Looking for a track day car

T

The ChevsterC10

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61
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0V6
Hi all,
Am new on here so thought I would say hello. My daily driver is a 3.0 S-type Jag, I'm currently restoring/customising a 1979 Chevy C10 pick up. Am looking to build a track day car once the chevy is finished, anyone got any thoughts on what would be a good, cheap track day car and what mods I should look to do to it to enjoy it to the max ?????
 
Something like a Pug 205 would be ideal. Very commonly made into track day cars so parts are easily accessable and cheap compared to some others.
 
Thanks, thats the kind of thing I was thinking of. I did consider thr Ford range from Fiestas to Mondeos, any thoughts on those anyone ?
 
I'm not the biggest Ford fan, and 205's or indeed any car of that age arn't immune to rust...but the older Fords come with rust from the factory :lol: Then again, that's not a problem if you're handy with a welder.

They're all the same kettle of fish really these cheap old trackday hatchbacks tbh mate. Just go for one of the sporty models (XR2i, 205 GTI, Mk1/2 Golf GTI etc etc) and chose the one you like the most!

Strip it, stitch weld, cage it, coilovers, decent tyres and a few breathing mods will turn any of the above mentioned into nice little trackday burners.
 
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Thanks, that helps a lot. Now all I have to do is finish the Chevy so the wife will let me buy and build the track car !!!!:bigsmile:
 
Hello mate Welcome to Torque Cars.
And how about a P11 Nissan Primera? They are awesome handling cars as standard. A few mods could make this even better. Get a 2 litre 16v and you'll have a proper track toy.
 
Hi and welcome. I'd go with a RWD car for track days. What about doing a MK1 escort with a Cosworth engine in it?

An Mi16 powered 205 is a bit of a stormer.
 
Thanks guys, theres a lot of useful stuff there. I am looking for a cheap base car that is fairly quick as standard so the Xr, gti type car is what I'm looking at. Having spent the last 2 years restoring the chevy pick up I have to say I'm getting to be a bit of a dab hand with the mig welder :bigsmile: so rust isn't really a problem. I want to build something I can drive to the track, have a good days fun and then drive home. Is that realistic ?
 
The ChevsterC10 said:
Thanks guys, theres a lot of useful stuff there. I am looking for a cheap base car that is fairly quick as standard so the Xr, gti type car is what I'm looking at. Having spent the last 2 years restoring the chevy pick up I have to say I'm getting to be a bit of a dab hand with the mig welder :bigsmile: so rust isn't really a problem. I want to build something I can drive to the track, have a good days fun and then drive home. Is that realistic ?
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Don't overlook a P11 Primera. The 2 litre comes with Nissan's SR20 engine which is virtually indestructable. They handle amazingly as well. Will easily out perform an XR2 or 205 Gti round a track. And you'll be able to drive it home after a good thrashing with no problems. They are very cheap to come by these days as well.
 
The ChevsterC10 said:
I'm getting to be a bit of a dab hand with the mig welder :bigsmile: so rust isn't really a problem. I want to build something I can drive to the track, have a good days fun and then drive home. Is that realistic ?
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Once you get handy with a MIG, it opens so many doors with regards to cars! That's very easily achievable even on a tight budget (I'm not saying you have, you might have £20k to spend, I don't know!) and many people do it. I'll be doing the same with my project car, and many people do it with bog standard road cars. But cars are pushed to the limit on track, so you have to be prepared for this if you're wanting to drive it home from the event afterwards! :lol:
 
Im a 100% RWD turbo guy myself.

But for a starting track car you really cant go wrong with a Civic or a CRX. Such good track cars. Was at japfest at the weekend and a couple of tuned civics and crxs did really well on the track when racing GTR's and 200sx's. Total advantage of being able to floor it around corners when the bigger rwd cars have to back off or spin out.
 
What you look for will be dictated by your budget. I will be biased and say an MG ZS180 as it can be bought for silly money and has probably the best fwd chassis around. I do many track days with mine and have yet to do all the mods I want and it still out performs more expensive cars.

With the ZS all you will need is to improve the breathing and remap it to get an easy 200bhp, then focus on coilovers, Quaife ATB and perhaps 4 pots if you like to be heavy on the anchors. There are a few out there around the 700-950kg mark running around 210bhp with 270 cams and are very quick around the track, the handling is exceptional. Try one.

Parts are readily available, not too expensive and easy to work on.

There is one guy who has gone one further and had the Audi 1.8T put in running 300bhp and is road legal, the latest Evo got mullered by this fwd Rover! :lol:

I followed an E36 M3 a few weeks back and he could not pull away, he must have had around 80bhp on me but the chassis and weight made up for it.
 
stamford said:
What you look for will be dictated by your budget. I will be biased and say an MG ZS180 as it can be bought for silly money and has probably the best fwd chassis around.


I followed an E36 M3 a few weeks back and he could not pull away, he must have had around 80bhp on me but the chassis and weight made up for it.
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:blink: The best? Not even close, Integra and EK9 are better for a start.

And E36's arn't very fast, I'll be chasing E46 M3's when I'm finished ;)

As for Civics and CRX's, they're alright but a bit boring like, personally I'd rather have something a bit different, like a Mk1 Golf of something.
 
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