Formula 500 Racecar $895

Not mine, found it this morning...

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/1194571923.html

This is an older model Red Devil (I am told) that is in need of a total rebuild/restoration. It was running a year and half ago when I bought it but has never run since then so I would consider it a non-running vehicle. The frame-work looks like it was hand painted in green and it shows. The tires appear to be in decent shape and hold air for about a week before softening. There is surface rust on the exhaust and on some of the other drive train components. The fiberglass bodywork seems to be complete but needs some patching and about half of the Dzus attachment bolts are missing. The engine is a Kawasaki 440 motorcycle motor and most, if not all, parts can be found on EBay for very little expense.

The car is complete but needs a thorough going over. While it could be run in SCCA Formula 500 class I feel it would be better suited competing in Solo Events. This would be a great team-building project for a school or weekend project for the do-it-yourselfer.

I'm asking $895.00 but am open to offers. It should fit in a standard size pickup bed and can also help with delivery. Please contact me 770-595-8417 for more pictures and with any questions. Thanks - Greg

I've been helping my neighbor Ed fix up his 1969 911 and he's frustrated. Chasing rust is not what he intended so he wants to get into F500 racing just to get some seat time. It's cheap [relatively], exciting and you don't need a big tow rig. He's trying to talk me into it so he has someone to play with.

If I sold that Bobber project to someone in the South.....

Maybe there's a secret to setting them up, but the ones I've seen at our local events don't do too well on the bumpy pavement.

mainly because the suspension is essentially a hockey puck.

If they're setup for road racing, they won't do great at autocrosses, but you can still get FTD at local events. To be fast for autocross you need to change the gearing, tires and some other stuff. I used to autocross a road race F440 (500's predecessor), and while not blazingly fast, it will still fun. F500's can turn 53's at LRP - I don't think you can go any faster for that little amount of money (relatively speaking).

Is that the rigid suspension model (adjustable but no travel) or does it have suspension?

The have a bump-stop suspension like a go-kart. that's why they don't do so hot on bumpy surfaces. They do have shocks, that are adjustable to my knowledge. They are fast, and good for learning. You don't need to shift any gears, so they're pretty easy to drive.