"MouseFitzgerald" (MouseFitzgerald)
06/29/2014 at 19:18 • Filed to: None
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"MouseFitzgerald" (MouseFitzgerald)
06/29/2014 at 19:18 • Filed to: None | 1
| 26 |
So in the next year or so I'd like to buy a dedicated "race car". I'm looking for something that you don't see everyday and that has tuning/swapping potential.
My current short list is
190E
3000GT
Sciracco
And the 2.5 RS
I don't care too much about stock speed/power as I would plan on doing a good deal of tinkering. A solid platform to expand on is more what I'm looking for.
So my question to you, lords of Oppo, is what else should I be looking at? Imports that meet the 25 year rule included. Seriously, go nuts here ( within reason budget wise).
BadMotorScooter
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:23 |
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C4 Corvette. Not what you might expect, but if track prepped these things can be very light, very powerful, and very fast. Performance parts are cheap and plentiful.
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:26 |
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Besides the 3000gt, and maybe the scirocco depending on what state you live in, people will know of and GUSH over those cars. Particulalrly the 2.5. The subie crowd will surround you and tell you all about their bugeyes and how they wanted a nice, clean 2.5 to ruin but didn't want to pay the price so they got a bugeye WRX instead.
Here's what you really need to do - get a battleship. Get something massive and make it handle. My choice would be either a pontiac can-am or an oldsmobile cutlass rallye 350.
Other suggestions include taking the 80s american coupes like the grand prix and monte carlo and swapping on some of the parts they used for NASCAR so you can actually make them handle (seriously, those old boats can MOVE). Here's a 77 cutlass for inspiration.
E92M3
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:29 |
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Miata is always the answer! In this case a LS1 swapped Miata is the answer.
Jedidiah
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:30 |
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Studebaker Lark wagon with retractable rear roof. Have you ever seen one? Didn't think so. When you find one; it will be cheap. No-one in their right mind would try and sell a compact wagon at a high price.
Only American compact car with Body-On-Frame construction, so you have easy body repair and can easily improve structural rigidity.
Early 60s compact. Weighs absolutely nothing. They are like tin cans with motors.
The come with a V8 or straight six. You could add a Paxton supercharger like what came on the Avanti. Or you do a swap; plenty of room under the hood.
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Jedidiah
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
06/29/2014 at 19:32 |
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The GM A-body (Cutlass, Malibu, GTO, etc) has a wealth of aftermarket suspension parts to make them handle very well. The parts are expensive, but it is very doable.
Arben72
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:33 |
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Track only car doesn't need to meet the 25 year import rule, but I'd go with a yugo. There's a spec yugo race series in Eastern Europe and modded they haul ass. Also first gen vw polos with a turbo are badass. A cousin of mine has a gutted one that weighs 700 kg!
Brian Silvestro
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:38 |
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The first one because awesome.
PheeNoIVI
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:44 |
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Out of those the 3000gt.
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Jedidiah
> Jedidiah
06/29/2014 at 19:45 |
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Think about how Jalop this could be.
syaieya
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:46 |
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As a W201 owner, I'll have to suggest staying away from them if you want something cheap and easy to piddle with.
The entry price may be relatively low, but unless you wanna get into crazy swaps with lots of custom parts, your end result is most likely just going to be a 190E 2.6 that's had a 3 liter put in it from a 300E. Turbo parts for them are rare and expensive, it's still a mercedes and so you'll find silly things that cost losts of money. And if you want a manual transmission you're in for a long, search as most of them are base models and diesels.
So for the power and the money, you'd almost be better off just throwing a C class at it.
That being said, I totally want to get a 190E and throw an AP2 motor in it with a fake Evo kit on it and just drive the snot out of it.
My citroen won't start
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:47 |
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Alfa 164 Cloverleaf.
tromoly
> BadMotorScooter
06/29/2014 at 19:53 |
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Especially when done right.
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tromoly
> E92M3
06/29/2014 at 19:55 |
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Um, no. Because weight distribution change kills handling.
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tromoly
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 19:56 |
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I'd suggest Dodge Omni if you want to go with something weird. A guy around me runs one, it's actually faster than the Viper he also runs.
Soloburrito
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 20:07 |
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https://www.factoryfive.com/kits/project-8…
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 20:18 |
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You asked for something abnormal, and boy am I about to deliver.
You ready?
Here goes...
AMC Spirit. Now stop laughing and hear me out:
This thing wasn't just another pile of 70's American crap. Barring the base models, they were a bit more performance oriented than any other American small car at the time. It was basically a compact muscle car. It had the option of an I-6 or a V-8, and there was a handling package available from the factory that included upgraded sway bars and quicker steering.
In 1979, running in Group 1 (lightly modified production cars), two Spirits took 1st and 2nd place in their class at the 24 hours of Nurburgring. If that's not proof that these cars had potential, I don't know what is.
You'll want to look out for a GT or one of the rarer AMX versions. I don't know how common the V-8 was, but the 4.2 I-6 was a popular option and, being essentially the same engine used in Jeeps, there should be plenty of stroker kits you can install to bump the torque through the roof.
Here's a video of one tearing up an Autox course:
I'm sure most examples you'll find will be utter crap but if you keep your eyes open you might find a good one.
(dear lord I just spent half an hour researching and writing a goddamn comment )
Nobi
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 20:26 |
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the 190E is a bit too rare to modify, the 3000GT is a pain to work on and it's super heavy, the Scirocco and 2.5 RS are good ones though. I say either of those would do fine.
Jeff-God-of-Biscuits
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 21:40 |
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If you want to really mess with peoples heads, try a Chrysler 300C. They move much better than they have any right to, and if you were to gut the interior and all the comforts, I bet it would shed around 1,000 pounds.
PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
> MouseFitzgerald
06/29/2014 at 23:50 |
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unusual track car? hmm....
does a MKIV Jetta wagon work? the 1.8T is tunable, if not unreliable. the 5-speed 'box is decent, and it's practical enough for everyday use as well.
My best guess would be that the car would be around $4500 and that it would take about $6000 to make it in to a real track beast (engine work, suspension tires/wheels, brakes)
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MouseFitzgerald
> Jedidiah
06/30/2014 at 05:48 |
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My god, where has this been all my life...
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MouseFitzgerald
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
06/30/2014 at 05:55 |
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And a damn fine comment it was! I have a soft spot for AMC and that AMX version looks pretty bad ass with those flares. I'll have to keep my eyes open for these
BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> MouseFitzgerald
06/30/2014 at 06:49 |
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TR7 V8!
1050kg, RWD, easy swap with a Rover V8 (lightweight alloy V8, anything from 3.5l to 5.2l, tons of tuning parts).
MachineReplica
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
06/30/2014 at 11:33 |
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So, sorry to be a nay sayer, but none of the cars except the 190E would be strange to see at an AutoX event. I've seen too many 2.5RS Imprezas, sedans and coupes, but most were heavily modified/STI swapped race cars. The Scirroco is a bit less common, but I've seen a few of them at different events. One even had full Aero. The 3000GT is just a terrible car for autocross. It's a weird kind of GT car that is much more at home drag racing if it doesn't break down.
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MachineReplica
> MouseFitzgerald
06/30/2014 at 13:05 |
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I apologize if this is a double or even triple post, I'm new to Kinja.
So, sorry to be a nay sayer, but none of the cars except the 190E would be strange to see at an AutoX event. I've seen too many 2.5RS Imprezas, sedans and coupes, but most were heavily modified/STI swapped race cars. The Scirroco is a bit less common, but I've seen a few of them at different events. One even had full Aero. The 3000GT is just a terrible car for autocross. It's a weird kind of GT car that is much more at home drag racing if it doesn't break down.
bob and john
> tromoly
07/01/2014 at 07:33 |
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the LS motor is only 40lbs heavier, stuff a cooler full of beers in the back for the end of the day and ur good to go
therevengeofthesaab (really likes pre-2005 hondas right now)
> MouseFitzgerald
07/31/2014 at 13:09 |
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I fucking love this car