Edward

Agree with others that condition of the car is far more important than SC vs Carrera. By this age too, these cars have gone through either sheer neglect to complete rebuilds, or anywhere in between. Not to mention that desireable track-oriented mods (drivetrain, seats, safety, suspension, whatever) are MUCH better done by the PO since he will take a considerable depreciation hit in selling. And make sure any "invisible" mods like rebuilds are properly documented, otherwise assume it is a lie.

Whether the G50 is "worth it" to you is highly subjective. Yes, it shifts more like a modern tranny. But that doesn't make the 915 (in good shape and properly adjusted, of course) an inferior tranny for track work. And as already mentioned, the G50 carries a weight penalty. Moreover, the 915 clutch components are less costly from what I understand (haven't confirmed personally, though).

FWIW, my 82SC (aka Trackmeister) is a fabulous track appliance ...actually, I LOVE it! Hope this helps.


Hi Eric,
I've always heard that the weight penalty for the G50 cars is mostly due to the added amenities of the car (as a more luxo-oriented car than the SC, to the tune of just under 200lbs!). But if both an SC and G50 Carrera were stripped for track use, I *think* the weight difference would be limited to just the transaxle. Not certain, though.

Edward

g-50cab

The difference between a G-50 and a 915 carrera - same features will be 50-70 lbs.

Z-nomore

Glad to hear some positive opinions on the non-G50 cars. I see my car being a weekend driver, DE, Auto-X, occasional track car... So it sounds like I might be better off saving some coin and finding a slightly modded SC.

I just have to wait for the Z to blow up first

TMH

Can't stress this enough, and note also said by Bill Gregory.

I am partial to the 3.2 Carreras with G50 tranny's. Why? Well, I want the additional power the 3.2 provides (since I'm not that good a driver, it helps me get around better when I don't carry enough speed through corners). I like the smoothness of the G50 shifting, and not having to think as much about making a shift happen, instead of it just happening. Weight? No issues. Since I dedicated an '87 to a track car, I have yanked enough stuff out to bring the weight down to 2525# with the roll bar and a half tank of gas. Final difference to me: Having worked peripherally on both systems, it is my belief that the fuel injection system is more robust on the 3.2's as compared to the SC's.

So try and find a car where some of the initial work has been done for you. Should be easier this time of year as the racing season is ending in some geographies. Prepped cars have a narrower market than stock 911's, and some can therefore be had for very reasonable $$$ I bought my '87 last year, and it was still a half-street/half-track monstrosity. Not confortable to drive on the street due to the stiffness of the suspension, the Recaros, and the roll-bar. Had both racing 5-point restraints, plus the stock 3-point belts. Not optimized for the track because it was HEAVY. Still had carpeting, door pockets, stereo, air conditioning, etc. I got the car for $10.7k (with 165k miles on it) because no one else seemed really interested in bidding on it. Since then I have been stripping off unnecessary weight (and selling the parts!), and it is now a quite reasonable DE car.

Just some options and thoughts.
Tom