When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I need some advice on when a dedicated track car makes sense. I have 991.1 GT3 that I currently track 2-3 times per year and would like to increase this to 5-6 times a year. If I am going to do this, I need to make safety upgrades as well as upgrades to the brakes to replace the PCCB's. Looking around, you can find a GT4 Clubsport for 110 to 130k that has a full cage and dedicated track parts. The only real negative is losing the sound of the GT3 engine at 9k rpm. I also have a 981 Cayman GTS manual that I love to drive on the street. I don't need 3 cars so if I buy a dedicated track car, one of other 2 will go in as trade or will be sold.
Would love to hear from those that have gone down this path and if you have any regrets or some insight on what would make sense to you. Thanks!
In the last 5 years I started tracking a street Cabriolet, then a street 911 4S, then a Cayman R, then a 944 race car, then a Boxster S F Class race car then I had some financial troubles and had to sell everything and just as quickly recovered and just recently I was able to find the bargain of a century, a 2006 Cayman S GTB1 car actually built by an old student and friend (my avatar).
When does a dedicated track car make sense? Answer: When you want a dedicated track car it means you NEED a dedicated track car for safety at a minimum, but really more for increased fun
Sounds like you are fortunate to have sufficient financial resources to keep both your street cars that you enjoy AND a dedicated track car. With that in mind my thought is keep the GT3 'cuz you know you love it, and buy Rick's car. (Sorry Todd ) The GT4's will be there if and when you want to upgrade, but for the moment all that cheddar you saved will go for the ton of "extras" you'll be buying in the near future.
Whatever you decide, I hope you'll keep us posted with plenty of photos.
If you dont mind me asking what does it cost to run this car and a clubsport for a track day weekend (not racing).
I recently sold my street car and have been contemplating going with a full track car, coming from a race car (SpecRacerFordGen3) i feel i wouldnt feel safe in nothing but a fully caged race car. The only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is the amount of days i will be doing, if you are only doing 5-6 days a year does it make sense to have that sitting around the rest of the year.
I don't know the cost of running a Club Sport (never had the pleasure😀, but mine seemed pretty reasonable. Tire cost is a significant variable - if you are using R compounds, Hoosiers are about $550/day (4 runs/day, swap out after 16 runs), Hankooks equally good performance and longevity more like $400/day. Non-R compounds cost less.
Brake pads (Pagids) are pricey ($700/set) but last a good 20 days (I'm pretty gentle on my brakes). Change out the oil and filter once a year at your 5-6 days maybe $30/day.
Routine maintenance is hard to predict, as I was doing around 20 DE days, but would spend maybe $3k/year, but that is wear related so you might not need as much done (for example, rear axles, rotors, shocks, etc. are based on usage, as are brake pads).
We maintained the car at a very high level (pro race shop) and I found the expenses pretty reasonable (if you could ever claim track expenses reasonable😀.
A raced car (compared with a race car that 'only' does DEs) is a lot more expensive to run, as most are pretty worn out by the time they come on the market (which is why we built mine). I wasn't competing and asking the car for every last rpm and Gs.
My approach was to build a race car, maintain it to high standards, get high safety and performance but not beat the crap out of the car, and enjoy the fun but keep it affordable.
Worked great for me, and the car is pretty much as nice as when Spencer and Bryan built her for me.
Hate see her go, but time for me to move on.
Feel free to pm me if you'd like to chat, or call Bryan Shute at SST, who built and maintained the car.
Hope this helps; you are on the right track.
Enjoying my 2019 718 GT4 CS. Easy to maintain, well integrated and quick...plus it has A/C! I added an AIM Solo DL2 and Smarty Cam and have all the data channels available. Tires are the biggest expense, I am going 10 or so cycles and moving to another set. I am sure I could go more. I tried race gas and Ingles 93 pump gas...no difference.
Once you drive a fully prepped race car, you will be hooked. A completely different experience. But the biggest thing is the feeling of safety. Between the full roll cage, the racing seat, 6 point harnesses and HANS device, your level of protection is greatly enhanced. Even when I do track days, I now wear my fire suit. I feel much more at ease to push the car.
I am not sure I would still feel at ease pushing hard in a fast street car with just regular belts and a helmet.
As Frank mentioned, a factory-built race car is even one notch better, but a lot of money for 5-6 DEs per year. If you buy a race car (or any car for that matter) definitely get a PPI done by an expert in that type of vehicle. Not everyone out there is honest about the true history of these cars.
Rick's car (above) is in beautiful shape and has not been beaten to death, and has been used for track days and not racing. I am not familiar with Luigi's.
Once you drive a fully prepped race car, you will be hooked. A completely different experience. But the biggest thing is the feeling of safety. Between the full roll cage, the racing seat, 6 point harnesses and HANS device, your level of protection is greatly enhanced. Even when I do track days, I now wear my fire suit. I feel much more at ease to push the car.
I am not sure I would still feel at ease pushing hard in a fast street car with just regular belts and a helmet.
As Frank mentioned, a factory-built race car is even one notch better, but a lot of money for 5-6 DEs per year. If you buy a race car (or any car for that matter) definitely get a PPI done by an expert in that type of vehicle. Not everyone out there is honest about the true history of these cars.
Rick's car (above) is in beautiful shape and has not been beaten to death, and has been used for track days and not racing. I am not familiar with Luigi's.
Good luck with your deliberations.
Thank you, Tim - when I went looking for a lightly-used Cayman race car, they were nowhere to be found, which is why we built this one.
Yes, I am a very lucky guy, have a very understanding wife, and knew just what I wanted.
Personally I don’t think how many days you drive matters at all in the equation. Factory race cars are great, regardless if you drive 1 or 50 days a year. Get something you enjoy. Factory race cars are better if you want to “set it and forget it.” A converted street car is good if you like to tinker. Both have a purpose.
Personally I don’t think how many days you drive matters at all in the equation. Factory race cars are great, regardless if you drive 1 or 50 days a year. Get something you enjoy. Factory race cars are better if you want to “set it and forget it.” A converted street car is good if you like to tinker. Both have a purpose.
Not sure if I agree with the 'converted street car' observation.
Plenty of tinkering to do on both if you like, none needed on either (assuming a pro build like mine) unless you want.
I do think you might not want to tinker with a factory-built car (preserve originality), which might be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on perspective.
Not sure if I agree with the 'converted street car' observation.
Plenty of tinkering to do on both if you like, none needed on either (assuming a pro build like mine) unless you want.
I do think you might not want to tinker with a factory-built car (preserve originality), which might be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on perspective.
You cant really tinker on a factory race car, at least if you want to maintain it to be legal for a race class. Converted street car classes, like GTB1, you can tinker all day long as their rules are typically more open.
Btw, interesting to note that it also depends on if you want to race. The B1 class is already huge, where GTD1 is still developing. As the clubsport age, you will see more of them I suspect
GTB1 (for converted street cars like Rick's) - 21 cars
GTD1 (for 981 Clubsports) - 5 cars
GTC4 (997 cups) - 4 cars
GTC3 (996 cups) - 1 car
Converting a street car to a track car always costs way more than you think it's going to. Buying someone else's used race car is always a much better value if you have a mechanic to check that it is in good working order. The lighter weight and stiffer chassis makes a world of difference in how the car feels. Although it isn't cheap a GT4 clubsport is an awesome ride for DE, TT or racing.
I am in a similar boat to several of the posters as well as the original poster -
Some of the folks suggested safety as the main issue. While neither of my cars has a full cage, I have a full harness bar and rollover protection in both cars as well as 6 point harness and HANS (and quick release fire extinguisher). I do agree that that is kind of the minimum bar. I just keep hearing that a race car is a totally different experience. I have never tried it - maybe I don't quite get it so I'm really curious what is the different experience. Can someone put into words what the different experience "is"?
My two track cars:
- 991.2 GT3
- Lotus Exige S260
The Lotus is pretty hard core and way more a track car than a street car. Drives like a grown up go kart. I always equate the GT3 to something like the Lotus that went to finishing school (with 2x the power!). Never driven a Cayman or CS. I have heard good things about them but diving into the full track car only experience feels daunting to me. I did decide though that if I do do it, I wouldn't trailer a car to the track. I just don't want to deal with the hassle. Solution: rent a garage at the track and they have on-site maintenance (or worst case I get it trailered to a shop to maintain it).
12-18-2020, 07:56 PM
) The GT4's will be there if and when you want to upgrade, but for the moment all that cheddar you saved will go for the ton of "extras" you'll be buying in the near future.
, but mine seemed pretty reasonable. Tire cost is a significant variable - if you are using R compounds, Hoosiers are about $550/day (4 runs/day, swap out after 16 runs), Hankooks equally good performance and longevity more like $400/day. Non-R compounds cost less.
