ZSA Motorsport

A few friends of mine hit Poconos raceway once/month for a little fast fun. i've been getting the itch but also wouldfind it fun over time to put together a good track car. something specific to the track. i would consider it an ongoing project. ideally, i'm not a speed deamon, i think just about any car i would consider will be fast, but i'd also like to have some stylish.

i would be honest in saying i know very little about the track and whats what in that environment. whats a better, more fun setup, some gt2 stock that yo modify? or a 993 of some variant that you upgrade and juice up?

no idea budget but would like to get something nice, that will perform really well, but have great style points. i have 3 kids, i'm a good athlete and always take risks racing my road bike, but i have no real interest in eating because i pushed a car just too fast. fast and very fast are enjoyable. too fast has never been my thing.

what have people done? bot stock off the shelf and upgraded? buy already-upgraded machiens for sale worrying about condition of previously tracked machines? bang for buck? style points?

is there a book somewhere, a good article? helmets, harnesses, right and proper safety gear.
i once when snowboarding out of bounds in utah, about 3 hours later an avanalance. i did not have the right gear. you do stuff on the edge, safety precautions are a must.

any and all ideas are welcome.

Spuds993

I would reccomend looking at some of the threads here posted by Don Plumley. He's done a great job of documenting his building of a dedicated 993 track car from a street car. Lots of details on what and how he's done to the car. I've seen the car personally and the upgrades are top notch.

I would also start with a 993, reliable, fast, and safe.

That's my $.02, and whatever you do get your kids involved, my girls love going to the race track with my wife and I.

Monique

IMO the best place to start is with one fully setup for the track. To outfit one on your own would be far more expensive.

This one looks quite serious... although it was modded to a GT2 body.

http://www.mobile.de/SIDL5g71mIVD-Sg...1111160529484&

chris walrod

If your up for a TIP, check out Chris Boyd's red 993 for sale. Lots of goodies on that car!

Mark in Baltimore

If you go with a "stock" GT2, either 993 or 996 variant, you will be in the very fast category. My car started out as a bone-stock car that I modded into a PCA D class race car. This is a more expensive (i.e. dumb) way to go since I could have bought a 964 or 993 that was already track-ready and for a lot less money than I've spent, but the good thing is that I know that all of the parts that went into this car are top-notch and work well. The 993's are very quick track cars but not the class leaders in D because of the heavy weight, poor gearing and lowish power. A really good driver, though, can bring a 993 onto the podium.

As a DE car, the 993's are formidable in the top run groups, but like anything, they have to be driven and set up properly.

It looks like you have a ton of cars. Would you be willing to take one of them ot the track to see how you like it? You could always buy a stock 993 and track it for a while. Larry Herman might be selling his 964 C class race car, a machine that has proven to be very fast in his capable hands.

BillJ

From what I can derive from your previous posts and what you are thinking of looking into in this post, I would think a relatively stock 993 C2S with safety goodies installed already might be a nice starting point. By safety gear I mean rollbar or cage, FIA approved racing shells, harnesses, and a fire extinguisher. Being a nationally certified PCA instructor I see too many guys get in over their head with performance modifications and never really learn to drive well with stock performance. Doing so permits you to feel those early limits of the hardware (the tires, brakes, suspension) while the software (drivers ability to control the hardware) is still in version 1.0 (newbie). Once you master the vehicle in realtively stock form (software upgrade 2.0), then enhancements such as upgraded suspension, brakes, tires, etc will make much more sense and match your increasing skill as a driver. This is one approach that really works from a learning perspective and seems to match with your desire to have a car that you can grow into and have fun with in terms of upgrading.

You obviously have the budget, so doing this right will be the biggest constraint that you have. My .02 cents is to get a nicely maintained 993 C2S, put the safety gear in before you go to the track, then have fun learning!

ZSA Motorsport

safe fun is the key. death is kind of the opposite of that.
thx. i'm going to take my time here, given winter getting started. i'm sure there will be some really good ideas that i'll have to sift thru.
ciao.

Greg Fishman

Buy a 993 or 964 Cup car if you want it done right (and cheaper) than building your own. But to be honest that is way more car than any newbie doing a DE needs to have under their belt.
Not sure what a 993 S2 is though? Do you mean C2? If so I would agree.

Mark in Baltimore

Greg, I think he means 993 C2S.

BillJ

Yes I have a feeling a regular C2 would be dissapointing for our good friend given his Turbo S proclivities, but a C2S might fit the bill quite well. A cup car is a too big a jump IMHO for a person jsut getting started on the track.

Spuds993

Please don't use a C2S, unless its been repaired after a serious accident. To my thinking this is like cutting up a 1973 911S to make a track car, better to use a C2 and preserve the C2S's.

Greg Fishman

True,
You could always put GT2 flares on them to make it handle larger tires.

Mark in Baltimore

Bill, how do you figure a C2S would be more thrilling than a C2?

BillJ

If he can sport the coin for a purpose built "race" car then fine. I would just never recomend that for someone that admitted to knowing nothing about the track, does not want to go too fast, and is only looking to do lapping days with some pals. Maybe a stock RS would be a lovely addition to his stable? Fun spending other peoples money!!

On the flip side, there is only so many performance mods you can do with a 993 C2 (or C2S for that matter) without getting into big dollar receipts, downtime, and cutom everything. A bolt-in rollbar, seats, and harness are all removable and not cutting up the car, so not sure what the objection is there. People DE these all the time. If the C2S's are really rare cars then I guess that could be a consideration for choosing a more "common" car. At the DE this past weekend at Summit Point there were several stock, slightly modded, and even a cup 993. There are plenty of choices out there.

Mark - the widebody car is definitely "stylish" and was one of his considerations

NineMeister

You're right doug, a C2S is best left alone.





The better option is to start with a C4S because it has turbo brakes and 4 channel ABS as standard, fitting a C2 gearbox is a cinch and the 4WD transmission will fetch more than the C2 box and the labour put together.....