Would you make a track car out of a Granturismo

[Pioneer]

Bo_apex said:

Lots of fun can be had when dropping weight in a heavier GT.
Different car but is still front mid-engine V8 with 50/50 weight distribution

https://youtu.be/wj5ohIZyohw

I tried with an '82 928S and when I was in my early 20s which was disastrous but still a lot of fun. We still talk about it now. At 49 and a bit more sensible I wouldn't have bothered. This tells me the OP should do it.

[anonymous-user]

MDL111 said:

regarding the weight point, i would think that on a 1.9t car a few hundred kg should easily be achievable. I do not have the list anymore that I put together for the 550, but from memory the following parts were on it (in no particular order):

Carbon bucketseats [in your case also get rid of rear seats)
Lightweight exhaust system, ideally titanium throughout
Lightweight rims
Lightweight front and rear bumpers (either off the shelf, or more likely get them manufactured in carbon)
Carbon bonnet and bootlid plus possibly front wings [would leave the doors alone if not integrating a full cage]
Lexan windows in the rear
Lightweight battery
Remove sound deadening in the passenger compartment
Carbon brakes [I thought those were unlikely to be added, but they would have helped a little re unsprung weight]

I wanted to keep the radio, heating and aircon as I did not want an out and out track car, more like a light 550.
I had weight estimates for most of the above items and I think it added up to c. 200 kg from memory, which would have been quite nice on a 550

I imagine the car felt hugely different!


The windows must have been a saving of 10kg each....if not 20 for the rear...

[MDL111]

Mr Spoon said:

MDL111 said:

regarding the weight point, i would think that on a 1.9t car a few hundred kg should easily be achievable. I do not have the list anymore that I put together for the 550, but from memory the following parts were on it (in no particular order):

Carbon bucketseats [in your case also get rid of rear seats)
Lightweight exhaust system, ideally titanium throughout
Lightweight rims
Lightweight front and rear bumpers (either off the shelf, or more likely get them manufactured in carbon)
Carbon bonnet and bootlid plus possibly front wings [would leave the doors alone if not integrating a full cage]
Lexan windows in the rear
Lightweight battery
Remove sound deadening in the passenger compartment
Carbon brakes [I thought those were unlikely to be added, but they would have helped a little re unsprung weight]

I wanted to keep the radio, heating and aircon as I did not want an out and out track car, more like a light 550.
I had weight estimates for most of the above items and I think it added up to c. 200 kg from memory, which would have been quite nice on a 550

I imagine the car felt hugely different!


The windows must have been a saving of 10kg each....if not 20 for the rear...

Unfortunately I never did it (among other things because prices of 550s doubled and so far have not come back down again....). I did a lot of online research at the time to see what other people did to loose weight on their cars. While financially imprudent, I think it is something great to do to "make a car your own". It is still on my to do list, so if you go ahead, would be great if you posted up your journey for others to get inspiration.

[MDL111]

this was my inspiration. The only actual car I can remember was sold to the Netherlands and I do not think resurfaced since as for sale.

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/550-lm-f...

[Bo_apex]

Pioneer said:

Bo_apex said:

Lots of fun can be had when dropping weight in a heavier GT.
Different car but is still front mid-engine V8 with 50/50 weight distribution

https://youtu.be/wj5ohIZyohw

I tried with an '82 928S and when I was in my early 20s which was disastrous but still a lot of fun. We still talk about it now. At 49 and a bit more sensible I wouldn't have bothered. This tells me the OP should do it.

Yes I also scratched the racing itch in my 20's. Plenty of memorable fun

[anonymous-user]

MDL111 said:

Mr Spoon said:

MDL111 said:

regarding the weight point, i would think that on a 1.9t car a few hundred kg should easily be achievable. I do not have the list anymore that I put together for the 550, but from memory the following parts were on it (in no particular order):

Carbon bucketseats [in your case also get rid of rear seats)
Lightweight exhaust system, ideally titanium throughout
Lightweight rims
Lightweight front and rear bumpers (either off the shelf, or more likely get them manufactured in carbon)
Carbon bonnet and bootlid plus possibly front wings [would leave the doors alone if not integrating a full cage]
Lexan windows in the rear
Lightweight battery
Remove sound deadening in the passenger compartment
Carbon brakes [I thought those were unlikely to be added, but they would have helped a little re unsprung weight]

I wanted to keep the radio, heating and aircon as I did not want an out and out track car, more like a light 550.
I had weight estimates for most of the above items and I think it added up to c. 200 kg from memory, which would have been quite nice on a 550

I imagine the car felt hugely different!


The windows must have been a saving of 10kg each....if not 20 for the rear...

Unfortunately I never did it (among other things because prices of 550s doubled and so far have not come back down again....). I did a lot of online research at the time to see what other people did to loose weight on their cars. While financially imprudent, I think it is something great to do to "make a car your own". It is still on my to do list, so if you go ahead, would be great if you posted up your journey for others to get inspiration.

Certainly will do. It's just a thought and curious to see the differences in opinions from the dead no to the go ahead.

[V8_EV]

You would be mad not to do this.

[SWoll]

Having been through this kind of thing a few time over the years with friend etc. for me the big issue is usage.

If you want to continue to use it as a road car then I'd just get it well sorted and enjoy the occasional track day as it is. If not then you should go all in and do a full interior strip, lightweight seat, lightweight wheels with track focused tyres, new suspension etc.

The problems always come with halfway house cars as pretty much always end up being a bit rubbish on both road and track, especially when the basis is something heavy and better suited to grand touring like the GT.

Also, isn't your car a slushbox auto rather than MC Shift? Can't imagine that being great on track either?

[Bo_apex]

SWoll said:

Having been through this kind of thing a few time over the years with friend etc. for me the big issue is usage.

If you want to continue to use it as a road car then I'd just get it well sorted and enjoy the occasional track day as it is. If not then you should go all in and do a full interior strip, lightweight seat, lightweight wheels with track focused tyres, new suspension etc.

The problems always come with halfway house cars as pretty much always end up being a bit rubbish on both road and track, especially when the basis is something heavy and better suited to grand touring like the GT.

100% this. Compromised for both functions.

[MDL111]

Bo_apex said:

SWoll said:

Having been through this kind of thing a few time over the years with friend etc. for me the big issue is usage.

If you want to continue to use it as a road car then I'd just get it well sorted and enjoy the occasional track day as it is. If not then you should go all in and do a full interior strip, lightweight seat, lightweight wheels with track focused tyres, new suspension etc.

The problems always come with halfway house cars as pretty much always end up being a bit rubbish on both road and track, especially when the basis is something heavy and better suited to grand touring like the GT.

100% this. Compromised for both functions.

I agree that it will be compromised to a degree, but if done correctly then in the same way my Scuderia is or a 599 GTO is. You end up with a car that will perform a lot better than standard on track, but is not comparison to a fully fledged race car. It is an expensive project though, especially if you can't do stuff yourself.

[anonymous-user]

SWoll said:

Having been through this kind of thing a few time over the years with friend etc. for me the big issue is usage.

If you want to continue to use it as a road car then I'd just get it well sorted and enjoy the occasional track day as it is. If not then you should go all in and do a full interior strip, lightweight seat, lightweight wheels with track focused tyres, new suspension etc.

The problems always come with halfway house cars as pretty much always end up being a bit rubbish on both road and track, especially when the basis is something heavy and better suited to grand touring like the GT.

Also, isn't your car a slushbox auto rather than MC Shift? Can't imagine that being great on track either?

I have no complaints with the ZF 6 speed auto, the paddle shift is quick enough for someone with my talents or lack thereof. Its quicker than a manual gear change.

The cost trade off against usage will be a consideration for lots of cars. It is a good point.

[SWoll]

MDL111 said:

Bo_apex said:

SWoll said:

Having been through this kind of thing a few time over the years with friend etc. for me the big issue is usage.

If you want to continue to use it as a road car then I'd just get it well sorted and enjoy the occasional track day as it is. If not then you should go all in and do a full interior strip, lightweight seat, lightweight wheels with track focused tyres, new suspension etc.

The problems always come with halfway house cars as pretty much always end up being a bit rubbish on both road and track, especially when the basis is something heavy and better suited to grand touring like the GT.

100% this. Compromised for both functions.

I agree that it will be compromised to a degree, but if done correctly then in the same way my Scuderia is or a 599 GTO is. You end up with a car that will perform a lot better than standard on track, but is not comparison to a fully fledged race car. It is an expensive project though, especially if you can't do stuff yourself.

Those are cars optimized by the manufacturer though, and the Scuderia is only 100KG lighter than the standard 430 as the starting point is a much better suited car for track work anyway?

Not saying it can't be done but I wouldn't be ruining a great road car that I use daily for the sake of a handful of trackdays a year personally.

Edited by SWoll on Friday 7th January 08:39

[Murph7355]

Not in a million years.

[anonymous-user]

Murph7355 said:

Not in a million years.

its comments like this that help with the burning desire to do the opposite. Own a maserati do you

Perhaps you would like to put a reasoning as to your comment

[Lee Jones Jnr]

Mr Spoon said:

its comments like this that help with the burning desire to do the opposite. Own a maserati do you

Perhaps you would like to put a reasoning as to your comment

Fq me.
I think you should do it.
It will be great.
For your next project why not take a really good track car and convert it to a rubbish road car?

[anonymous-user]

Lee Jones Jnr said:

For your next project why not take a really good track car and convert it to a rubbish road car?

Your comment implies that all cars that see the track started off as rubbish road cars and that all track car will make rubbish road cars, so what about a mediocre track car making a mediocre road car?

[Lee Jones Jnr]

Mr Spoon said:

Your comment implies that all cars that see the track started off as rubbish road cars and that all track car will make rubbish road cars, so what about a mediocre track car making a mediocre road car?

It doesn’t.

[anonymous-user]

Lee Jones Jnr said:

Mr Spoon said:

Your comment implies that all cars that see the track started off as rubbish road cars and that all track car will make rubbish road cars, so what about a mediocre track car making a mediocre road car?

It doesn’t.

Well thank you once again for your opinion, nevertheless.

[Lee Jones Jnr]

Mr Spoon said:

Well thank you once again for your opinion, nevertheless.

I know these comments make you feel like you ‘win’ in some way, that’s super.
Because you want to do something that most people point out is a silly idea is no reason to become one of those people who tries to point score with strangers on the internet, especially when not arguing from a position of strength.
Trying to get a cow to give birth to a sheep is a foolish endeavour too, are you now determined to do it?
Whilst I am as frequent a user of the internet as anyone, I do often think the world would be better without it.

[JJbing]

Why don't you buy a 2 seater strad, most of the work done for you...