Track car replacement?


kumar

GT Owner
Jan 31, 2007
1,011
Dallas
track prepped miata
 

dan

GT Owner
Oct 19, 2006
54
LOTUS is the way to go
Cheap to buy and more important cheap to keep

If you want to go fast cheap we are selling the showroom car.
2000 lotus elise 190 sport track car. Never tracked and needs nothing. Check out www.fastmini.com under cars for sale for pic's. We want to get this out of the shop so pay little attention to the price. Since you will be tracking the car we have 3 additional sets of wheels. 1 allum and 2 mag

let me know

dan
 

Fubar

Totally ****** Up
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Aug 2, 2006
3,979
Dallas, TX
It's sounds like you want something you can drive too. If you just need some help justifing the purchase of a fast car.... we are all pros.

But if you really want a track car... have one built. It isn't that expensive. You can do it for less that $60k.
 

50 BMG

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2005
559
AZ
99 FRC vette or 99 Mustang V6.

You can build either into a very good track machine for about 20K on top of the purchase price...
 

davisp

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Feb 18, 2006
321
New Jersey
993 Turbo gets my vote! PD
 

FrankBarba

Permanent Vacation
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 16, 2005
544
Harrisburg, PA
230113864.jpg


What about a Dodge Viper Comp Coupe??? I will be unable to race this year. SCCA Log Book,
NASA Log Book. Ready to Race. Hop in & go....email if interested.
 
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Fast Freddy

GPS'D 225 MPH
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 5, 2005
2,685
Avondale, Arizona
230113864.jpg


What about a Dodge Viper Comp Coupe??? I will be unable to race this year. SCCA Log Book,
NASA Log Book. Ready to Race. Hop in & go....email if interested.

man if i didn't already own a viper this would be the car i would buy :thumbsup

that is absolutely the best lookin comp coupe i have ever seen :bow
 
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04mach1

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2007
214
Small town ohio
I retract my statement about the Radical and now go with Frank's viper. Nice car man!
 

kageno

GT Owner
Jun 21, 2006
23
Kenmore WA
Maybe you'd like to try my Toyota Sports 800?

402x4wn.jpg



She puts out a little over 49HP (at the crank - not the wheels) and has these real cool Enkei (real magnesium) wheels!
 
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cobrar1339

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Feb 2, 2006
956
Diamond Bar, Ca
How much experience do you have in track days?
How often do you want to go?
Do you want to Drive or Trailer?

I have had or driven the following follwing Track cars for at least a 4-5 weekends or an enduro.

95 Viper RT - Partner Track car
97 Viper GTS - Partner Track car
93 Cobra Mustang SCCA Prep AS class
86 SVO Mustang - Don't laugh I beat the gu who bought the 95 Viper
93 Rx7 -Owned
95 Saleen S351 R - Owned
1990 Saleen -Owned
1997 BMW M3 - Owned
Spec Miata - Also driven in an enduro
Drove a Caterman Super 7 in an enduro.
2004 Z06 C5 - Owned


By far the most dependable, fastest, easier to drive fast track car in the above,is the C5 Z06. Add and oil cooler/rad, tires belts and forget about it. I can drive to the track on Nitto R2's. Forget about what others will say about weakness, that advise is not coming from folks with hardcore experience. You can run circles around more expensive cars. So to the spring mtn driving school in Nevada if you want to have fun deciding. Best Vette Class, works for all sedan type drivers and Viper owners. The C5 Z will be in my stable until I beat it to death. BEST TRACK CAR BANG FOR THE BUCK. Buy a used T1 car if you want to trailer it. It will not be much faster, just safer. :cheers

Before this car the 97 M3 was the best. Could carry the race wheels and tires in the car.

97 Viper GTS. You have to spend a few bucks to make it work, newer models should be better. The BMW would outlast this car in an Enduro and would out handle it in the turns. The Viper was faster overall though. Not as confidence inspiring as the the M3 or C5 Z06. Still addicted to the torque though.

Next up the AS preppared Cobra Mustang. Not as cheap as you would think, by the time you prep it. A good used C5 would be cheaper than building this one.

Caterman - Goofy lookin' scary open cockpit when on the track with big sedans. If it was only Catermans on the track it would be teriffic.

Spec Miata - Fun on a short course, big track duty is boring. Big time dependable and drive it to the track.

93 RX7 was fast, fun and felt better doing it. It was a maintenance and breakdown nightmare. Could be number 1 or 2 if it would stay running.

I like the Radical Idea......What a ride if you want to trailer, do the maintenace. Try Radicals West. Got a couple laps in one, FAST !, it works. My first choice in a production track car. Remember, the car that is driving by you starts lookin' pretty good. No car shows in the pits. :thumbsup


The GT should make a good track car, if you want it to depreicate quickly. I thought the trans cooler was fairly cheap at around $1500. Tire prices are expensive in this size. Clear bra it if you do. My Z06 still looks like new, except the windsheild that has a few pits.

The new C6Z06 would make a great track car, but plan on a set of Stoptech Calipers to make it durable. The C5Z is not much slower though, only on the straights. I have passed quit a few of them so far with novice drivers. With a good driver I think they are 2-3 seconds faster on my benchmark track where a good time is 1:30 for 2.5miles. I have only driven one on the street, impressive.
 

cobrar1339

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Feb 2, 2006
956
Diamond Bar, Ca
Gotta Love a Purpose built race car like Frank's..........Sweet
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,853
NorCal
GT made for the track

After my first time driving the GT at Thunderhill I realized this was the ultimate street/track car. It shines on the road race course! I couldn't drive a Lotus, Vette, Mustang, kit car or anything else since they would be let downs to me after driving the GT on the track. I drive at 80% which is fun & fast with little risk. I feel the risk on a public road is greater for an accident. And the car is repairable - it's a Ford!

My advice - use the GT for everything like I do or get 2 GTs!

Ed
 

STUNTS

FORD GT OWNER & LITTLE TIMMYS DAD!
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 5, 2006
2,438
SoCal
Alot of good replies guys!!! Guess its really all about what you want to spend. I have a stock car and its set up to just go left (ya know?) I obviously could change its set up from time to time but I want to keep the cars the way they are. So I'm off to do my research. Thanks for starting the thread:cheers
 

BlackICE

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
1,416
SF Bay Area in California
Great answers, but before you can make a rational decision you have to know what your budget and goals are. For example how would you rate the following and in what priority order,

1. Street legal, or a track only car is acceptable?
2. Total cost of ownership and operations.
3. Desire for the quickest car around the track
4. Safety
5. Fun to drive
6. Closed or open cockpit.
7. Closed or open wheel.

If cost wasn't an problem (it is, my real name isn't Gates, or Buffet) then I would have a bunch of GTs modified for the track with a full roll cage, fuel cells, etc, garaged at every track I wanted to run at. Then I would gain experience with a car I can also drive on the street while having the highest level of safety on the track without the hassles of trailering the car around. Hell, its only money and you can't spend it in heaven, or hell!
 
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butch the snake

New member
Feb 17, 2007
2
Track Car

Depends on what you want to spend....I recomend s SRF, Spec Racer Ford...I have two of these cars. This a great car I race these cars with my son...They price out for about $20,000.00 for a used one.....Trust me I have a little experience....

Butch The Snake

Ford GT (in the market)
 
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butch the snake

New member
Feb 17, 2007
2
Track Car

Here's my track car.....
 

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911teo

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Jan 5, 2007
628
Surrey, UK
I think it depends on what you want from a track car.

2 great DE cars that can be made easily into dedicated track cars are the Z06 and the 996 GT3.

I am not much of an expert on the Vette.. but I know my 911s. Forget the 993 Turbo. The GT3 is the car you want. The 997 GT3 is hitting the US shores and you can score a wonderful 996 GT3 for $75k right now.

It is hard to argue with the Z06 from the value standpoint...

If you want a more focussed track car than the Lotus (Exige S) is a wonderful car. Light, responsive, fun. A winner.
A step up is the Noble... I don't know how easy it is to get them here and who's going to mantain/service them.

The next step would be to build a car... As stated above it is not really THAT expensive.

I started with a 1974 911 tub. I think I have around $100k in it.. but it is a 2,300lbs car with a 390HP naturally aspirated engine.

Good luck and keep us posted.
I have not bought the GT yet.. but the 1st stop would be VIR or CMP!
 

cmoody32

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Dec 8, 2006
536
I like to go to Sebring and I have had my gt, tt, and Ultima Can Am and I would say that the GT was great but there is no substitute for light weight and race built track car. My Ultima is just plain stupid. You can drive it around town but it would rather be driven hard. Check out the web sight. http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/index.html

You can buil it your self or have a rolling chassis built by the factory and then you put in your engine of choice. I went with their supplier and have a 406 ci 724 hp chevy in a car that weighs just 2000 lbs wet.

Plus when you drive it no one has ever seen one before. :eek
 

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tcm668

Active member
Oct 10, 2006
33
While I have a 2000 Cobra R and eventually plan on O/Ting it a bit(been hesitant only because I don't want to wreck it), I think the risk vs reward might be a factor to consider. while I am sure the cost of the vehicle might not be a factor, why risk wrecking a already limited prod car.

I know Ford made them to race, but out of the box, they have their fair share of issues, and you could just as easily build what you want from either a Body in White, or a V6 donor car.

Now that 5.4 DOHC GT/R heads and parts a available, you could have a car built the way you want, and still keep things in the family.

If you don't need/want to be in the middle of building something to spec, then a Lotus, or the like would be perfect. If not, there are plenty of people selling off their old racers.

I know a few of the Cobra R guys have rethought their track use of their Rs and eventually retired them, or relegated them to limited O/T use.

Good luck however you choose to go.
 

californiacuda

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Oct 21, 2005
919
CMOODY32, how fast is the Ultima. Your model has 100+hp more than the one that set the 0-100-0 record, and it apears to be lighter. How fast is it from 0-60? Any idea how many acceleration g's you can pull?