Thursday 15th November 2012

PH Blog: race cars for the road

It should be the pinnacle of all PHness but is a 'race car for the road' really what you want? Dan's not sure

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I was going to run this Porsche 962 currently for sale at Specialist Cars of Malton as a Spotted, or maybe even a You Know You Want To. And then I started thinking, actually, maybe I wouldn't want to.

Now that IS a race car for the road

No mistake, it is a very, very cool thing. And with its racecar style bodywork at least a lot easier on the eye than some of the 962 roadcars that sneaked out of the paddock and onto the street in the 80s courtesy of Koenig, Schuppan and others. The carbon body looks beautifully finished and there's no doubt it'll be fast as fu ... ry. 580hp and 950kg are favourable numbers by any stretch.

'Race car for the road' is up there in the book of motoring hack's clichés with 'corners on rails', 'stump pulling torque' and the rest. But, like the other metaphors, it's not meant to be taken literally.

A real 962, like the one Harris drove recently, is a racing car and, with the right provenance like the one he had a go with, rightfully worth millions. A car like that 993 GT2 discussed last week is crazy money at £324K but as a rarity with exclusivity and clear desirability on its side almost understandable.

But even with the Derek Bell connection and no doubt a stunning, raw experience at the wheel I worry if this suffers from being neither one thing nor the other. And once over the novelty of taking it to the shops - Rothmans livery or not - would it actually be much fun to drive? I have a nasty feeling it wouldn't be but each to their own.

Stunningly realised but would you really?

This flatnose 935 up for auction later in the month, built from a 1973 donor car in 1997 and fitted with a genuine 935 engine, is a similar story. Elements of it have real provenance. Maybe I'm being a snob but at the same time it's neither a nice, original 70s 911 nor a proper 935 racing car.

Road going Group B cars would appear to be a similar story. I remember reading contemporary reports of driving these things with clammy palmed excitement back in the day. Only to feel a sense of utter betrayal when the apparent reality of driving a detuned competition car with a scrap of carpet and a misplaced radio you couldn't hear anyway failed to live up to the flame-spitting, mud flinging monsters that transfixed this impressionable petrolhead back in the 80s.

There are cases where the formula has worked

And that's just it. We're talking barely civilised versions of the most focused competition cars from an era of extremes of power and speed. I can't imagine a turbocharged F1 car from the same period would be any fun on the road either, speed bump friendly ride height or not.

Maybe I just need to MTFU and embrace the lunacy but when you look at some of the classic road cars true homologation specials have resulted in I think I'll take my 'race car for the road' just a little more on the civilised side. This'd be my choice. What's yours?

Dan

 

[Mark Benson]

I can't imagine anything worse than my racecar on the road for 99% of the driving I do, and I only have 200bhp.

Suspension is totally inappropriate for any surface other than smooth circuit, you could rework it for the road, but you'd still have a noisy, temperamental, leaky car with difficult access (just like my Exige used to be, hmm......).

Maybe I'm just getting old.

Edited by Mark Benson on Thursday 15th November 09:12

[blackchrome917]

Mark Benson said:

I can't imagine anything worse than my racecar on the road for 99% of the driving I do.

Agreed, just imagine trying to get the hedge clippings in to take to the tip.

[kambites]

I can't think of anything much less pleasant than driving a car that's been set up for circuit racing on a typical public road.

[VladD]

I think I'd have to go for a 22B.

[blackchrome917]

Also, even if you were doing 70 on the motorway, you'd get stopped (assuming there were any traffic police left).

On a Scottish A road you might be ok, except I doubt the ground clearance would be that great.

In fact, a perfect example of why fast BMWs, Audis, and GTis are so popular

[mat777]

kambites said:

I can't think of anything much less pleasant than driving a car that's been set up for circuit racing on a typical public road.

If would only be fun for a very short journey. See: James May, Aston N24, South of France

[robinessex]

Cars like this are toys, or maybe a collectors piece. You maybe able to take them on the road for the occasional blast, or potter off to the nearest track day. Not to be taken seriously, just owned and enjoyed for what they are. I must say I'm glad there are those who buy, keep and enjoy old historic racing cars though. Would hate to seem them disappear.

[DanielSan]

A race car on the road? Hmmmm....

I think it would be fun purely if you took it for the odd short blast or drove it too and from a track day. To use it as a more day to day car or for longer journeys it'd be hell, but you would be seen as a legend by a lot of people on your journey

[The Eye]

You think they're good? How about this road legal beauty. It has a daylight MOT and with modern Merc underpinnings it's reliable too!

[Bolltrollox]

I agree that 99% of the time it would be rubbish, but if you wanted a car that was fine in 100% of the time we would all be driving a Range Rover and the world would be very boring, I think the 99% of the time when its rubbish makes the 1% when its flat out amazing even better.

Edited by Bolltrollox on Thursday 15th November 09:41

[kambites]

mat777 said:

kambites said:

I can't think of anything much less pleasant than driving a car that's been set up for circuit racing on a typical public road.

If would only be fun for a very short journey. See: James May, Aston N24, South of France

True, but that was at the comfortable end of the racing car spectrum and on extremely good roads.

There is very little in common between a good racing car and a good road-going sports car, in my experience.

[ukaskew]

I think it's just more of a case that it's brilliant/mad/bonkers that somebody even decided to road-register these things. To take a car built purely for the track and get it through the process where the UK government will legally allow you to drive it on the public highway is something we should celebrate (and cling onto). Looking at it logically, everything tells you that car should never be on a public highway, yet it is/can be, and even if it only sees a public road to arrive at occasional events, it's worth it, in my opinion.

It's kind of like the Clio V6, pointless, impractical, bonkers, expensive, but the world is a much better place for it.

[Captain Muppet]

I've driven several race cars on the road.

How good an idea it is depends hugely on the race car. Although I've not driven any that weren't significantly nicer that riding a motorbike in the rain.

[GFWilliams]

Well I'd love to take the 962 to Le Mans. If I were to win the lottery I'd be visiting Mark!

[stephen300o]

A nightmare to drive on roads, also people look 'less than cool' amongst normal cars.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

^^^thats not a road going 962.

this is a road going 962



Picture taken last weekend

[GFWilliams]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

^^^thats not a road going 962.

Yes it is...

[markmullen]

GFWilliams said:

Well I'd love to take the 962 to Le Mans. If I were to win the lottery I'd be visiting Mark!

It'd be a bit dearer for you, Nikon user tax

I've been in a Carrera GT with the 962 following me and two things occurred, 1, how normal the CGT seemed all of a sudden and 2, how fantastic it was to see the 962 snaking through traffic behind me.

[Frank Furter]

I used to drive my old M3 track car (fully stripped, big cage etc) on the road occasionally.

The initial excitement of clambering through the door bar and into the bucket seat, then fastening the 6 point harness was great. However, that very soon wore off as soon as even the slightest bit of traffic was encountered. Hot, loud and uncomfortable springs to mind.

I drove it to the Ring several times, always arriving after 6+ hours in it grumpy, very tired and stiff and a little bit stir crazy.

Not for me.

[GFWilliams]

markmullen said:

GFWilliams said:

Well I'd love to take the 962 to Le Mans. If I were to win the lottery I'd be visiting Mark!

It'd be a bit dearer for you, Nikon user tax

I've been in a Carrera GT with the 962 following me and two things occurred, 1, how normal the CGT seemed all of a sudden and 2, how fantastic it was to see the 962 snaking through traffic behind me.

I know you'd be glad to see it sold though

If you ever fancy getting it out for a shoot I'd love to shoot it again, but properly this time