I have no idea of the relative ins and outs of BMW ownership but my guess is that a mid '90s E36 that someone else has builtup with parts as well as suspension/chassis setup would prove vastly more economical than a 951 track car...but that's just me hypothesizing. The one I went in was very well prepped and maintained and it was a ball to drive. Sure I initially missed the lack of boost, but I had enough on my plate with LHD, new track etc... The instruction made it well worthwhile though.

Actually I preferred those larger slot cars with the motor on a 45 degree angle. They were stupidly fast cars if you never saw them.

 

On that note.... James May now holds the world record for longest Scalectrix track at 2.75 miles

http://www.worldamazingrecords.com/2...-slot-car.html

 

The boy and I used to be into the 1/10th scale RC cars/trucks. Quite a few track junkies came out too, all saying "1/10th the scale but also 1/10th the cost and we're still racing"... I've done the slot car thing too, but prefer the open RC tracks (if you can find them).

Back on topic: My eldest is close to getting their license and I've been entertaining thoughts of getting a Miata or something like that to eventually turn into a track car. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread...

 

He did say cheap. That said, I had a 1997 m3 sedan that had minimal suspension mods that was a great car. Track a bit in SCCA and PCA/BMW and the car was very fun.

We need to know more about his budget, and intention.

G

 

Guess it's relative George. You're right in asking what's the budget, but I thought a mid 90's BMW were cheap in the US?

 

The best handling M3 was the 1997 sedan. Technodyne had a few full race cars in his shop back then, and the sedans were better than the sedans. We can purchase decent 95-99 M3's here for 10K to 15K us, some cheaper, but they are beaten up.

The stock 5 speed cars were under 6 second cars stock. I'll admit that my sedan was one of the best handling cars I've ever owned.

You can pick up a 1978 RX7 already setup for the track for 5K here. With a little engine work, these little rotary motors will spin to 12K.

You can also purchase a cart that will hit 60 in 3 seconds and handle better than most anything you have ever driven for under 5K, and get a decent one for 3K. Drove these, and they are a blast. My son wants one, but he is 8. Still training him on a little quad in the dirt.

So, what is the budget here, and what type of racing are you considering?

I've watched the rx7 SCCA races. Looks like a blast.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?...itle&resnum=1#


G

 

Shop for something you can work on yourself and picking up a car someone else has built well will save you tons of money and development time.

 

So what does it say that no one on this board has yet recommended a 951?

 

check into carts - mucho fun, much less dinero

 

They aren't exactly a cheap track car IMHO.

 

It depends a lot on the type of tracking you want to do, what kind of car you like, etc. Maybe engine swaps will be restricted, or maybe you prefer a certain platform e.g. RWD.

Maybe you can ask which cars would make a bad track car? Then eliminate those from your list, and from the rest just pick the one you like most.

I am done putting these watercoolers on the track. I'm so worried about the belts and stuff just driving on the street - I have a conniption on the track. My next track car will be a timing chain car.

 

I'm considering the E36 right now - E36 328i will go to 220/230 hp very cheaply, compares with S2 on power/weight.

The US E36 M3 isn't quite the same deal as ROW cars (US didn't get the Euro M3 motor, was only IRO 250hp?). M3 Evo motor (320bhp) is beautiful engine, and would be fantastic in a 944


Don't know about US pricing - here in the UK, for a decent, stock car

328i - £1-2k
S2 - £3-4k
M3 - £4-5k
944 Turbo - £4-6k

My experience is that turbo cars cost more to run - maybe I've just been unlucky?

 

We had an n/a 944 turning 1:25:xx at Summit Point this season in 944 Cup. Granted, the driver of the car is also the owner of a Porsche race shop and a very talented driver. Still, you can make those cars pretty fast with enough driver and set-up skill!

 

To answer some questions -

"Low Cost" - 5-7k initial investment.
"Purpose" - Primarily DE and other non-wheel to wheel events
"Driver" - Not me, but a friend who has raced shifter karts at a very high level and used to prepare Marco Andretti's shifter karts. - he just wants something cheap he can use to get back into track driving and instructing.

Side note - I've tracked S2's and Turbo's and I think the S2 is a more reliable track car. Having said that, I know of some 951's that have minimal engine mods (chip, exhaust) and LOTS of suspension work that are wicked fast - at a recent DE in Beaverun, a mildly modified 951 was the fastest car at the track, running 1:05's and passing 911 GT3's, Z06's, and Rook 911 turbo 600's.

 

While they are an excellent track car they are not cheap. The care and feeding can become quite dear.

What no one has spoken about is what is the prevelant racing body in your area and which classes are best represented. I wouldn't want to go through the expense of acquiring a track car and find out the class was not supported locally. Some classes are supported better in some areas than others.

I would suggest the spec boxsters are becoming reasonable.