What is your ultimate track car?

Dreaming:

Converted roundy-round late model. Dead nuts reliable. Simple to maintain and repair. Cheap parts. V8 soundtrack.

JG Pasterjak wrote:

jstein77 wrote: So, did you pass anything?

Tech jg

I did pass the ALMS Lite car while it was off at Turn 3. Sadly, though, he flew by me in Green Park later that same lap.

DaveEstey wrote: Converted roundy-round late model. Dead nuts reliable. Simple to maintain and repair. Cheap parts. V8 soundtrack.

I'm on this page. I'd find a local round builder to put together a symmetric chassis that used common parts and was built around an LS and and a six speed of some sort. Then I'd buy a case of beer and the best steak I could find and make him my friend for the inevitable day when I hauled the bent carcass back to him to make it right.

Nothing too crazy. Either an E46 BMW or an FRS (that's what they call the Scion, right?)

wbjones wrote:

dyintorace wrote:

JG Pasterjak wrote:

jstein77 wrote: So, did you pass anything?

Tech jg

Literally laugh out loud!

as did I .....

I laughed, too. The funny thing is that I was not in their fastest group. I have run that one before, but it's pretty much all wings and slicks. At least a few guys in my group had DOT tires. Still, being 10 feet away from a GT3 Cup at full song is pretty neat. (And yes, I was searching the classifieds last night--looks like the going rate for a 996-chassis GT3 Cup is $75k.)

If the car is a track toy only and is not getting me to and from the event, then I would want something that was designed from the outset to be a track missle. I would start with something like a Radical or some other bike engined DSR and work up to something like an open top LMP2 car as my skills improved. That would be my ultimate.

If I ask what would I buy with my current resources, (if I absolutely had to have a track toy) the answer is a Spec Miata. Relatively inexpensive to buy and maintain. I only have to do a couple of autocrosses each year to get the Mazda support program. I have a benchmark at almost any track to judge my lap times by. If I get the urge to go racing, I am running in a class where I am going to someone to play with no matter how fast or slow I am.

For me probably Palatov DP4 with the trailer you can get it with. But its fun to have a passenger seat

So GPS commented before that his car got too fast to really drive at most HPDE events. Let's say you did build a tube frame up dedicated track car or purchased a race car like a F500 or Formula Ford or roundy round converted etc where could you actually drive it?

Would you either be A) held up all the time by people much faster or B) getting passed by pro race cup cars? A lot of the fun of the track is sort of having other people to try and keep up with etc

For example I remember reading on the DPcars blog that the DP4 was running times close to the formula atlantic record at their track but that also in DSP DP or whatever it is it would not be competitive because it would not be allowed to have its awd solution, so in 2wd guise its not as competitive

"12/3/12 Now that the D2 has taken its first drive time to make progress on a couple other projects (don't worry, the D2 is still getting worked on, we now have 5 of them to build and deliver!). But first some exciting news - a D4 has set a new overall track record at at PenBay circuit in Taiwan, in its first competitive outing in Asia. Driven by Rodney Tu the D4 set a new fast time of 1:45.840. Second fastest was a 997 GT3 Cup, followed by another 997 GT3 Cup and a Lamborghini LP600 GT3 (one could buy at least five D4s for the price of one of those other cars!). Congratulations to Rodney on an excellent drive and a good start to D4 international racing career! "

For a car just to use for track days id pick an Alfa Milano. 3.0 swap with cams, headers and Ansa or CSC exhaust, 4.10 LSD transaxle (with lightened flywheel and gears, kevlar clutch, etc), stiff torsion bars and springs, big swaybars and all the other suspension stuff, big brakes, etc. plenty durable enough for a track car, and plenty of fun too. With ~200hp or so in a car that small it would be fast enough to be fun without being too crazy too, and you could still drive it to the track.

Good suggestions. I think it also depends on your group--some attract seriously fast cars, while others don't. I ran a few events with the SCCA last year, and it was mostly Miatas, BMWs, etc.

I want a car that's not going to break, is easy to find parts for and has a top and windows so I can load the trailer the night before and not have the car full of water when I get to the track.

To drive around in my first hero car at 7/10s

http://www.modified.com/features/sccp_0302_2001_dodge_viper_acr/viewall.html

and an exact copy of ^ made from an 02 acr there would be enough sensory overload with out having to give up abs.

I'm going with the car in my garage - 1972 mgb. Effectively it's a mustang drivetrain with a low, light body. It was originally built as a challenge car - so cheap enough to ball up - enough power to weight to have fun and through ill-considered building, enough opportunity to provide years of tweaking and tuning - and should it get good - there's hope of NASA vintage outlaw class for w2w.

Other than that - e36m3 ticks off a lot of boxes.

An E36 M3 really does tick off a lot of the boxes.

Noble M400

I'm really torn. A pure, proper race car would be awesome, but I almost wonder whether it would be the most fun with no competition.

I want something that looks good, and sounds and feels awesome...

A Pantera?

There are just too many great options...

If I had the cash probably an Elise, but I am perfectly content with my present 89 Civic with a little bit more of a dedicated track suspension.

ransom wrote: I'm really torn. A pure, proper race car would be awesome, but I almost wonder whether it would be the most fun with no competition. I want something that looks good, and *sounds* and *feels* awesome... A Pantera? There are just too many great options...

I was at an Italian Car Track Day at Pocono years ago. Mostly Ferraris wailing around, including one open-wheeler. But Panteras are Italian, so the soundtrack of cars going past was "wheeeeeee wheeeeeee wheeeee BWWWWAAAAAHHHHH wheeeee". Most excellent.

There are two very distinct groups in this thread: those of us are cost-no-object and those who are being realistic. I have different answers for the latter! I'm pretty happy with my current track stable: the fast V8 Miata that is a very interesting test bed and quick enough to cause pucker issues, the enthralling Locost and the classic Mini that makes me wet myself with laughter.

how bout a legends car with a big wing on the front and back for downforce and sticky tires?

BARNCA wrote: how bout a legends car with a big wing on the front and back for downforce and sticky tires?

On a related note, sounds like a Thunder Roadster is currently an inexpensive way to go way fast.

I really like the Dennis Palatov DP4 package

http://www.palatov.com/documents/D4_Brochure.pdf

I love the trailer for it that weighs 1500lbs with car and trailer and can carry spares and is low enough to be tower behind a car.

So just get me a CTS-V SportWagen and a DP4 :)

I'm down with the Legends car. My fav would be a nice 944. My ultimate would be a Toyota GTP car with the AAR team behind the wall, maybe one of the Nissans too. Man they were cool!

After living with a caged Miata that was street registered, but pretty much a dediacted track car (5000 miles in five years) I have to say, I got kind of tired of having the thing around. For the amount of track time it saw, it took up a lot of garage space and disposable income. I got tired of just moving it in and out of the garage to get at other things.

So are you saying no to a dedicated track car because of the time/space it took? I actually like the miata right now because garage space wise its on the smaller side for a car