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Originally Posted by PeterMorley
You don't need to go as modern as post 1970. Later cars start to become more complicated to race - you have wings (& suspension sometimes) to adjust, wet & dry tyres to carry around, and using the right gear ratios for the circuit tends to become more important.
There is also the possibility that some other drivers feel safer in a monocoque so they might worry less about having accidents.
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O.k., all this even enforces my liking for the earlier cars.
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Originally Posted by PeterMorley
This Brabham fitted with a Lotus twin-cam engine and 5 speed Hewland (you could have the existing box converted) would be a great car - as Philippe said, mine was! - and there are more events you can do with it (better for the German Open, or classic single seaters in Britian and even hillclimbs).
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I had a look at the German Open regulations (HRA), but I didn't find any mentioning of F B cars being allowed to run.
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Originally Posted by PeterMorley
Fitting a twin-cam engine would be pretty easy, it uses a similar engine block to the F3. But it would cost a fair bit - a good twin cam could easily be between 5 & 10k pounds, plus you need a different exhaust, you can also get a very nice engine cover for the twin-cam engine so the car looks even better than as an F3.
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At the first sight the Formula B conversion sounds like a good very idea. But a nice Twin Cam engine would cost me up to 10000 pounds. A 5-speed gearbox would be another 5000 (if I choose to keep the old 4-speed box untouched for a possible future re-build back to original F3 specification). There would also be a good chance that those parts need an overhaul, before being installed. Add a new exhaust, and carbs, in case they don't come with the engine. In addition, the engine and gearbox have to be installed by a knowing mechanic - keep in mind that I don't have any connections and don't know the right people (yet). So in the end this could result in an endless drain of my limited resources, and the car might be ready to run in 2007. Don't you think so?
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Originally Posted by PeterMorley
Finding other 'cigar-shaped' cars is difficult the early Formula Fords can be pretty expensive and many of them already start to loose the pure shape. But you should get a reasonable one for around 15k pounds - and it will be easy to run and maintain.
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Following this advice I have looked around a bit. The only car I found which 'pleases my eye' is the Merlyn Mk 11. There are currently some for sale:
http://www.racecarsdirect.com/cars/d...id=33538&cat=9
http://www.racecarsdirect.com/cars/d...id=34729&cat=9
http://www.hra-online.de/ForSale.htm (at the bottom of the page)
But I still have to say that the shape of the Brabham BT15 looks more elegant and pure to me! You will probably be shaking your head right now. I know that the looks of a racing car should not be the most important thing to consider. Maybe it has something to do with my profession as a grafic designer - I could even imagine having such a car in my living room, as a kind of sculpture. Unfortunately my wife doesn't agree with that point of view...
Seriously, I should have a look at the last of the mentioned Merlyn's. It is located in Austria, which will not be too far away from where I live, in Nuremberg/Southern Germany. I agree that from a pragmatic point of view, a FF would be the most sensible solution.
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Originally Posted by PeterMorley
Formula juniors are expensive, popular models like Lotus, Lola, Brabham are 30k pounds or more, but some of the obscure makes can be had a lot cheaper.
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In fact I wonder why the Juniors are that expensive, if not for the superior number of F Junior events? Where is the real difference between the F Junior and the F3. Don't they both use small capacity engines and 4-speed gearboxes? Why is a F3 car so much more difficult to drive and maintain?
Finally, let me thank all of you once more for taking your time to help me. It is much appreciated.