PRB Clubman or Formula Ford

[Presso]

I have been doing supersprints for many years in a sedan & now would like to buy a race bred car. My budget is up to $30k AUD with trailer. I am after a big grin factor & not necessariliy to win. Something that costs little to maintain & does not involve alot of work to maintain. I have narrowed it down to either a Van Diemen 91 or a PRB Clubman. I have yet to organise a drive of each one but what do you think will best suilt my needs ?

[itr99au]

I was in a similar situation a few years back and spent quite a lot of time looking at my various options. In the end I picked Formula Ford and have absolutely zero regrets.

The things that swayed me were:

- Pure race car. It was never designed to be driven on the road, carry a passenger or be good as anything else.

- Great performance. Formula fords are quick in a straight line and will embarrass anything road registered through the corners.

- Good value for money. In my opinion anyway... When used as a play machine rather than when trying to win the National series they can be run quite economically.

- Easy to work on. Need to change ratio's for a different circuit? Easy 15min job. Its entirely possible to look after the car by yourself providing you have decent knowledge and its not hard to find someone to help you for a reasonable price. I'd much rather track down a problem on the wiring loom of an FF than a PRB...

- Competitive race series in which the cars are relatively closely matched... as good or better than most race series.

- More than capable of picking up FTD in a Supersprint in NSW. Just depends whether something with wings and slicks turns up on the day. :-)

- Fun to drive... I've driven clubmans / superkarts / sedans etc... on the track and on any given day I wouldn't pick any of them over my old Swift. :-)

[Presso]

Thanks for the reply. I am a 1 man show so is it easy enough to fit a battery & charging system in the Formula Ford, so I can start it within the cockpit ?
Any sugestions what models will best suit me, have been looking at Van Diemens 91-93, heard to stay away from VD93-00.
I have heard they are more reliable & better built than the ozi made Spectrum.

[Triple J Motorsport]

Originally Posted by Presso

Thanks for the reply. I am a 1 man show so is it easy enough to fit a battery & charging system in the Formula Ford, so I can start it within the cockpit ?
Any sugestions what models will best suit me, have been looking at Van Diemens 91-93, heard to stay away from VD93-00.
I have heard they are more reliable & better built than the ozi made Spectrum.

If you fit a "normal" size FF1600 battery be fine you won't even really need to charge it between qualifying and the race, we never used too. Won't say brands and models but easy to find out.

[itr99au]

You can run the car by yourself but to do state series rounds etc... I'd highly recommend roping in some friends to help you. All the cars I've seen have a start button on the inside and with a good battery you should have no problem getting through a full days racing / supersprints / practice. The catch is that with most cars, especially those with the tighter cockpits, you'll need someone to help you do up your harness... I certainly can't do it when I have them properly tight.

As for recommendation on models... Not sure to be honest. I have an old Swift which has been great. I'd say they all have their quirks and benefits. The best tip I can give you is to spend the time to find the best possible car you can afford to start with that has proven to be reliable and is already well sorted. Since it won't be brand new there is a good chance any weaknesses in the design have already been ironed out - my car is certainly very different to the same model a mate is driving! Find someone who knows FF's well to help you check it over to give yourself some piece of mind. There is a meeting at Oran Park I believe on the 30th so you should be able to find lots of people to chat with and who can show you over their cars.

[Presso]

I'm planning to be at Oran Park on the Sunday 1 November

[milesinfront]

I drove a friend's PRB Birkin in all 4 rounds this year of the Morgan Park Super Sprints series. (Qld Australia) This car has a 20 valve 4AGE with BIG slicks! Was fun the drive!

Bought an old '92 Kent FF and drove it in the championship round just a couple of weeks ago...

Hands down, the Formula Ford was a better drive! Even with crappy old tyres, it was still faster than the similar power2weight PRB! The super fast and super close F-Ford gearbox is the icing on the cake!

Go the F-Ford!

[Jacal]

Hi Presso,

if you're interested in seeing what it takes to run a fford at state level or talking further come and see me at Oran Park on the weekend.

Formula Ford #80, it is a 93 swift that we have been running for 9 years in the nsw state champs. We is me and my wife and occassionally my father in law. All the work is done by me, easy to work on, can be abit hectic if something goes wrong but that can happen in any class and there is normally someone around to rope in for a hand if needed.

You can start the car all weekend on the battery in the car without charging it although for safety I charge between races and use a jump battery.

Incidently the car is for sale and well inside your budget. PM me if you want contact details.

[Presso]

I will drop in on Sunday arvo & have a talk to you. Intended use is for supersprints only. I need something that I don't have to fiddle around with & parts are easy to get. I have being looking mainly at VDs due to the reputation they have.

[driftwood]

cant beat a good 88/89 VD cheaper than 90-92 car ( just bought 88 Car 2 weeks ago)
also have 2k kent very good car but more $$ than 90-92 cars
your ozzie 30k( £15k) will should get you any of these cars