Where is the street legal sports car version of this?

"BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast." (boxerfanatic)
09/13/2020 at 23:32 • Filed to: Power sports, UTV, street legal, affordable

A few months ago, I saw an episode of VinWiki, that went through the best options for cars under 30 thousand, and one of the options was of off-road, to get a UTV.

It kind of stuck with me.

This is 110 horsepower, 1300lbs, single center seat, and $ 15K new.

If you actually get the 2 or 4 seat versions of the Polaris RZR XP 1000 , Can Am X3, Yamaha, Honda, and others with TURBOCHARGED 1 Liter parallel twin engines that make nearly 190hp stock, and can be tuned north of that...

Stock models retail between 20 and 30 thousand brand new, and some have active dampers, infotainment, and other automotive-like options... for vehicles that can jump sand dunes, ford water holes, climb rocks, and take fire roads faster than some people drive on the highway.

SxSBlog.com has actually put one of those tuned turbo engines in a single-seat RS1, redubbed the CF1, which can get to more than 90mph on the dirt before the CVT runs out of gearing, 0-60 in the low 3 seconds, and with slicks mounted, can pop wheelies on pavement. I am sure there are other examples, as well.

My question is... probably the obvious... government federalization and safety regulations, but why can’t there be something street legal that can be that much fun without having to be trailered even locally?

Not major highways... yeah, I get it... but even on lower-level rural roads and surface streets... something that can be a bit of a runabout, simple short-distance commuter, and can drive themselves to a track or autocross event for some motorsport fun...

Guys fit in these that are well over 6' tall, that would not fit in Miatas, not to mention that the Can Am X3 Turbos, and the RZR XP1000 Turbos weigh half what a Miata or BRZ/86 does, have more power than all but perhaps the most recent ND updated model Miata and just barely less than BRZ/86 peak horsepower , the turbo UTVs have more torque, and more tuneability, and have switchable 2WD/4WD drivetrains (albeit usually locked rear axles, and optional locking front axles for rock climbing, a street vehicle would have different differentials)

Plus the UTVs are mid-engined, have roll-cages, and some have safety harnesses, so it isn’t as if they are horribly unsafe, especially if not launching them “full send” off of a sand dune or something.

Obviously a street legal version would not be a daily driver. or a road trip car...

But when $ 20-30K cars have less torque, and even the lightest cars are double the weight... and something actually interesting and compelling is an average year’s salary or more... it seems like street legal affordable, simple fun is harder to come by.

Maybe the closest option that is street legal is just this... but I still wish this leaned... Can Am Ryker Rally 900. I like the Polaris UTVs... but the Polaris Slingshot is ridiculously ugly.

DISCUSSION (21)

bob and john > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 00:20

in a word? cost.

in several? safety standards. The cost to get one of these things to meet crash tests is CRAZY.

MarquetteLa > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 00:29

You can get a license plate for these in Tennessee.

https://cumberlandgal.blogspot.com/p/making-utvs-street-legal-in-tennessee.html

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > bob and john
09/14/2020 at 00:40

Government and lawyers... of course that’s why, and I have known that for a long time...

Meanwhile the mainstream performance car options to buy new is slowly starving to death, and people who make a working wage can afford less and less.

Just saw a new rumor today... Toyota may be bringing back a mid-engined car.. like an MR2... but not actually an MR2... and possibly going after a segment that Nissan GTR and Acura NSX occupy.

Never mind that that is 6-figure territory, not really Honda, Nissan, or Toyota playgrounds... and GTR and NSX are not selling well and roundly criticized for being too complex and too expensive, and most distinctly... NOT A PORSCHE.

The car market is becoming a rich people’s playground, and leaves people who don’t make a whole lot more income than the usual necessities and bills, to look for affordable alternatives for fun... or lament the fact that there isn’t all that much fun to be had anymore.

atfsgeoff > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 00:56

W hen it comes to minimalist powersports on pavement, shifter karts are where it’s at. No hope of being street legal in most jurisdictions but damn are they fun.

Stef Schrader > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 03:20

Weeeeeellllllllll... https://www.thedrive.com/news/29688/street-legal-can-am-utvs-with-vw-beetle-bodies-are-a-thing-and-this-ones-for-sale

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 06:35

L ocal Motors Rally Fighter...?

BigBlock440 > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 07:50

Isn’t that the Arie l Atom?

Jb boin > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 07:51

Most of the Can-A m and Polaris are road homologated in Europe but limited to 40 or 60kph depending on the homologation class but not power limited.

You also have some buggies that are homologated as cars such as the SECMA Fun Buggy, the F16 and F16 Turbo :

Kinja'd!!!

Already posted this the other day but the F16 Turbo seems to be a true blast to drive :

Tekamul > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 08:33

If you want all the speed and street legality, but none of the safety and comfort just buy a motorcycle.

Just Jeepin' > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 08:44

Hemi Wrangler?

Pickup_man > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 09:02

So in some states these actually are street legal, my state, South Dakota, happens to be one of them. As soon as I can afford a toy like this I will be buying one, and it will be driven more than occasionally.

Tripper > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 12:16

Yo, the juiced up sidebysides are ROWDY if I had any kind of land I would have one.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Jb boin
09/14/2020 at 12:40

Those all look E uropean, which is great for them.. not so applicable to the US.

I would have a hard time fitting in them, also, at 6'2" tall.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Stef Schrader
09/14/2020 at 12:46

I have seen those, and while technically interesting... it almost misses the point, by weighing down the X3 with an automotive body for off-road work , and while street legal, it doesn’t necessarily make it street-freindly... as a roll-tolerant off-road chassis, with added weight, especially at the roofline, on grippier pavement makes for a car that begs to roll-over.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Tekamul
09/14/2020 at 12:52

I have owned motorcycles before, and conceptually would love a Ducati Diavel 1260S...

But where I live, it was 90+ degrees from June until the first week in september, and it will be below freezing between november and m arch.

Plus deer come out of NOWHERE... bad pavement, frequently changing weather, and many inattentive other drivers... a motorcycle is accident prone on it’s own, without adding all those external factors in... and I hear many other long-time motorcyclists who hang it up in terms of street riding, because of how dangerous the road surfaces, and especially traffic is.

At least a UTV has a roll cage and sits on more than two contact points... and one can drive it with a helmet, but without necessarily wearing a form-fitted leather sauna.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/14/2020 at 12:53

Nowhere near mainstream, in terms of cost, and I don’t think they are being produced anymore.

But they were very cool... and for some reason 2WD only...

A scaled down body like that on a turbo Sport UTV would be quite interesting.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > BigBlock440
09/14/2020 at 13:01

Have you seen how much an Atom costs? Like $ 95-100K+

Or even the cost of turning a Miata into an Exocet?

An Ariel Nomad is wicked, too, but both Atom and Nomad are a LOT of money for a lot of performance, but not much else.

The big thing about going minimalist, is for it to be LESS EXPENSIVE, so that it is affordable on a budget that includes regular cars, and other household budget items... not having to get rich first...

If I were able to afford an Ariel, why would I not get a 718 Spyder or GT4 that I can drive anywhere any-time?

$ 95 grand would build one helluva Maverick X3 or RZR XP 1000 Pro, that would be off-road race-series spec... plus turn signals and such to be street legal in states that allow it.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Just Jeepin'
09/14/2020 at 13:12

While I am sure a very good vehicle... I am also quite sure it is not as nimble as a sport UTV, nowhere near as light-weight, and actually, probably 4-5x the weight of a UTV, and very far from affordable at 30 grand or less.

while powerful and utilitarian, and probably quite capable off-road, it probably is not as much of a speed machine, on or off the pavement.

UTVs are capable of some pretty insane things...

BTW, I highly recommend the SxSBlog.com youtube channel, if you like UTVs or off-roading. I know little about those topics, but have been highly entertained, and am starting to learn some things.

Jb boin > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 13:25

Then you just have to remove the roof :)

Stef Schrader > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 13:39

Oh, it definitely looks sketchy.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
09/14/2020 at 16:05

This might be fun... A Myers Manx Kickout SS roadster, with a conversion to use a liquid-cooled turbo UTV engine.

Kinja'd!!!

The Yamaha YXZ 1000 turbocharged longitudinal Inline 3 with a sequential gearbox, either manual, or newly automated versions... or even AWD...

Kinja'd!!!

Somehow the Manx looks narrower in the cabin than a UTV...