We Need a PTCC; Penultimate Track Car $5000 Challenge

So JG's comment and the subsequent replies got me thinking perhaps there should be an penultimate or not so ultimate track car challange.

My thought is a $5000 cap. 

I bet some folks could come up with some pretty fast cars for this. I sold my Formula 500 for less than that price point.

In reply to Tom1200 :

I have had similar thoughts since that other thread started. I suspect such an event would attract multiple V8 Miatas, plus who knows what else. $5K will put you into Corvettes. Now I'll have to spend time thinking about what kind of car I could McGiver for that kind of money.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

In reply to Tom1200 :

I have had similar thoughts since that other thread started. I suspect such an event would attract multiple V8 Miatas, plus who knows what else. $5K will put you into Corvettes. Now I'll have to spend time thinking about what kind of car I could McGiver for that kind of money.

man i would be terrified of a $5000 corvette or v8 miata on a race track.  

i think about how janky the starting car would need to be to get something like that on track and would be downright terrified of those cars at speed around me.  

In reply to ClearWaterMS :

why? 

My small block swapped e36 coupe (running, driving) was purchased for $8000 CAD which converts to $5,891.45 USD as of today on XE.com. And yes I have discovered some... questionably done things, its been more head scratching 'why do it like that' frustrations vs. 'This thing is going to bring death and dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow' levels of stupidity.

I 'could' have haggled better if I was better at that and less trusting of peoples word, but I didn't so I don't see $5000 as a 'OMG, that car is a death trap and going to kill everyone I love by looking at it' levels of sketchy cars. 

I'd love to see something like this. I'd personally say 10 grand, as that would open the field to a lot more cars that are Average Joe capable, and would really provide some stiff competition for the ultimate track car challenge guys from a challenge style perspective. And in the purely selfish Arena would let my NASCAR play

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

For $10k I'll throw a decent set of tires on my 2014 S197 and come play. 

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

For ten grand someone would build a really killer car. Just look how much power the Nelsons make with $2K

To me, $7500 seems like the sweet spot.  Enough of a limit to get some fun machines out there, but still challenging enough to encourage some creativity.  

I could get the Free Europa on track for $5k fully caged easy

$3500 and I have math to validate my answer. 

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

10K is to high.

I see solid but ugly cars for $3500 all the time. Add shocks, sway bars and brakes.

The whole point would be to crush the myth you need to spend anything more than picket change.

I know where there is a Datsun 1200 sedan for $1500. I can put good suspension and brakes on it for $1000 and either slap a junkyard turbo on it or motor swap it for $1500 more. That would leave me enough money to slap a set of used race tires on it.

You can also find old Formula Vees and Formula 500s in the price range. My F500 was about 7-8 seconds a lap faster than a Spec Miata.

I can also buy a Formula Ford budget in that price range. Change the cam, port the head and get an extra 20hp as a friend did and you get a car that is pretty fast.

5K is over double the Challenge budget. 

Preferably the rules would be for production cars. It has sort of become my mission in life to prove you can get on track cheap and have fun.

$2k money + $2k recoup + one set of free tires = $5k

We already have this event. Build a car and go to it. 

For me the recoup is more work than building the car. It's the reason I haven't built a challenge car myself.

Patrick said:

In reply to ClearWaterMS :

why? 

take the corvette for example; assume you're talking C4/C5 era corvette and you intend on putting only tires, brakes, and maintenance into it.  sticky tires (even cheap 320tw, and powerstop pads) will run you $1500+ add a few hundred for fluids and that means you're spending $8k on the car.  $8k for a properly running corvette that doesn't leak any slippery fluids onto the race track is a tall order and one where corners could be cut. 

Doesn't look terrible

And that's $3500 CAD so roughly $2580 USD (according to xe.com) 

Also a C3 to get technical. But still not a terrible looking car, would make a fun track toy. 

In reply to ClearWaterMS :

I wouldn't start there. I'd start with Michael's Miata.  He built that for the Challenge so remove the exemptions and now you're on the track for less than $4k with low cost expendables. 

In reply to ClearWaterMS :

I have built a bunch of track cars for less than $5k. None of them leaked. Even if a car did leak, how bad would that leak have to be to cause a hazard? If you are terrified of being on a racetrack, you can always help run tech inspection.

Or you say that you want to buy it not build it?  I'm $1922.50 into Tony-san.  1400 lbs 210hp at the wheels.  Add $1000 for tires and it'll do alright.

My challenge e36 is going to end up as a $5,000.00 track car post challenge.

I plan to add a bolt in autopower roll bar, a race seat, some sway bars, an e36 m3 diff, some schrick cams, and a m50 intake after the challenge budget constraints are removed.

ClearWaterMS said:

Patrick said:

In reply to ClearWaterMS :

why? 

take the corvette for example; assume you're talking C4/C5 era corvette and you intend on putting only tires, brakes, and maintenance into it.  sticky tires (even cheap 320tw, and powerstop pads) will run you $1500+ add a few hundred for fluids and that means you're spending $8k on the car.  $8k for a properly running corvette that doesn't leak any slippery fluids onto the race track is a tall order and one where corners could be cut. 

 

You can find cheap C4s with flood damage (who cares) or electronic faults with unobtainium components (who cares) or trashed interiors because they are 80s GMs (again, who cares)

In reply to pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) :

This is the exact kind of thing I was thinking of.

I took my '91 Firebird  $2000 challenge car to several track days. Held its own and was far from janky.

Also, we have done a track day at the firm immediately following the challenge the last couple years, and in my opinion not nearly enough people take this opportunity for one of the best track days all year. 

Lmp360 and fdat both recorded 1:22-1:23ish laps (and I'm selfishly confident they could both be faster), and I know other challenge cars have been above the bottom of this list as well. So if you want to see how your challenge car stacks up on track, the challenge is the right place for that as well!

How much weight can a C5 lose? 

(As Mofo giggles staring in to the garage at a Corvette that has 260k miles)