in switzerland??

 

david, thx for your note, but pls refer to previous answers which address those areas of concern.