Soldato
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Great choice, but you need to find a modded example.
The gearbox is made of chocolate and the brakes just don't.
Track toy
- Thread starter rypt
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Great choice, but you need to find a modded example.
The gearbox is made of chocolate and the brakes just don't.
Have a look for Cat D repaired S1 Elises. They tend to come up for £4-5k and are perfect for track use, and are popular with the Elise Trophy boys.
To echo what most people are saying, you want something light, cheap and easy to maintain. A big 4 wheel drive boat with too much technology is going to be useless compared to a little wasp of a Civic or 205.
My old track prepared CRX weighed a shade over 800kg and produced 140hp, which gave it 175hp/tn. To say I was able to embarrass far more powerful and expensive machinery is an understatement. Brilliant car that I still miss.
To echo what most people are saying, you want something light, cheap and easy to maintain. A big 4 wheel drive boat with too much technology is going to be useless compared to a little wasp of a Civic or 205.
My old track prepared CRX weighed a shade over 800kg and produced 140hp, which gave it 175hp/tn. To say I was able to embarrass far more powerful and expensive machinery is an understatement. Brilliant car that I still miss.
Just as prone to falling apart as the aforementioned other 4wd machines
Gearboxes are pretty weak on those
I would go for something RWD and japanese, you are going to get some good reliabilty then, 200sx S14?
The perfect track day car depends on what you want. As an example James Hunt drove an Austin A35 van as his everyday car. He always claimed that he could have more fun in that at 30mph than in a Ferrari at 70mph.
If what you want is lots of fun in a well made, well handling car look at an old Ford x-flow engined live axle Caterham easy to maintain, amazing car. Prices from I would guess about £5k.
Or go De-dion rear end if you want to be able to handle more power and improve the handling again. But they will be more expensive. Selling my old Caterham was the biggest mistake I ever made
If what you want is lots of fun in a well made, well handling car look at an old Ford x-flow engined live axle Caterham easy to maintain, amazing car. Prices from I would guess about £5k.
Or go De-dion rear end if you want to be able to handle more power and improve the handling again. But they will be more expensive. Selling my old Caterham was the biggest mistake I ever made
Capri if you want to have some real fun, Elise or a proper track car if you want to drive properly. Alternatively modify something quite squat with a decent track, like a 106 and just put a big engine in the back - it'll require a lot of work but if you want to do it properly then that's your best option!
It's a NIIISSAAAN
I was thinking of getting an S13 before, but just can't bring my self to own a Nissan for some reason - too much of a Toyota and Subaru fanboy (why can't Toyota have something else that is FR other than the Supra [or the Mark II])
You do not want a complicated, turbo or 4wd car as your track car unless you are stupidly affluent, in which case you would have bought an atom/exige s/911 gt3 etc.
Read the advice of those who have done trackdays in this thread and get something that after you use it the first few times won't cost so much that you can't track for another year.
An e36 BMW is ideal. It ticks all the boxes for running costs, initial purchase price etc. Alternatively there's a track ready Clio williams that I know of for just over 2k that would be good.
Read the advice of those who have done trackdays in this thread and get something that after you use it the first few times won't cost so much that you can't track for another year.
An e36 BMW is ideal. It ticks all the boxes for running costs, initial purchase price etc. Alternatively there's a track ready Clio williams that I know of for just over 2k that would be good.
I have only been on 3 track days but I cant say it has cost me loads of money to run my 200. Yes the fuel consumption is ridiculous but its not something Im bothered about.
I suppose if I go more regularly then tyres and brakes could mount up.
I suppose if I go more regularly then tyres and brakes could mount up.
Nissans aren't that bad really, things like micras give them a bad name, S13's with the CA engine aren't great because the engines aren't as strong as the SR20
Buy the S14 200sx is a good reliable car
If you want bombproof reliability then buy toyota, maybe an AE92 Corrolla? FWD I know but a good car
Buy the S14 200sx is a good reliable car
If you want bombproof reliability then buy toyota, maybe an AE92 Corrolla? FWD I know but a good car
You cannot rate a car on corner entry alone.
Most of the modification to handling would change these characteristics to suit.
Work out what you are willing to spend to get it track ready - Handling, Stopping power and weight reduction to start, then start looking at power.
Actually look at what it is going to cost you for spares, their availability and complexity of fitment. Last thing you want is something that will put you off the track for a couple of weeks because you either cannot get a part afford it, or fit it yourself.
Corner entry probably should not be at the top of your list in choosing
Most of the modification to handling would change these characteristics to suit.
Work out what you are willing to spend to get it track ready - Handling, Stopping power and weight reduction to start, then start looking at power.
Actually look at what it is going to cost you for spares, their availability and complexity of fitment. Last thing you want is something that will put you off the track for a couple of weeks because you either cannot get a part afford it, or fit it yourself.
Corner entry probably should not be at the top of your list in choosing
Corner entry probably should not be at the top of your list in choosing
I was simply saying that I read that (and corner entry would be a function of suspension design and layout, so would affect other handling characteristics - such as ability to hold a slide), I don't really know much about BMWs as they've never really interested me to own one (though I do like E30/E36 looks) ... so was asking what was the better car :/
My mate is selling his E30 318IS drift spec bmw in Oxfordshire if you are interested Rypt?
It's stripped out completely, welded diff, different injectors and lots more done to it (he has the full spec I am sure) in red. He isn't asking for a huge amount for it and if you fancy a bit of drifting, it's bags of fun!
It's stripped out completely, welded diff, different injectors and lots more done to it (he has the full spec I am sure) in red. He isn't asking for a huge amount for it and if you fancy a bit of drifting, it's bags of fun!
Don't get a 4 pot, get a real E30 with a 6 cylinder engine
no good for anything other than drifting, so not really a track car as such.
Don't get a 4 pot, get a real E30 with a 6 cylinder engine
Is that why the most 'real' ultimate E30 had a 4 pot?