KaiB

Fixed it, IMHO, of course.

FrankyV

Are they the ones that were used in a Brazilian racing series? My buddy went down to Miami this week to look at them and concluded the cost of bringing one into compliance with PCA GTC rules was at least $15k for exhaust and changing FG panels back to steel so it made the $40k+ pricing not so attractive. Plus there was no maintenance history so you might have to throw a rebuild on the engine in your first year. He ended up finding a known car locally, picked it up today.

Steve113

$15,00 for exhaust LOL all you need is a muffler they have stock maifolds

FrankyV

Clearly I was not there, just relaying his thoughts, plus when he got there it was down to the last three cars, presumably the worst of the bunch. Major body panel replacement as well is required according to him and the two well known Porsche techs that went with him. Do you know these cars, did you buy one?

Twenty or so additional cup cars is certainly not going to be good news for all of those concerned about the recent rash of first lap crashes at PCA races.

BlackTalon

Irfan -- why don't you ask Brian about the costs, etc. of running his 996Cup? He has real data for they type of driving you envision doing, and at the same tracks.

J richard

well I think the OP left the room on page one...what were we talking about?...

BlackTalon

Pretty sure he's at the track today.

He just picked up a car for the track (997?), but went through a debate between 996s, 997s, GT2s and GT3s. Still on high-performace summer tires on the 997 and Cayman, stock suspensions, etc. Suffice it to say a 996Cup would be a different world from tracking unmodified 'new' Porsches.

Manifold

OP here. Thanks all for the great input. Not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I'm pondering and it's valuable food for thought.

Izzone

While on my hunt for a race car I learned a lot about buy in cost, maintenance cost, and crash cost

996 cup buy in for a sorted car is $85-100k. Buy one for 50k assume all parts are timed out. Most of these cars were raced hard at some point, have bent up tubs. I gave up looking for a cup after paying to have two cars inspected and both were far from the car advertised. Cup cars require race car type maintenance, nut and bolt ect.

For me all dry sumps had the same final payment cost....some come apart often for bearings, some wait and undergo full maintenance. On a cup the parts are light, for racing and time out sooner than older 911 race cars

Slicks....expensive. Nuf said. If you want to run at the front in a race in a cup ur checkbook better be just as fat as the rest of the cups. You better be real good at heel toe with slicks...or carry spare axles

Lastly...cups are tough as nails on track and very fragile off track. Tap the wall with one and you will find out

ir_fuel

Try tapping the wall with your "street" GT3 and tell me how big the bill is Especially if you bend some wheels and (PASM) suspension parts while you are at it.

Izzone

I took my street gt3 off the track too. They are fragile too, but for a de guy insuranceable

Just use antique car on the track

It's tough as nails and if it bumps a wall just bolt more cheap fiberglass on it

ir_fuel

Also, especially when looking for a 996 one, forget finding a mint example, they are rare and will cost a fortune. Better make sure you get a decent priced one + lots of spare parts (wheels, airjack lance etc) and have a leak test done on the engine + check out the gear box and suspension.
These cars are getting old and all have a history. Problem is that even if you pay top dollar for what you think is a mint one you could end up with some big bills. It is also not always easy to get the entire car checked out as you like (imagine trailering each potential buy to your local workshop for an inspection. After the 2nd one you'll give up doing that. Especially since those cars are not for sale on every street corner).
And (I think it has been mentioned here before) preferably get one that has been used recently. It will always be better than one that has been sitting in a garage for 4-5 years. These things are built to be used.

ir_fuel

Cup cars can be insured too on the race track. In fact almost every race car used in competition (I am talking the more expensive ones, Porsche Cup and upwards in price) is insured. So it is perfectly possible.

chrcook

Since everyone gave their 2 cents, I’ll give mine…

On one hand, the range of opinions of operating cost is about as wide as the Grand Canyon, which could lead one to be confused. However, my observation is that with any car in any class, the operating costs between P1 and back marker is an order of magnitude. Even a NA 944 gets pricy if you want to win championships and set lap records in a competitive class.

As for the price of a Cup in comparison to others, it’s all expensive. I’ve run the math (which no one should ever, ever do!) comparing different P-cars, itemizing consumables, fuel, tires, etc. The $/hour will tell you it’s better to just buy a ride!

However, after this math, I bought a 996 Cup and am selling my 944. Yes, the cup is more expensive however, I get a whole lot more car, not to mention safer. With any converted street car, you have a bit of a Frankenstein which drives up labor hours. As for Cups, they are well known and a good shop (or self) should be able to work on them efficiently, which drives down labor hours partially offsetting parts costs (some of which are more, some of which are less).

Just my 2 cents…

bgiere

Chrcook did indeed do the homework on the costs...i've seen it. I spent quite a bit running a 944 GTS1 car in pursuit of NASA trophies...The 996 cup will be more expensive that's for sure...but not too much more since I try to do much of the maintenance and setup work out of my small shop here on the farm.