Best Ferrari Track Car?

Or spend $25k and get a beater 308 GTB and worry less while still having fun.

Rule #1 of racing, be prepared to walk away (hopefully) from a totalled mess. If you can't do that, you don't need to be out on the track.

If you really are trying to drive at 100%, you will write one off one day. As long as you know that and you can, go out and have fun.

The added bonus of the older cars is that you won't be going as fast when you really do fnck up.

I also strongly advice against getting a 360 as a first track car unless you really understand how the aeros work on it...

 

"Best Ferrari Track Car?" Trick question.

It's like asking "What's the best Ducati race bike?"

There really isn't such a thing; the consumables are expensive, the bodywork expensive, the service expensive and the crash damage liabilty is huge.

Everyone's got their beef w/ the Radicals but as far as I can tell, they're the best track car available on US shores. That or a used GT3 Cup Car.

"Is a stock F360 competitive?"

Comapred to what and at what level? For track days, amongst mild street cars? Yes. Against big dogs? Not really.

A street car is a street car is a street car and no matter how well engineered it'll always be endowed withe the cardinal flaw that seperates street cars from race cars: compromise.

Best Ferrari Track car? A red Radical.

The anecdote here is, if you're using dollar signs as break markers, you're not really going to develop as a driver because you'll never let yourself really have a go.

 

Well its not a TR or 512 unless you want to run an Enduro and even then you would pit every 40 minutes for new something!

 

No, its not. Its a hell of a street car, but a race car its not.

Even Spicy picked up on all of the race engineers/techs calling it a **** box.

 

In my opinion the 360 with slicks is a very sweet handling, sounding and overall feeling track day car. I was in one with slicks that easily kept its own with everything on the track in a winding infield (not the straights) including 2 F40's. No Challenge cars or Stradales to compare to though.

 

No, but how many class wins has it had compared to other cars that are more "race" oriented from the beginning?

 

The above posts put it right. Along those lines:
The Best Ferrari trackcar is up for debate.
The most FUN Ferrari trackcar is the one that's yours!
The Fastest Ferrari trackcar is the one you get to drive that does NOT belong to you.
Your lady thinks the best Ferrari trackcar is the one with working A/C for the ride home.

 

At Laguna Seca with drivers of similar talent a 360 on slicks can set faster laps than a modified (not heavily) F40. Every race mechanic and engineer I have ever known hates street based race cars and considers them junk, no matter what make.

I agree with Dale that if what you want is a Ferrari for the track the 360 is a good choice. If you want to open it up to any make then there are lots of cars that can go faster for the same money.

 

I'm not saying the 360 isn't a great track car.

I am saying its not a race car.

 

Do the brakes still "squeeel like a high school cheerleader" when they are cold?

Tell Jon I said hello. Ask him how "binky" is doing. That was a fun weekend...

 

Last time I was at the factory they had one alignment rack in operation and I never saw it used.

 

Dr Who, I personally love Ferraris and am looking very hard to find a nice 360 that I can buy for myself for street use ( the car is sex on wheels!) but IMHO you have to have big bucks to track one, that is why I have a Lotus Elise to be my track car and fun street car. It can't keep up with many things on the track including the 360 or the aforementioned Radical but is a fun and very cheap to run track car. BTW, Ara has found a new favorite track car:

excerpt from Elisetalk, a Lotus Elise Forum:

He bought an Elise! If I had the money I'd track the 360 but....... I don't! so Elise it is!

 

Now that is the Ferrari we have all grown to know and love. I guess that's why my Ferrari trackcar runs flawlessly. I personally fix it and the last corner weight and alignment took about 5 hours from a pro!

These cars are really pretty good. Take a smokin fast Z06 Corvette and you get a really fast car that stock will eat its brakes, overheat the differential and transmission, and the engine temps will run hotter than stock. Take a Ferrari like I do and sit on the grid or doing "starts" all day in race school and the car stays totally cool. The faster you run it the cooler it is. People always yell brakes brakes brakes with streetcars clothed as racecars and Ferrari's are no different. People seem to claim Ferraris have crappy brakes. Well...maybe I am just stinkin slow (It takes me two weekends to "cord" a set of slicks while clubracing) but I swear the key to making brakes work is keeping them cool. Others like huge brembo 90 piston calipers and 25" rotors. I use my cheesy stock rotors not even slotted and stock brake pads but giant 3" brake ducts and even larger intake scoops. I threshold brake all day long and never a problem.

 

V12 Power! Yeah Baby Yeah!!!!

 

I had an Elise on order and test drove one before mine came in. Its just too darn small for me at 6'1". Proper track alignment on street cars will destroy tires on the street.I guess a 360 ,street alignment with slicks would be a nice track car,change the wheel/tires and back to grocery getter.I wouldnt want to bite the depreciation bullet and off track ( especially undertray ) expenses.

 

And please dont tell me a 360 is faster than an F40, while I hope its not true , even if it is let me live in my F40 Fantasy world.