Track day car

[Varn]

Some might remember me posting about this a while ago!

In about 2 weeks im going to be buying and track car and then prepping it with:

Full cage.
Upgraded brakes.
Bucket seats.

Either using a mk1 eunos 1.8 or a mk1 mr2 N/A.

I have a cousin ready to sell me her eunos 1.8 for £2000 (st paintwork (which i dont car about) but 60,000 miles and nothing wrong mechanically.

Or do I got for a mk1 Mr2? Preferably id like to train on a mid engined car so that im more familiar with the layout so i can progress onto something like a Westfield XTR2 or similar in 5-10 years. Or do i worry about that then?

I want to keep it as cheap to buy and run as possible!

Ive done as much research as I can, but need help making a decision -
which do I go for guys?

Where do i look for the cage/seats/brakes?

Edited by Varn on Monday 31st March 12:09

[Tim.C]

Hi

I'd stick with the MX-5.

Try Andrew Stott on www.autolinkuk.co.uk

He imports the Eunos and quite often takes cages and seats out to put them back to stock. The cage should fit under the hood too, unlike the one used in the MaX5 race series which doesn't.

HTH

TC

[System-G]

We have a dedicated MK1 MR2 N/A as a track/sprint car which we were lucky enough to pick up for nothing (paid £60 for what was left remaining on road tax). Swap all the running gear and stopping from our old (dead MR2).

It's 22 years old now and stripped out wih harnesses etc... and really good fun to drive in both wet & dry conditions.
So far we have spent £350 on it since getting it which included some welding, an MOT, seat, harnesess & a full service.

We recently drove it to Spa, did 340 miles on track in the two days and drove back with no issues at all.

We are in the process of re-spraying and fitting a partial cage from an ex0-race car. We will also be lightening further by de-skinning panels etc...

I can't rate them high enough.

I have never driven an MX5 in anger on track so can't vouch for them. But there are a lot of good reports about them.

[Nurburgsingh]

My brother has just sold his track preped MX5, IIRC it was all modified for him by a garage in reading called 'maybank' they race lots of old MG types but one of the guys there was involvedin MX5 racing as well.
The cage did fit under the hood.

[XTR2steve]

No production road car will prepare you for an xtr2, inc. GT3 RS, Exige, 355 F1, all the M's, etc. I was just grateful of my 10 years motorcycle experience, even after I had stalled it over half a dozen times trying to move away on my first outing. It freaked me out so much, I decided to use it on the road for several months just to get the 'hang' of it. Five track days later ...... once you've found the limits, you won't believe how easy it is to play with at that limit. I'm sure it's a personal issue for some, but once you've adjusted your driving style, mid-engine configuration rewards keen drivers the most. No weight on driven wheels is always going to suck in wet conditions.

LMAO, kool name Nurburg....

Edited by XTR2steve on Monday 31st March 22:20

[Varn]

Thanks for the posts guys!

Ok so forgetting my idea of training for the XTR/Radical/whatever, which do i go for?

Ive found that the mk1 MR2s are about half the price of 1.8 eunos.

But will I spend more money sorting out rust issues with a MR2?

[chris7676]

It's more difficult to find a good MR2 MK1 than a MX5 MK1, but you may get one that's already sorted for less money - if you are lucky. Make sure suspension has been renewed (shocks, springs, bushes) and brakes are good.
Try both cars anyway.

[Varn]

So assuming im going for a MR2, do i get one cheaply and then repair it via garages (not myself unless its very simple)? Or go for say a £2k one thats already sorted?

Im not bothered at all by seat/interior quality.

[chris7676]

It's always cheaper to get a car that has been already sorted. You may get a really good one (mechanically & bodywork) for £1500 or less, though they dont appear that often. One more thing, I would avoid all those low mileage expensive collector's cars, you want car that has been driven regularly & properly and sorted, not a museum item.

Edited by chris7676 on Tuesday 1st April 13:31

[Varn]

Does it matter if they have rusted arches?

On a track am I going to notice the difference between a normal roof compared to a t-bar/sunroof?


Any of these worth having a look at?

http://www.danielcurnock.co.uk/forsale/view_pd.php... £1850

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/437795.htm

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/383335.htm

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/360369.htm

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/436836.htm


Thanks guys - im a little out of my knowledge depth here!

[chris7676]

For track, find one with the suspension bits replaced (preferably lowererd/koni kit, and bushes). Otherwise add £1000+ for parts & labour. I saw one SC in pistonheads classified quite recently, looked interesting, sorted (at least from the description) and has more power, I think it was for £1700.

[System-G]

Varn said:

Does it matter if they have rusted arches?

On a track am I going to notice the difference between a normal roof compared to a t-bar/sunroof?


Any of these worth having a look at?

http://www.danielcurnock.co.uk/forsale/view_pd.php... £1850

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/437795.htm

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/383335.htm

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/360369.htm

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/436836.htm


Thanks guys - im a little out of my knowledge depth here!

Rear arches can be done fairly easily using Datsun cherry N13 or Volvo 340 arch sections (rather than the club recommended CDG panels = ££&#163. It's recommended replacing all the metal with new though.
Some bodyshops will fabricate FG sections for not much too.
Rusty arches won't fail an MOT as long as there are no jaggered edges that could hurt someone.

The sunroof (or moonroof as Toyota called it) models are lighter than the T-Bar models. And the Tin-tops are even lighter, but are like rocking horse poo.

The SC listed on PH I think has since been sold through ebay. A good and knowledgeable friend went to view it on the weekend and walked away - it wasn't as pretty as advertised and needed a fair bit of work which would mount up to buying an original SC.
I hope the ebay bidder viewed the car before bidding or had a full breakdown of the issues or what was required to get it to a suitable standard.
A fair price for that car would have been around the £1k mark

As said above, the MK1 MX5's won't be as rusty. This is the major issue with the MR2's, but as long as the underside (sills) and the pillars are solid, it should be fine.

Edited by System-G on Tuesday 1st April 17:19

[smckeown]

dont just look at the cars in order to make the right choice. Also think about things like which car has been raced the most in this country, and therefore has a better (current) supply of uprated / motorsport parts. Then there's the community. Which is more popular for track work and has better communities for advice and people that have dione it all before.

The 205/309 in these respects is fantastic.

Also thinking which is a better track car, look which is a better track priented car in the first place, i/.e which one has independent suspension etc. I.e. easier/cheaper to upgrade.

Just from my limited knowledge, I hear more people rave about the mx5 handling than the mk1 mr2. But I also hear the mx5's are unexpectantly heavy for their size and under powered ? worth looking into...

[Varn]

smckeown said:

dont just look at the cars in order to make the right choice. Also think about things like which car has been raced the most in this country, and therefore has a better (current) supply of uprated / motorsport parts. Then there's the community. Which is more popular for track work and has better communities for advice and people that have dione it all before.

The 205/309 in these respects is fantastic.

Also thinking which is a better track car, look which is a better track priented car in the first place, i/.e which one has independent suspension etc. I.e. easier/cheaper to upgrade.

Just from my limited knowledge, I hear more people rave about the mx5 handling than the mk1 mr2. But I also hear the mx5's are unexpectantly heavy for their size and under powered ? worth looking into...

The reason I have chosen to compare the mk1 mr2 and the mk1 mk5 is because they are cheap to maintain compared to other options - i just cant decide between them.

Sorry but im not interested in 205/309 as they are front wheel drive.

I doubt ill be looking to upgrade anything apart from the brakes.

Which will be more to maintain? or both about the same?

[Munter]

Varn said:

smckeown said:

dont just look at the cars in order to make the right choice. Also think about things like which car has been raced the most in this country, and therefore has a better (current) supply of uprated / motorsport parts. Then there's the community. Which is more popular for track work and has better communities for advice and people that have dione it all before.

The 205/309 in these respects is fantastic.

Also thinking which is a better track car, look which is a better track priented car in the first place, i/.e which one has independent suspension etc. I.e. easier/cheaper to upgrade.

Just from my limited knowledge, I hear more people rave about the mx5 handling than the mk1 mr2. But I also hear the mx5's are unexpectantly heavy for their size and under powered ? worth looking into...

The reason I have chosen to compare the mk1 mr2 and the mk1 mk5 is because they are cheap to maintain compared to other options - i just cant decide between them.

Sorry but im not interested in 205/309 as they are front wheel drive.

I doubt ill be looking to upgrade anything apart from the brakes.

Which will be more to maintain? or both about the same?

In terms of brakes my MX5 spent >20 mins thrashing around Bedford without brake fade. All I've upgraded was the fluid and pads. The front disks on the MX5 are vented as standard. I dont remember what disks the MR2 has.

Personally I'd get the MX5. There are Many more MX5s out and about than MK1 MR2s. Which means parts are easy to find, and upgrade parts are relatively cheap. And if you do have to do any work on the engine it's a hell of a lot easier to get to!

[chris7676]

You shouldn't need to upgrade brakes, but make sure they work well on all 4 corners (more likely a problem with MR2s). More like the suspension upgrade if not done yet.

[Varn]

Ah ok someone recommended that I upgrade the brakes but i guess its best to see what its like on a track in standard spec first then change things if i need to.

If i go the mx5 route i already have know the one that i would buy.

Do you guys know of any good examples of Mr2 mk1s off classifieds/autotrader etc that I should go see this weekend?

Live close to Gatwick airport.

[WEREWOLF]

If you go the mx-5 route why not just buy an ex-racer as all the hard works been done.

[Varn]

WEREWOLF said:

If you go the mx-5 route why not just buy an ex-racer as all the hard works been done.

Like a Max5 car?

I think they are only 1.6 and not road legal...+ they are out of my price range.

[smckeown]

Varn said:

Sorry but im not interested in 205/309 as they are front wheel drive.

I was merely giving the example of a car that has a strong race/rally pedigree with great parts backup and active forums.

Out of the mr2 and mx5 i'd say the mx5 is closer to my advice.

Another RWD fanatic discounting FWD. Might be passing you soon then

Here are some vids of the cars you are considering from my website

mx5:
http://www.track-monkey.co.uk/videos/AngleseyNov07/sean%20and%20mx5%20-%20finished.wmv 

Mr2:
http://track-monkey.co.uk/videos/2058v/Anglesey_17thSept06/pete%20f%20prelude%20and%20mr2.wmv  Someone else drivibng my car

mx5:
http://track-monkey.co.uk/videos/2058v/Anglesey_17thSept06/pete%20f%20free%20laps.wmv  someone else driving my car

There was also a supercharged mk1 mr2 recently at anglesey, i think he had problems with the car but he was one of the slowest there

http://track-monkey.co.uk/