Is there a way to find out if my car has been tracked by previous owners? Is there a registry that I could check to see? PCar came from California originally and is now in Ontario, Canada

 

I'm assuming this is a street car. There is no public registry that I know of. While PCA stores many VIN's of their members' cars, I can't imagine that they would ever allow access to event registration. Even then, with the various DE organizers that I have run with over the years, none ever knew my VIN.

Of course if your car is an unusual Porsche variant (CGT, 911 Speedster etc), or an unusual color, then word of mouth or posting a pic might reveal something.

 

Thanks, Coochas! Yes it is just a street car, 2004 C4S. I was told that it had not been tracked by the previous owner, but with the modifications that it has I thought it may have been tracked.
04 Porsche 911 (996)
C4S Coupe, 6 speed standard
Black on black (All Leather)
Short shift kit
CROSS JIC Magic Coilover System
CROSS Ultra Lightweight Titanium Exhaust System

 

Always found that claim "never tracked" as being odd for P-cars, since that is like selling a gun and saying never been shot outdoors. Must be a collector foible, but then look at the premium race cars with pedigree get with collectors.

Not aware of track wear & tear from the occasional AX or DE being any worse then commuter miles except in consumables. Would think a full on HPDE car will have added safety gear in addition to go fast parts.

Curiosity or worried that it has been abused? Most abuse occurs not at the track, but in poor MTCE & Service habits, questionable mods, poor driving habits in commute miles (traffic, salt road, etc.), or a repair done sub par.

Having done a few DEs or AXs isn't a Scarlet A for a Porsche, it is a badge of distinction in my book, something most other brands can't really claim (track on Sunday, commute on Monday).

Life is short, enjoy your P-car!

 

Just curious!

 

I used to track my 993 (though I am sure some folks who view the 993 as a semi collectors car would call me insane for tracking it) and I loved each and every lap I ever turned. There is just no way in hell you can experience a 911 on the public roads the same way they can be experienced on a race track. Oh I miss tracking my Porsche but the local track I had access to permanently closed at the end of 2011. So I got into Kart racing instead.

Now what sort of damage did I do to my 993 on the track? I did go through a lot of brakes and tires. Other than that I did no harm to my 911. In 30+ track days I replaced the brake pads at least 5 times, the rotors 2 or 3 times and I had to buy new shoes (tires) another 4 times. But those are consumables. I swear my Porsche was smiling from ear to ear every time I took her to the track and opened her up. After all she was engineered by Porsche from years of experience learned on race tracks around the world.

To not track a Porsche is almost criminal.
It's like buying a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and not taking it offroad.

 

Nice car, enjoy. I still miss my old 7-C4S.

 

No, you will not be able to look up its track event history. But there are telltale signs of a car having been tracked that are tough to conceal. The most obvious are: 1.) brake calipers that have turned dark red or even closer to brown from the heat 2.) brake rotors that are showing signs of small cracks on the surface (also from heat) 3.) many small paint chips on the front bumper and hood that come from following closely behind other cars at that track while driving at high speeds 4.) a heavily pitted windshield for the same reasons as #3 5.) tires that are badly worn or scuffed on the outside edges, especially the fronts. If the car has none of these signs then you can probably assume it has not been tracked much or at all.

 

All of those can be covered up IMHO. One thing that would be hard to find is the tire remnants that hide in a lot of nooks so to speak. No matter how thorough the detail guy is, underneath of a car are too many nooks and crannies for them to collect, including within the radiator fins.

 

On a 996 there are tons of places for tire boogers to get stuck that are not hard to uncover: remove underbody panels, remove the wheel liners (especially the fronts), look around the heat shields around the mufflers, remove the front bumper to inspect the radiators and the back corner where junk collects...

 

Yes they could all be covered up. But very unlikely for someone selling a 2004 C4S to replace the calipers, rotors, and windshield, and then repaint or re-wrap the front of the car just to conceal any track activity. It might make sense if this was a GT3 or a newer 911, but not this car.

 

#1) the brake calipers appear normal, no discolouration. #2) brakes were new just previous to me purchasing the car. #3) there are many, many small paint chips on the front bumper and hood! #4) windshield is more pitted than i would think a car with 70000km would be. #5) tires were relatively new (2000 KM) when I purchased the car. I cleaned out the rad's last spring (first time) and found lots in them but was not looking for bits of tire etc.

 

IMO, tracking is not necessarily bad for a car, if it is properly maintained. My "old" street/track E36 M3 has 180,000 miles on it and it is in better shape mechanically than when I bought it at 114K, 7 years ago. It likely has tens of thousands of track miles on it.

The only thing that would concern me is excessive engine wear which can be verified by compression/leak down testing, oil pressure measurement, and noise evaluation.

-Mike

 

Looking at the list of mods I wouldn't necessarily think someone tracked your car.
Many people do not like the standard throws on the 996 and 997 and put in a short throw mechanism.
Some people want more noise from their car and opt for an aftermarket exhaust.
Likewise, the stock suspension may not have felt 'sporty' enough for the original owner.

And some people just love to mod their cars!

 

If you found all that crap but no tire remnants, I'd say you're fine. But what's the big deal? Typical street cars running street tries aren't, usually, capable of doing any harm. Speeds at the track are just over what you'd do on a highway.