As others have said, a Cayman would be great, especially an S but purchase price can be an issue right now. If an older Cayman (before 981 series) find one that already had IMS replaced and everything else is pretty reliable. 981 are very reliable but on the expensive side for a track toy. A lot of aftermarket parts available but still on the expensive side. Very good for Auto-X and Track Days.
For the 200 HP range, a Gen V or VI GTI might be a good choice with parts being easy to obtain and not expensive. Of course the BRZ/86 should be considered.
Mndsm
MegaDork
8/16/23 2:16 p.m.
In reply to apexdc :
I think any Elise would soundly break the "no unicorns" rule though. Also pretty questionable on whether it's safer than a NA Miata.
In reply to Mndsm :
damn where was this when I was looking for one of these 6 months ago, too bad i'm all in on a europa restomod now
In reply to quikmni :
IMS bearings aren't really an issue on the 987.1 and 987.2 doesn't even have an IMS bearing, you should be more concerned with bore scoring on either
Keep these suggestions coming! So much to digest.
Thanks, everyone.
bobzilla said:
Anything with a 1.6T gamma-T and manual trans. Veloster, Forte SX/GT, Elantra GT etc. I would kill to see you guys finally do a Korean track rat.
so, I accidentally came across the idea that the 2016+ Malibu is GridLife ClubTR "legal" yesterday... since it has a 1.5T. Although, at ~3086#s and ~165hp... probably not competitive; but I can't help but giggle at the idea of a Malibu looming over a bunch of civics & brz's.
Then I came across the listed curb weights of the 2020+ Forte GT's at ~2762#s... that seems like a potentially "interesting" ClubTR car. But there seems to be 100kmi examples around for $16k. That seems like an easy car to pick up, throw some bits at, and leave outside.
No idea how it slots into SCCA Solo, or TimeTrials.
sleepyhead the buffalo said:
bobzilla said:
Anything with a 1.6T gamma-T and manual trans. Veloster, Forte SX/GT, Elantra GT etc. I would kill to see you guys finally do a Korean track rat.
so, I accidentally came across the idea that the 2016+ Malibu is GridLife ClubTR "legal" yesterday... since it has a 1.5T. Although, at ~3086#s and ~165hp... probably not competitive; but I can't help but giggle at the idea of a Malibu looming over a bunch of civics & brz's.
Then I came across the listed curb weights of the 2020+ Forte GT's at ~2762#s... that seems like a potentially "interesting" ClubTR car. But there seems to be 100kmi examples around for $16k. That seems like an easy car to pick up, throw some bits at, and leave outside.
No idea how it slots into SCCA Solo, or TimeTrials.
Solo will be GS stock. Time trials is S4(?) I think. The key there is the second gen forte sx(2014-2018) and the first gen Veloster had (mostly) defeatable TCS still. The 3rd gen (19-up) are ALWAYS on to some degree. Doesn't really interfere on track, but autox is too much for it.you can find those for $5-10k
Tom1200
PowerDork
8/16/23 3:02 p.m.
I recall Randy Pobst touting the 4 cylinder Camaros; if it's good enough for him it's good enough for you.
My other picks would be a Civic Si or a Golf of some sort.
I'd argue that while the non-M E8X/E9X platform cars are fine sporty street cars, they are NOT inherently good track toys if you're not looking for a track 'project'. There are WAY too many thing things that they need done to resolve their shortcomings at the track. From subframe mounts, to control arms, to computer 'coding', to oil coolers, to even natually aspirated really being better with a true limited slip that was never available. Really, the best thing about them at the track is the NA I6 sound.
With few exceptions, I'd generally try to avoid cars that don't come with a mechanical LSD, regardless RWD, FWD, or AWD. The ABS based 'E-diffs' don't seem much better than open in the long run.
It may be too derivative, but 2nd (or even 1st) Gen BRZ/GR86 would be a top contender for me. It's more fun than the BMW in every way except the sound track.
Mustang/Camaro I4T's could both be interesting when optioned right. Over your power target, but probably within your performance goals.
I'd put the S197 11+ V6 or 05-09 V8 in that range too, but generally a little more 'project' than the newer ones to get the handling up to par. The 05-09 V6 would be closer on power but also might also underwhelm compared to similar power in other platforms.
The Hyunai N cars would be tough to pass up, but possibly a bit 'much' performance wise. I don't think the N-line got a LSD, so would probably go late model Civic Si over that if keeping power down.
Early non-S Cayman could be interesting.
David S. Wallens said:
Keep these suggestions coming! So much to digest.
Thanks, everyone.
There's only one thing left to decide.... Which flavor of Korean turbo are you buying.
gearheadE30 said:
Reliable: to me this says naturally aspirated and possible to find one that isn't thrashed. I'm sure there are some turbo cars that buck this trend, but in general my experience has been that most turbo cars seem to have a lot of thermal issues on track, especially ones with long straights.
I agree on the turbo front -- it can be made to work, but all else being equal an NA car is always going to be more reliable at the track. I own 6 cars and the only one that isn't turbo is the race car. :)
2002 Daewoo Lanos.
Some guys in Champcar just ran the entire Champcar VIR 24 Hour race in a 2002 Hyundai Elantra. Scratch Bobzilla's itch.
DirtyBird222 said:
2002 Daewoo Lanos.
Some guys in Champcar just ran the entire Champcar VIR 24 Hour race in a 2002 Hyundai Elantra. Scratch Bobzilla's itch.
You mean these guys?
Sadly the Lanos does not fit the "not a unicorn" aspect. I can't remember the last time I actually saw one of those.
bobzilla said:
DirtyBird222 said:
2002 Daewoo Lanos.
Some guys in Champcar just ran the entire Champcar VIR 24 Hour race in a 2002 Hyundai Elantra. Scratch Bobzilla's itch.
You mean these guys?
Sadly the Lanos does not fit the "not a unicorn" aspect. I can't remember the last time I actually saw one of those.
Yes those guys!
And I see a few Daewoo Lanos and Leganzas on my daily commute.
If they are unicorns then how about a Daewoo Kalos in Chevy clothing? A Chevy Aveo or Pontiac G3?
I know everyone always mentions an E36 or E46, but honestly, my E82 128i is a hoot! If you can find one in a manual for a reasonable price, I believe it meets all of your criteria with ease, after all deferred maintenance is done.
230hp (~260hp with an OEM intake manifold swap). RWD. Good weight distribution. N52 engines are solid motors and easy to source for cheap if you money-shift on track. Plenty of car around you to feel safe. Only about 3100-3200 lbs depending on trim. Although you will want to spend $100 on software to turn off the e-diff in order to save your rear brake pads on track.
Could go with a Cobalt! Still quite a bit of aftermarket support for them, tons of them out there, cheap to acquire, and you have a few different routes you can go depending on your appetite for power. The 05-06 Cobalts with the 2.2 could fit snugly into GridLife's Sundae Cup class while also being able to fit into the STS class with the SCCA. But if you want to go a little faster, then definitely the Super or Turbocharged variants would scratch that.
Total spitball list. No experience with them, but might be worth further investigation or input:
~2018ish Elantra Sport
~04-06 Nissan Sentra Se-R Spec-V
~Fiesta ST
~SN95 Mustang GT
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
because they're absolutely terrible in every way. If you're going to go 100hp, compact car route there are a LOT better options out there than those.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
The Corolla Cup is gaining momentum in Florida
