Hunt for a track toy ended up with a Westfield
Discussion
I never really "got" Westfield's and caterhams if im honest. The whole no roof, goggle wearing experience.
But I found myself starting a track car project with lots of excitement only to not have the time to stuff around with a trailer to actually take it to the track. And after stripping it out as much as i could quickly rendered it impossible to register for road use, i next started playing with how to upgrade the weedy 130bhp 1.9 lump. It was a stripped e36 ti 1.9 so around 130bhp and 1100kgs. It hit marketplace after a few months of sitting on my lift, never seeing more than a trip around the block. So I needed something road registered, light weight, relatively cheap and still fun to own (rwd, loud, fast). I don't mind taking thr mac or 911 to the track but find I'm a bit cautious and never truly all out enjoy them. I've had a few renault sports that were a bit of fun but being used to much quicker cars and bikes again got a bit boring.
The cheapest lotuses are a comparable price here and would be mid 2000's, not even for 111s' so with less power and with the prices constantly rising and dipping and I'm not sure it would be long before I'd be looking for more power.
The list was down to building an e92 or something when I started looking at radicals which although amazing, had the same drawbacks as my track car.
Eventually, I stumbled across an interesting Westfield. Wide arch, built tomei nissan sr20 engine (headgasket, rods, springs, lots of other parts in a massive folder) while thing looked fairly well built it was completely street legal which means it can be used as a weekender or driven to the track so figured it was worth a hesitant try.
Wasn't sure about going for a non turbo four pot but the stroked 2.3 motor revs and at 230bhp really pulls its skinny 700kg frame along. ITBs give an addictive induction roar and it pops and bangs all the way from right next to the passenger's left ear..
Willwood brakes up front, golf in the back, take some warming up but the thing goes sideways on command and the steering is more direct than anything I've had on a road car. Literally the closest thing ive felt to a go kart.
A bit of rear end lock up for getting too keen with a downside, flicking through the gears, rotating through a corner in full analogue, manual gears to row through, no screens or speakers.
I get it now.
Feels so rapid for the modest power output too. It's funny, I drove there in a 650, it was parked up next to a few lambos and mclarens many times the price, but after a drive I fel like I'd had the most engaging drive I've had in possibly ever. Having to climb in, clip on the removable wheel, strap into the 4 point harness and being inches off the ground all adds to a crazy sense of occasion and one that the people buying the STO's parked next to it wouldn't experience on the weekly coffee runs.
Looking forwards to exploring, the brakes are wooden until they get heat which is fine but will see how they fare over a track session before I go looking for more, I'd guess they'd easily lock up as it is especially if the bias is out of whack.
More power is always fun but again at 310bhp/tonne it's probably near what makes sense.
So depending on how temps and longevity hold up, this might be a 'no more to do' other than sticking bits of carbon on and some visual tweaks.
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|https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/441925/202508166792437[/url]
But I found myself starting a track car project with lots of excitement only to not have the time to stuff around with a trailer to actually take it to the track. And after stripping it out as much as i could quickly rendered it impossible to register for road use, i next started playing with how to upgrade the weedy 130bhp 1.9 lump. It was a stripped e36 ti 1.9 so around 130bhp and 1100kgs. It hit marketplace after a few months of sitting on my lift, never seeing more than a trip around the block. So I needed something road registered, light weight, relatively cheap and still fun to own (rwd, loud, fast). I don't mind taking thr mac or 911 to the track but find I'm a bit cautious and never truly all out enjoy them. I've had a few renault sports that were a bit of fun but being used to much quicker cars and bikes again got a bit boring.
The cheapest lotuses are a comparable price here and would be mid 2000's, not even for 111s' so with less power and with the prices constantly rising and dipping and I'm not sure it would be long before I'd be looking for more power.
The list was down to building an e92 or something when I started looking at radicals which although amazing, had the same drawbacks as my track car.
Eventually, I stumbled across an interesting Westfield. Wide arch, built tomei nissan sr20 engine (headgasket, rods, springs, lots of other parts in a massive folder) while thing looked fairly well built it was completely street legal which means it can be used as a weekender or driven to the track so figured it was worth a hesitant try.
Wasn't sure about going for a non turbo four pot but the stroked 2.3 motor revs and at 230bhp really pulls its skinny 700kg frame along. ITBs give an addictive induction roar and it pops and bangs all the way from right next to the passenger's left ear..
Willwood brakes up front, golf in the back, take some warming up but the thing goes sideways on command and the steering is more direct than anything I've had on a road car. Literally the closest thing ive felt to a go kart.
A bit of rear end lock up for getting too keen with a downside, flicking through the gears, rotating through a corner in full analogue, manual gears to row through, no screens or speakers.
I get it now.
Feels so rapid for the modest power output too. It's funny, I drove there in a 650, it was parked up next to a few lambos and mclarens many times the price, but after a drive I fel like I'd had the most engaging drive I've had in possibly ever. Having to climb in, clip on the removable wheel, strap into the 4 point harness and being inches off the ground all adds to a crazy sense of occasion and one that the people buying the STO's parked next to it wouldn't experience on the weekly coffee runs.
Looking forwards to exploring, the brakes are wooden until they get heat which is fine but will see how they fare over a track session before I go looking for more, I'd guess they'd easily lock up as it is especially if the bias is out of whack.
More power is always fun but again at 310bhp/tonne it's probably near what makes sense.
So depending on how temps and longevity hold up, this might be a 'no more to do' other than sticking bits of carbon on and some visual tweaks.
Great looking car, looks huge fun.
Not sure what there isn't to get about these cars. They look daft on the road but surely track use is where they make huge sense.
Also great fun on the road and who cares if you look a bit of a plonker. This kind of car really isn't about how you look.
Not sure what there isn't to get about these cars. They look daft on the road but surely track use is where they make huge sense.
Also great fun on the road and who cares if you look a bit of a plonker. This kind of car really isn't about how you look.
Pistom said:
Great looking car, looks huge fun.
Not sure what there isn't to get about these cars. They look daft on the road but surely track use is where they make huge sense.
Also great fun on the road and who cares if you look a bit of a plonker. This kind of car really isn't about how you look.
Tbh I don't care too much what they look like, when I went to look it was next to a load of stos and looked more fun to me Not sure what there isn't to get about these cars. They look daft on the road but surely track use is where they make huge sense.
Also great fun on the road and who cares if you look a bit of a plonker. This kind of car really isn't about how you look.
especially as most of those will end up just going to coffee meetups.I think I just seriously underestimated just how much fun they'd be on the road!
I don't know if its any faster than my 650 being a non turbo but inches from the ground and completely exposed it sure felt it!
Not that I like attention it's funny just how many people wave and smile at it esp3cially when it's shooting fireworks out of the exhaust
it's a proper petrol head experience.thejaywills said:
Tbh I don't care too much what they look like, when I went to look it was next to a load of stos and looked more fun to me especially as most of those will end up just going to coffee meetups.
I think I just seriously underestimated just how much fun they'd be on the road!
I don't know if its any faster than my 650 being a non turbo but inches from the ground and completely exposed it sure felt it!
Not that I like attention it's funny just how many people wave and smile at it esp3cially when it's shooting fireworks out of the exhaust it's a proper petrol head experience.
This is very much what it's about and has to be experienced to appreciate what you're saying. especially as most of those will end up just going to coffee meetups.I think I just seriously underestimated just how much fun they'd be on the road!
I don't know if its any faster than my 650 being a non turbo but inches from the ground and completely exposed it sure felt it!
Not that I like attention it's funny just how many people wave and smile at it esp3cially when it's shooting fireworks out of the exhaust
it's a proper petrol head experience.I remember the very first time I experienced cars like this on the road, other cars seem heavy and uninvolving. Slow! It feels like other cars are virtually standing still and you can literally drive around them.
thejaywills said:
Tbh I don't care too much what they look like, when I went to look it was next to a load of stos and looked more fun to me especially as most of those will end up just going to coffee meetups.
I think I just seriously underestimated just how much fun they'd be on the road!
I don't know if its any faster than my 650 being a non turbo but inches from the ground and completely exposed it sure felt it!
Not that I like attention it's funny just how many people wave and smile at it esp3cially when it's shooting fireworks out of the exhaust it's a proper petrol head experience.
The hot young mothers doing after school pickup will also give you a smile and a wave especially as most of those will end up just going to coffee meetups.I think I just seriously underestimated just how much fun they'd be on the road!
I don't know if its any faster than my 650 being a non turbo but inches from the ground and completely exposed it sure felt it!
Not that I like attention it's funny just how many people wave and smile at it esp3cially when it's shooting fireworks out of the exhaust
it's a proper petrol head experience.
Pistom said:
thejaywills said:
Tbh I don't care too much what they look like, when I went to look it was next to a load of stos and looked more fun to me especially as most of those will end up just going to coffee meetups.
I think I just seriously underestimated just how much fun they'd be on the road!
I don't know if its any faster than my 650 being a non turbo but inches from the ground and completely exposed it sure felt it!
Not that I like attention it's funny just how many people wave and smile at it esp3cially when it's shooting fireworks out of the exhaust it's a proper petrol head experience.
This is very much what it's about and has to be experienced to appreciate what you're saying. especially as most of those will end up just going to coffee meetups.I think I just seriously underestimated just how much fun they'd be on the road!
I don't know if its any faster than my 650 being a non turbo but inches from the ground and completely exposed it sure felt it!
Not that I like attention it's funny just how many people wave and smile at it esp3cially when it's shooting fireworks out of the exhaust
it's a proper petrol head experience.I remember the very first time I experienced cars like this on the road, other cars seem heavy and uninvolving. Slow! It feels like other cars are virtually standing still and you can literally drive around them.
Bright Halo said:
They struggle on tracks with long straights such as Silverstone. They seem to get to circa 100 really quickly but struggle after that. Fitting an aero screen definitely helps but makes them a bit uncomfortable on road trips.
On tighter tracks there isn’t much quicker.
Would absolutely expect it. I haven't gotten to explore what the gearing is like but I'm not expecting it to have long legs.On tighter tracks there isn’t much quicker.
I do have an aero screen but truth be told I don't know if i,ll be in a rush to change it out, the whole aim was to be able to drive to the track, have a heal of fun and drive home and a mouth full of bugs and stones would probably ruin that
Was due to take the 650 to a twisty track soon but may well take this, it's about an hour trip there but should be worth it as long as it doesn't rain
another small technical track near by will be prime for it, I can't waitHit my first snag, the handbrakes is a simple bracket on a line that drops down, turns out it didn't fully disengage on a drive. Things got so hot that a couple of caliper pistons seem to have melted so of course now I have no brakes.
It's proving a nightmare to find a suitable replacement locally which is frustrating as I'm itching to put some miles on
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