Track fun car

[Porkie1664]

Hi all
Looking for a bit of advice, I'm looking to buy a daily commuter/track car (probably 3 or 4 track-day's per annum).
What should I go for S2 or Turbo? does it make that much of a difference.
Looking to spend approx 4-5K on a car, hopefully one already prepared.
any other tip bits, before I take the plung would be greatfully appreciated.

 

[Diver944]

£5k should get you a good S2 or an average Turbo, and for only 3-4 track days a year the only preparation would be regular pads/disk and brake fluid and maybe a fresh set of shocks if yours are more than a few years old.

A properly prepared track car (that you can still drive on the road) could be a whole lot more - lightweight panels, semi stripped interior, cage, bucket seats, track suspension etc

After that the only choice is if you wanted to keep the engine standard or not. If you do then get an S2, if you fancied an extra 50bhp then get a Turbo and spend a £1000 on mods

 

[edh]

For your budget I would look at an S2 and refresh the suspension

by "already prepared" what do you mean exactly? -are you thinking of something more along the lines that paul has described? Once it gets stripped & caged it's not really a daily commuter car any more.

 

[u63af]

Although the turbo is far superior ( []) The s2 would be good. There is a track prepped one on ebay at the moment was at £3.5 k last time I looked. It is red aswell so will be faster.

 

[u63af]

Forgot to say I am in the middle of track prepping my 1990 turbo. It costs a lot of money. If i was doing it again I would buy a car that already was prepared.

 

[edh]

here's the ebay one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Porsche-944-S2-track-car-Built-by-Brooklands-motor-sp_W0QQitemZ190365951631

Cat C - be interesting to know why.....

Could possibly be a good buy - there's been plenty of work done on it. Front brake calipers look like they are larger than std S2's?

not a daily driver though.

 

[Porkie1664]

I'd probably be looking at car semi modified, suspension upgraded, lightened by way of stripped interior but retain the carpet, buckets, either half cage or full cage but without the door bars (so I can still get in/out of the car with some diginity). Engine wish nothing to serious (chipped). Is this a big wish list?
I've seen the track prep'd car on evil bay, looks a bit to extreme for what I want to use the car for.
There's one on autotrader (Turbo) but the paintwork and general condition looks a bit iffy.
otherwise I'd go the route of buying a standard road car and get the work do myself, but as everyone on the forum have said previously this seems the more costly option.

This maybe my answer?

http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/1202149.htm

Decessions decessions

 

[Porkie1664]

I can see me getting in and out of that with some dignity

 

[edh]

the grey turbo is a standard car - but cheap for a 250. I'd budget 2k at the very least to fettle it for track use.

 

[u63af]

I started out with similar intentions to yourself. I had a really clean 250 turbo with immaculate white leather sports interior. Started of thinking about semi track prepping it. Once you get started, you get addicted to losing weight. I am now even considering polycarb windows and fibreglass front end. This is for a road car that will be tracked maybe 3 times per year.

 

[zcacogp]

OK. Someone's posted a thread asking which is better - the S2 or the Turbo. My keyboard just started flashing and I needed to chip in ...

The S2 is miles better than the turbo.

There. Job done. []

Or, more helpfully, not being a track chap myself I don't have a hands-on idea of what is good and what isn't. BUT, if balls-to-the-wall power is your thing, buy a turbo and spend some money on it. They can produce much more power than an S2, but getting that power out will cost money. If, alternatively, you are after handling delicacy and seat-of-the-pants feel then either car can produce that, and the S2 has a much more progressive power delivery which may be your thing.


Oli.

 

[supersport]

ORIGINAL: Porkie1664


This maybe my answer?

http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/1202149.htm

Decessions decessions 

  

Do the turbos not have the PORSCHE script above the bumper, it is missing on this car.

 

[MarkK]

Its missing,should have one.

 

[dixhuit]

Think all the 44's had the script on the rear but its only a transfer
I started with a 944 '86 which had been re-engined with a Blueprinted S2 3.0litre built by Protech. Car only cost me £1850 but to get it prepared for the track with all the mods and upgrades Seats/Harnesses/wheels/tyres/Adjustable Shocks/ uprated calipers/and loads of other mechanical mods cost another £5,500. But its sensationally quick and handles like a dream. Still need a respray and I will fit a cage when we finally get this recession over with. But I have not changed the panels however get rid of the rear seat back and rear Carpet and soundprrofing and you can loose almost 50kg (strange looks from the good lady when I weighed
all the removed parts on our bathroom scales !)
But if I was going to buy a standard 944 of any model and had a small budget it would be spent on Tyres and Brakes. One keeps you on the track and the other stops you. Thats where all the punishment happens and can save your skin. If you break down you dont crash. But if you cant stop .......................
Simon

 

[Peter Empson]

Agree with all of the above, even a Lux with good brake pads/fluid, uprated anti roll bars and tyres (that's probably an extra grand spent in that one sentence []) can be hugely rewarding on track, so try a few cars and see what suits you on the road as that's where you'll be spending most of your time (I guess you're already used to either an S2 or turbo given you've owned a cab previously).

I have daily driven a stripped out 944 for quite a few years (albeit with a little carpet in to keep the noise levels down) and enjoyed every moment, so it is possible, but it could be a bit too much for many people.

I've had a lot of fun tailoring my car to my tastes, each step has been worthwhile but I can't deny that buying a car that someone else has already modified would be far cheaper.

Just a thought, you don't mention how much track time you've had but I'll risk upsetting some by saying that most people who start with relatively powerful track cars (and I'm not including any 944 owners I know in this in this sweeping generalisation) tend to use the cars power in a straight line at the expense of cornering and braking and that's really only half the fun. If you start with something relatively underpowered I feel it encourages you to concentrate on those areas and they're the critical ones for being fast around most circuits.

 

[dixhuit]

Yes
Forgot my M030 roll bars a la 968 which I fitted and still available (my OPC had
3 sets before my purchase)!

 

[Porkie1664]

Thanks for all your input guy's, I'm now sold on the S2 route.
My cab was an S2 and I loved her, I thought something a bit different initially.
But as the budget is the prevailing factor here, its the sensible way forward.
Time to start scrolling thru the classified ads and ebay

lies.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I'd come at this a different way, although Peter touched on it.

A decent S2 will easily use up your budget, particularly if you allow at least £1K of it for the first year's running costs. That'll give you a car that, bar chipping and a decat, is at it's most potent unless you supercharge it. Probably with, currently, a little over 200 BHP if it's in good fettle. To that, you will want to add decent suspension, upgrade the brakes, possible a set of track wheels and tyres, lighten it, add a cage, etc. You're now way over budget, by £000s. For that you could have bought a turbo, probably one of the really sorted track/road cars like Andrew Sweetenham's recent sale, or RPM's turbo sold last year, with 300BHP and more to come. I can't see how you'll do it unless you buy a cheap S2, which will need money spending on it anyway. Catch 22.

Why not buy a Lux? A really good one will eat up half your budget, and will be arguably more fun on track once you've spent the balance of the budget on it. You'll easily create a car that'll lap faster for £5K if you start with a Lux, I'd have thought, and they really are no slower in real driving conditions on British roads.

Or, save up another few £000 and buy a prepared turbo. That'll give you a very capable track car with half-decent road manners in a way that's been tried and tested to destruction by many owners. It's the only sensible way to do it on a budget IMO

 

[Neil Haughey]

Paul is right, a lux makes a lot of sense. The low power means lower top speed on the track which in turn means less brake wear, tyre wear and cheaper components. The car will already be much lighter so again lower costs all round from there. This is why lotus 7 type cars, little Ginettas, the Elise, MX-5's etc. all make such good tracks cars as low weight + low power = low running costs, and the lower the weight then hopefully still pretty quick.

Just remember as with racing its the running costs that can prove killer. I remember Fen calculated that on a per track day his cost was around £500 per event (I reckon my S2 about the same maybe a touch less), over on PH it was said by those in the know that a GT3 will cost about £1K per day. Something small and light will go all year (even racing a whole season) on one set of tyres and brakes, then your into the £300 to £400 territory. Added up over even only maybe half dozen events a year its a lot of money, and over several years is really a lot of money. You also have the advantage that the less powerful cars put far less stress on the engine and transmission. Something worth thinking about if you don't want to be stung for several K engine rebuilds etc.

 

[Peter Empson]

ORIGINAL: Neil Haughey
I remember Fen calculated that on a per track day his cost was around £500 per event (I reckon my S2 about the same maybe a touch less

Nah nah nah nah I'm not listening...
There are some things in life best not calculated (like adding up garage receipts).