Challenge cars post Challenge

If this has been asked before, my apologies for not finding it.  I'm curious what happened to your Challenge car after the Challenge?  Did you keep it?  Did you take it home to tweak for the next Challenge?  Did you take it home a strip it for parts on other projects? Did you sell it (either at the Challenge or later)?  Did you take it home and undo the cost savings and actually pour money into it?  Did you leave it on the side of the road after removing all traces (fingerprints, DNA samples) of evidence and hope it never returns?

I'm finally thinking about doing the Challenge next year (if funds allow) and what I might build could probably be done for Challenge cost, but I'd kinda like to develop it into something that I could use every day.  It's a big project and I doubt I could get it done in a year, if at all, but thinking about it made me curious what people do with their cars after the competition is over.

-Rob

Good question and I still haven't answered it myself. 

My last Challenge car I straight up no-cash traded for a donor car for another project. A whole 2 days after the Challenge. So this one has lasted 4x as long now.

Mine sat in the garage for several years and became a shelf.  When I finally forgave it for being a miserable failure, I pulled it back out and used it as a rallycross car.  Since then, it's been back to the challenge where it did a better job and has continued rallyx duties.

My first successful challenge entry was given away to a teammate at the challenge. I hated that car. It was later sold, brought back to the challenge, and sold again.

Next one is o e i wanted to own. Im currently adding a stereo and air conditioning and comfortable seats.

The acr is a definitely s life after the challenge long term ownership car.

2011, 2012, scrapper after part out

2013 used as a fun car later a DD until 2015

2014, sold to a teammate, who did nothing then sold to a hopeful one day return to the challenge.

2015, sold on the forum to someone who took the car drifting

2016, sold car on eBay for $500 more than I paid.

2017,2018 same car ended up at the scrap yard after keeping certain parts.

2019, selling car for a minivan next year sometime. 

2015-17 car retired from challenge duty and had non challenge friendly parts installed.

2019 car was sold before it made its last drag pass friday night.

I thought they were all supposed to stay in your back yard and become lawn art. 

SVreX said:

I thought they were all supposed to stay in your back yard and become lawn art. 

Oh man... Gotta get Dale Jr to add one to his collection... hopefully after competing in the challenge himself of course...

Current plan is to take it from Gastropod to full-on race prepped for next year's Challenge. Depends on how well I can implement my pie-in-the-sky ideas.

Do a car you want to keep. I've sold 3, and brought one back 3 times.

A. The first year is really hard to pull off the build you're dreaming of. Don't sweat if it just gets there one year and then comes back the next better.

B. The key to sticking with a project is having one you actually like. 

C. If you make a car "challenge only", it can suck to keep around the rest of the year.

I sold my $2017 car about 6-months after the Challenge because I hated the motherberkeleyer & was tempted multiple times to roll it into the gulf rather than continue dealing with what a POS it was. 

2019 Gastropod NX2000 

Registered it suprisingly may keep it for a while.

2019 parkinglot build CAM Z28

It will be for sale soon, hopefully for $5900 or so.

2018 Wagon Class Conestogavette 

Wood was used for a shed.  Corvette was sold to Angrycorvair and is destined to a new life under a corvair...

2017 Parking lot build

Sold to dusterbd13 post challenge.  He fixed its deficiencies and turned it into an awesome truck!

2017 Challenge Free Probe GT

Sold to a random spectator at the challenge for $3600.  He is using it to get his SCCA competition license.

2017 Pickup Class S10

My truck, used for truck stuff the past 3 years, may make a Radwood appearance with an LT1 and a T56.

2016 Parking lot build

Rusting behind the carlot, more than likely its rear end will find a new home under the S10.  The potato cannon has been used several times since the challenge...

2015 Parking lot build

Sold the weekend after the challenge for a $1000 profit!

2015 Aristocrat Lexus GS400

Sold to a GRM'er after the challenge, can't remember who off the top of my head.

2014 Parking lot build

Sold to GTXvette post challenge, will be making a return trip to the challenge at some point.  Its orange now.

2013 Build B13 Nissan Sentra SE-R

Sold on ebay post challenge.  Kid who bought it blew it up shortly afterwards.

2012 Challenge Honda Civic B18 Swap

Sold post challenge for $3600 to a kid from Orlando via craigslist.  I kept the DP enduro wheels from the picture, they may make another challenge appearance on the NX in the future.

2008 Challenge BMW M50 RX7

Sold for $4900 post challenge, kid proceeded to crash it unfortunately.

Currently sitting outside waiting on me to decide what I am doing with it after crashing and having the clutch go out.

It will sit under a tarp until i replace the rack, check every piece in the front end. Then I'll autox it.

If I get the chance to do a track day I will do that to.

It was an easy car to experience the Challenge with. Next time I want to build something that scares me.

I'm heading to the gym in a few minutes in my 2017 Challenge Miata. I kept it and sold my previous Miata because the Challenge car is supercharged. It's been a pretty good buy for $1000.

$2002 Corvair: sold to local racer, built to EP specs and run at Waterford and other tracks for several years

$2003 / $2004 mid-engined V8 Corvair (Crown kit):  sold for $3600 iirc on eBay, buyer still has it.

$2006 2nd-gen Probe GT:  was daily with 179k at Challenge, continued as daily until Jun 2010 with 210k, then winter beater for 2 years until sold for $1100 with 229k.

$2008 V8 944:  life circumstances dictated quick sale on eBay via 3-day No Reserve auction for $1926.  dude from somewhere near Chicago picked it up, i never heard from him again.

2019 mid-engine V8 Corvair:  

Mine is currently for sale sale.for 3500. If it doesnt sell i may pull some parts from it and sell it cheaper. Although its hard to find a rust free foxbody coupe. Im hoping it sells soon. Need the room for next year's car(s)

$2007

After $2007 Challenge (Street, Autocross and Rallycross)

$2008 Challenge

2010 Ultimate Track Car Challenge

The rebuild...started in 2012, finished (sorta) in 2015....Ran Exhibition Class in $2015 Challenge

Still running and still follows the philosophy of the $2000 Challenge. 

In reply to davbro :

Your cage looks to be nhra spec but I see you did UTCC. Did you build it to meet multiple specs?  

Stampie said:

In reply to davbro :

Your cage looks to be nhra spec but I see you did UTCC. Did you build it to meet multiple specs?  

I designed it myself for it to be safe for track days.  It only has a single door bar that sit a bit low for getting in and out so not sure if it would be legal for door to door road racing but other than that it is pretty serious.  And it ties into the awd subframe attach points and the strut towers making a relatively stiff chassis for a 90s car.

sooo it’s an 8 (or 10 depending on how you look at it) point 1.5” diameter 0.120 wall DOM cage sorta built to SCCA specs for a sub 2500(?) lb car

In reply to davbro :

Cool. Thanks. 

2016 Miata: sold to a stance nation sorta guy currently wears 18" wheels, a giant chassis mount wing, RacingBeat bumpers both totally destroyed. In retrospect I should have gone on a diet and bought a Blackbird Blackbird rollbar. 

2017 E30: Pushed it behind the barn for a few months I spent a year being kicked in the nads by that car one weekend couldn't look at it. Willed it to run and lord it was fast. Faster than the clutch could live with. Tore it down with plans to bring it back in 2018 everything but the shell was in the shop fire nothing survived. Recently (yesterday) a pretty girl decided it needs a K24 and some fresh paint I'm inclined to agree. 

2018 Crx: Above pretty girl likes Hondas arguably a lot more than she likes me soooooo I suppose I'm obligated to keep it. I'll keep the specifics under my hat but my goal is an overall victory. Less weight lots more power etc.

Cars yet to make an appearance 

79 Omni I really need to get back to this one. I'm not a drag racer and it's very much a single purpose drag car. 

Hyundai uh thing I don't really know what it is small Hyundai chassis big Hyundai engine. Was rolled at a rallyx I got tanked at a rallyx and bought it. Sawzalled the roof off currently used to take my trash cans to the end of the street.

Burnt up 96 m3 expect a bad m3 ltw clone with a giant turbo at a challenge one day. 

I never sell anything except perfect miata street cars that I inevitably buy a crappier version of. Don't be like me

I drive mine everywhere. 10k miles and counting.

The Escortcher is back living in my shop on jack stands. The front brakes were destroyed during the autocross.  He is getting a front brake upgrade and an SVT Focus intake,  67mm throttle body and injectors. 

bklecka said:

The Escortcher is back living in my shop on jack stands. The front brakes were destroyed during the autocross.  He is getting a front brake upgrade and an SVT Focus intake,  67mm throttle body and injectors. 

I wonder how hard it would be to swap to disc brakes on the rear. Also I have kept my  eyes open for another one. The body on that one is more solid than most I have seen so far.