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Old 15 Feb 2004, 11:29 (Ref:874709)   #1
Dillinger
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FR track car, advice?

Hi,

I'm really keen on getting into trackdays for a while now, but id rather not thrash my current road car about, and besides which its FWD. so i've been considering getting a RWD car - preferably with the engine in the front for balance as im new to rear wheel cars and dont want it too tail happy.

it doesnt have to be too fast, i just want to have fun, so for a while i was considering an 1.6 MX-5, seeing that i could get one for about 3 grand. Then i was pointed in the direction of porsche 944's. for a similar price i could get a well balanced FR car (2.5 liter too). So currently i'm more in favour of the 944 but i'd welcome more suggestions. i've heard BMW 325i mentioned a few times.

considering its for track use and i'll probably be spending more on it, do you think getting a shabby (possibly lightly damaged) car for £2500 is a good idea, or is it better to pay extra for a well looked after one?

which leads me onto: what to do with it... i'd like to be driving it in the track asap but i'd also like to modify it to be a better drive.
what mods what you recommend should be carried out first?
i'd expect brakes and suspension should be priorities? or should engine cooling come first? is a roll cage required?
how much is this sort of thing likely to cost? I'm looking to pay about 2500 for the car and spend about 1000 on basics.

any advice appreciated!
thanks!
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Old 15 Feb 2004, 13:47 (Ref:874814)   #2
Hobson
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Hobson should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridHobson should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
Welcome to the forum!

One thing to remember is the less you spend on buying the car, the more you have to spend on the car.

I'd budget about £1000 to buy a car and the rest of the £3500 on actually doing up the car with better brakes, cage, suspension etc.

Front engined rear wheel drive cars do have a good balance and getting one for under £1000 shouldn't be a problem. As you say, a Porsche or BMW would make great cars, just remember to strip everything not essentail out of it, as they are on the heavy side.
You could look for a Ford Capri, 2.8i are cheap and go well, just get the brakes sorted early on! Plenty of scope to tune them, and if you get bored driving round the track, then you could race it.

Another option is a cheap car already done up for racing. That way, the basic stuff like cage, suspension and certain engine bits have already been done, depending on the car and what it raced in.
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Old 15 Feb 2004, 21:40 (Ref:875102)   #3
Dillinger
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thanks for the info!

ive got a friend with a capri who swears by it. i've never been too keen on them but his options for upgrades sound insane. (hell of a sized engine bay, sound like you can drop almost anything in there!)

looks like i'll have to research the upgrades a bit, seems i may have
underestimated how much that part costs.
im not any sort of mechanic either and its doubtful i'd be able to do any of this myself so i'll have to factor in labour costs as being quite high too. it all mounts up!

i guess i'll have to start looking in auctions and that sort of thing for a fairly battered car on the cheap. especially if its a 944

cheers!
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Old 16 Feb 2004, 10:01 (Ref:875531)   #4
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Hobson should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridHobson should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
Anytime.

I remember reading about a guy in a magazine who put a V8 into a Mk1 Capri, and swore it handled better than before, becasue the all-alloy engine was lighter than the cast-iron block before it...

Good Luck.
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Old 2 Mar 2004, 12:28 (Ref:891149)   #5
bolide
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FR Track Car

This question comes up in 50% of the posts, it seems, and it's quite well covered in this thread

A Porsche 944 is a great beast - I know, I had one for three years - but it's heavy and underpowered. If you gut the thing and put in perspex windows it would be great, but parts would still be expensive and it still wouldn't be quick. Porsche Cup suspension and 928 brakes will make it handle and stop. It'd handle beautifully, but it would end up being pretty hopeless as a road car and have no value

An MX5 would be great. Slow, but great. Same rules apply about gutting the interior - you'd lose some weight (not as much as the Porsche) but it'd then be a shed with no value

A V6 or V8 Capri would be great. But you'll spend every off-track moment chasing rust and replacing all the bits that fall off

I'd follow Hobson's advice and get an ex-race car, or buy a BMW 3-series (320i or 325i) and modify that. A Beemer's not going to disappear in a pile of rust like a Capri, it's way cheaper than an MX5 or a Porsche and - of course - it'll gain you maximum respect in the mean streets of your 'hood. Just put an immobiliser and an alarm on it or keep it in a garage!

Personally I wouldn't spend £3500 modifying a £1000 car, simply because it will still be a £1000 car. I'd buy a £3500 race car which cost someone £8k to build. Or I'd buy a £1000 car (or a £200 car if you're well-connected), gut it, put in a proper seat and harness and run it like that. Once you know what's good and what's bad you can upgrade the suspension, put in brake ducts & etc

There are a few 2003 race cars for sale on the BMW Racing Drivers Club website but I wouldn't expect many to be road-legal

Just remember that modified cars - I'm thinking here about engine and suspension mods - are a pain in the arse at all times. Every service, every MOT, every breakdown and every insurance renewal brings new grief

Taking a perfectly standard car and gutting the interior is probably the best compromise . Your insurance company may not even care - but they will when you bolt three twin Webers on !


Nick Froome
www.bolide.co.uk
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Old 2 Mar 2004, 18:18 (Ref:891504)   #6
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Hi Nick,

thanks for the info. I recently took 944 out for a test drive and I did find that it seemed underpowered and very heavy. It didnt seem to have the satisfaction i was expecting - especially since its 2 and a half litre. When i was finished and got back into my 1.7 puma i got the usual driving grin that I normally have.. light and nippy acceleration - lots of fun. such a shame its front wheel drive though. (but looking at the top gear car of the year review from 1997 Tiff doesnt seem to have any problems getting it sideways
i really did expect more from the 944 though. :-(
After the 944 i started looking at MR2's. fast, but mid engined though so not exactly ideal 'beginner' rwd cars..

i've actually had to put this on hold as i left my job last week, so i might just have to rent track cars for the time being.
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Old 3 Mar 2004, 21:25 (Ref:892845)   #7
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hello i know your looking at a FR but after reading this i throught of 1 car .... nissan pulsar gti-r fast can pick 1 up for 1-5 grand so well in ur price range its very fast okay its 4 wheel drive but will keep up with impreza's & evos. & parts are cheap from wen i looked, LONG LIVE THE POCKET ROCKET.
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Old 4 Mar 2004, 10:43 (Ref:893356)   #8
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Just remember to upgrade the brakes.
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Old 4 Mar 2004, 15:50 (Ref:893635)   #9
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Porsche 924 - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...&category=9860

BMW 320i - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...&category=9837
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Old 4 Mar 2004, 17:46 (Ref:893734)   #10
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Re 320i on eBay

I just sent the seller of the 320i some pics I took of the car at Silverstone during the Pomeroy Trophy

From what I saw, and from the ad, the car is ready to go and I don't think it's expensive

Let me know if anyone buys it!

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Old 2 Apr 2004, 20:53 (Ref:927853)   #11
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just an update.. ive just bought a mk 3 supra!
oulton park, here we come!
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Old 3 Apr 2004, 13:07 (Ref:928511)   #12
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Nice!

Let us know how you get on.
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Old 3 Apr 2004, 20:24 (Ref:928736)   #13
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well so far, its like a tank!
monstrously large, heavy, but once the turbo kicks in it goes like the clappers.

had my first 'wet' incident today. (nothing major!) turning right at traffic lights and accelerating, the car just calmly rotated about 20 degrees without me applying more lock. a little reminder that rear wheel cars dont do the same things as front wheel drive cars when you push them. i think im going to love this! )
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Old 8 Apr 2004, 13:41 (Ref:934392)   #14
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I think you will too!
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Old 10 Apr 2004, 08:29 (Ref:935677)   #15
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For anyone followign this thread who is looking for suitable cars there are a number of successful Alfa race cars being advertised in AUtisport at the moment for around the £2.5k mark. They ahve the advantage of being stripped with roll cages extinguishers and brake and suspension upgrades already. Since (it seems to me) you never get back from a race car the money you put in you may as well benefit from someone else's investment and tuning
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Old 15 Apr 2004, 18:27 (Ref:940749)   #16
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check out www.750mc.co.uk classified.plenty of ex racers at decent prices.
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