MarkSchu

I have been toying with the idea of building a track/race 911, and some of the race support shops in my area have recommended the 964 as a good platform to start. My assumption as to why was because they already had coil over suspension, so no conversion would be required. It seems to me that it may be cheaper to get an old 911, and just rebuild it. I was going to buy a late 80's carrera so I could get a g50 transmission, but then I realized, that the going price is about $10k more than a similar 3.2 915 or an SC, and I can buy a used g50 for about $3 - 4k! I know one big factor would be which class I would want to race in, but for now lets assume I want to build a totally modified race/track car....coil overs, dual plug, 3.6 or 3.8L engine, etc. Which platform do you recommend?

PS- I am very new at this, but have rapidly become very addicted. If my question sounds like I don't know a lot about this stuff, its because I don't...

DrJupeman

What's your budget?

As you've already noted, it is wise to build your car to a class. This helps in resale and helps you avoid needing to redo mods if/when you go racing.

MarkM

If you have read previous threads, them I'm sure you have seen the comments that you should buy a car not build one. If the point is the experience of building a car then that point is moot.

I highly recommend you build to a stock class and stay away from GT classes until you really understand the costs of racing( which I thinks takes 3 seasons), or you are totally committed to racing as a lifestyle, or you are just stupid rich and it doesn't matter.

Good Luck!

JWERION

Mark is right just take some time looking around and buy a car that is already built for the class you wish to race in. You will pay .50 on the dollar for a great track car and less for an average one. Plus it will most likely be fairly sorted out and will only need fine tuning to fit your handeling preferences. Of course like anything else do your home work ask for receipts and have the car inspected by a shop that works on Porsche race cars. You don't want to end up with a worn out and abused car that requires rebuilding.

Gary R.

Forget the logic of a G50 being added to a 915 car, it is VERY involved and just not worth the money OR effort, PLUS it's a lot heavier! As for coilovers, you can get very good results with the proper torsion bar set up so thats a moot point too. In my biased opinion a G Stock car is the best 911 class to start out in for value and performance. A 964 will cost you more up front but is a great car.. If you are are an even lower budget than 911 land go 944, else go Miata! They look like a blast and are CHEAP to run!

dbanazek

I think F or G in an SC is the best way to go. It is feasible to buy and build one for $18-$25k. The F Euro SCs always beat the 3.2 cars. There is also a ton of competition. The 964 is a heavier more expensive car in a higher class with less competition.

I run a GT car, but then I own a shop. Running a GT car only makes sense if: you like to inovate and can do all the work yourself, you buy one for $.30 on the dollar, or you have a ton of money and don't like Cup Cars

38D

On the east coast, E class has way more cars than G. E is normally very close to F in size. At the Glen last year, there were 26 cars in E...that's pretty darn good.

And the 964 is heavier because the chassis is far stiffer and superior to s Carrera or SC.

kgorman

you always see nice RSA's come up in the RL and PCA classifieds and www.rsamerica.net. There many times are D prepped cars all set to go. If I was looking for a good race prepped car, I would be looking at an RSA..

schwank

944's may seem cheap, but by the time you have it bulletproofed you could probably pay for a 964. Ask me how I know.

10 GT3

You need to definitely decide your budget and how competitive you want to be. The more competitive, the more expensive. A top 964 RS will put you in the neighborhood of $50K. The 964 is a good chassis, but it is a lot heavier and you need to be critical of the years of the cars. The 01'+ cars had a completely different suspension geometry. The suspensions are not interchangeable between early and late 964's. The early cars are far more limited on what the aftermarket has available.

Putting a G50 in an old 911 is really a waste of money. You can rebuild one an add an LSD. With a tranny cooler, they can take far more power than a built NA 3.0-3.4L can put out. If you really want one, look for an 87-89' Carrera, but expect to pay over $20K (about the price of a 964) before starting to prepare it.

Probably the best route starting out is a 944. You can stil find them in nice shape and cheap. There are almost always ones that are prepped being for sale (owners pretty regularly move up to 911's). Used and aftermarket parts are plentiful. After this, I would probably look for an early 78-79 911 S/C 3.0L. They are quite a big cheaper than the Carreras, but have all the bugs worked out. If you read about the earlier 2.7l's, they can be a nightmare. In 1980, the S/C got over 100 lbs heavier due to bumper reinforcement changes.

jim3

Marc, Just following up on 02 Carrera's advice, here's an example. I've got my 87 944S H car for sale on PCA Mart at $15K. Has complete maintenance records, is a good looking car and I drove it to the Lime Rock club race with 4 tires in it and won the enduro and sprint races in my class and beat some E, F, and G class 911's. Buy to start out, don't build until you're sure of what you want.

Chaos

BUY A DONE CAR ! DO NOT BUILD YOUR OWN !!!

chrisp

If you can do your own work, are patient and willing to look for used parts, and can get an inexpensive starting car then you can build a G-class car for pretty close to the cost of buying a used race car. An added benefit is you know exactly what was done to the car.

If you're having a shop turn a street car into a race car then, yes, you'll spend twice as much converting a street car.

Plan to spend at least $25k for a good G-class car and upwards of $30k for a podium car with spares.

MarkSchu

I can get a an RSA for about $45k fully sorted (actually there are 2 in my area for sale!) or an 88 G50 carrera for about 1/2, or an sc for even less. I just need to figure out my budget and go for it. Thanks again to all for the input.

boze_man

hey mark...your in houston right??
i am aware of one rsa for sale, havent seen it yet...didnt know there was a second...also u mention a 88 g50...is that a local car?...

i have been lookin for a part time driver and DE car...hasnt been easy...started lookin at the 996s to now gettin an SC...

not tryin to out bid ya on any car just tryin to share resources...if ya pass on anything nice, pls let me know...

thanks and good luck, bill