What car for road and track?

[Masher964]

Only been on the track for 'experience' days using the cars provided by the circuit. Now looking to purchase a car that can be used for track days and tootling around at the weekend on the road. Ideally I'd like the car to be capable of:
- Carrying a decent overnight bag
- Not feeling out of place on the circuit
- Being reliable enough that I'm not worried every time I turn the key.
- Comfortable enough that I can still walk after a 2 hour drive on the road bearing in mind I'm 6'3" - need also to consider headroom since I'll need to wear a crash helmet for the circuit.

TVR T350C (reliability?), Caterham 7 (can I live with it?) and Lotus Exige (overnight bag?) have sprung to my attention but there must be others. I'm thinking a Porsche Cayman is too road orientated - am I correct?

I'd welcome thoughts on where I should turn. If there is somewhere I should visit (dealer...) around Hertfordshire/Essex I'd welcome these thoughts too.

Any track days coming up that I should visit?

Thanks
Mike

[wackojacko]

Caterham and Exige would be abit of a squeeze I suspect.

Try and Exige though that would be my choice, if you can't fit comfortably in an Exige have a look at a Noble M12 that is as good to drive as the Exige but has twice the poke for the bits inbetween the corners.

[Steve H]

Cayman is actually a good compromise, nice on the road, reasonably modern and reliable and still well balanced on track. Obviously it's not going to go or feel like at Exige of Caterham but that's the compromise!

Probably best start with trying to proportion the practical- road/track&fun balance, by this I mean your priority, not the expected mileage. If it's about 50/50 then the Porsche might be the thing, 30/70 would be an Exige and 20/80 is getting into Caterfields.

[tertius]

What is your budget?

I'm just over 6'3" and drive an Elise. It is probably 80+ percent track use. The roof comes off which helps with headroom, but even with the roof on I still fit (just).

One thing to bear in mind is that Eliges do tend to vary a lot when it comes to the seat arrangement - there are lots of variations out there - so you might try one and not fit, but fit fine in another.

I will happily (well, maybe not happily exactly) drive it to the 'ring and Spa and back.

[MikeATD]

Have you thought about a BMW Z4M coupe? Really quick and good fun on track. Good weekend car, ideal for trips to the Ring and a weekend fun car. If they are like the z3m coupe, should hold their money pretty well also.

Or, VX220turbo? 964 carrera 2 with a few mods?

[juansolo]

I'd be looking for a good Elise/VX220 given your criteria. If you've got the budget for it the Ginetta G40R looks a blast too if a bit more track biased. I'd agree with your view on the Cayman. It's a great road car and quite capable on a track. But it's really too heavy for a lot of track play. IMO of course. Caterhams are getting towards the extreme end of the spectrum, but set up sensibly with the screen and doors can be fun on the road too.

[LooneyTunes]

Went through pretty much the same list myself this year:

Cerbera - potential for big bills, especially if tracked, put me off;
Exige - liked, but didn't find engaging enough on the limited test drive I got (which was disappointing as I was in buying mood that day). Will hire one next year to do a longer drive and may well still buy one (having a roof can sometimes be useful).
Caterham - love driving these. So much driver involvement. You may want to look at the wider SV body though.

I reckon all of these would meet your core spec (there's more boot space in Exige than you might expect but you may need to consider a boot bag for the 7).

Also briefly considered:
Z3/4M coupe
S2000

In the end I bought a Westie towards the less compromising end of the spectrum: wanted total contrast to daily driver, and that it was 1/2 cost of equivalent pwr/weight Caterham was an added bonus...

[Masher964]

964 carrera 2 with a few mods?
[/quote]

Funny you should bring this one up. It's a Porsche 964 I'd be selling to finance this. The one I have is very nice and standard and I thought it a bit of a shame to 'mess it around'. It's been a fantastic car but as it stands, not one I want to track. I guess I've also got used to that level of power and was thinking I'd like a little more.
Thanks for the thoughts,
Mike

[Masher964]

tertius said:

What is your budget?

I'm just over 6'3" and drive an Elise. It is probably 80+ percent track use. The roof comes off which helps with headroom, but even with the roof on I still fit (just).

One thing to bear in mind is that Eliges do tend to vary a lot when it comes to the seat arrangement - there are lots of variations out there - so you might try one and not fit, but fit fine in another.

I will happily (well, maybe not happily exactly) drive it to the 'ring and Spa and back.

Thanks for the response. I've driven a couple of Elise and can drive them but find the steering wheel to knee room a tad tight. Thanks for the insight into the differences in Exige seating positions, I'll find a dealer with a few in stock and do some homework.

[boxsey]

Masher964 said:

Funny you should bring this one up. It's a Porsche 964 I'd be selling to finance this. The one I have is very nice and standard and I thought it a bit of a shame to 'mess it around'. It's been a fantastic car but as it stands, not one I want to track. I guess I've also got used to that level of power and was thinking I'd like a little more.
Thanks for the thoughts,
Mike

The 964 C2 has become one of the most popular older 911s to turn into track capable cars. They will go around a track all day long and take it in their stride. However, to get the best out of them you do indeed have to 'mess them around' with better suspension, bushes, remove some weight, fit bucket seats, track tyres, etc. So it can get quite expensive. Done right they become quick cars without having to add more power (although they'll never be the fastest out there) but more importantly they are great fun on track - raw, playful and communicative all at the same time. Which for me is what track days are all about.

BTW if you decide to sell it, you should have no problems finding a buyer as there are plenty of people looking for them. In fact, I know someone looking for one right now - e-mail me and I'll put you in touch

edited to fix quote.

Edited by boxsey on Friday 16th September 11:20

[chris7676]

If you are bored of 964 - fair enough, but I would at least take what you have to try what it feels like on the track.

[tertius]

Masher964 said:

tertius said:

What is your budget?

I'm just over 6'3" and drive an Elise. It is probably 80+ percent track use. The roof comes off which helps with headroom, but even with the roof on I still fit (just).

One thing to bear in mind is that Eliges do tend to vary a lot when it comes to the seat arrangement - there are lots of variations out there - so you might try one and not fit, but fit fine in another.

I will happily (well, maybe not happily exactly) drive it to the 'ring and Spa and back.

Thanks for the response. I've driven a couple of Elise and can drive them but find the steering wheel to knee room a tad tight. Thanks for the insight into the differences in Exige seating positions, I'll find a dealer with a few in stock and do some homework.

It applies equally to Elises and Exiges - apart from some slight S1 to S2 differences they are identical dimensions inside, hence my use of the term "Eliges".

I spent ages looking for my car and tried lots of Elises. Practically all were different, some were better and some were worse but mine was far and away the most comfortable fit. It has the Lotus Sport carbon bucket seats. On track I remove the padding, which simply velcroes on and drops me another cm or so. I also fitted a removable steering wheel which helps a lot with getting in and out, and is a fraction smaller than the standard wheel.

The other change which I found really affected the wheel to knee comfort was the gear lever/knob - changing to a smaller/shorter knob (no sniggering at the back please) made a significant difference. Also I believe you can rotate the the gear lever, which is slightly cranked and get it further out of the way, though I haven't tried this.

[Nurburgsingh]

968 ClubSport or sport, there are several that have already been made track ready without being track only. And you can take a spare set of wheels plus your overnight bag with ease.

[shim]

Masher964 said:

Only been on the track for 'experience' days using the cars provided by the circuit. Now looking to purchase a car that can be used for track days and tootling around at the weekend on the road. Ideally I'd like the car to be capable of:
- Carrying a decent overnight bag
- Not feeling out of place on the circuit
- Being reliable enough that I'm not worried every time I turn the key.
- Comfortable enough that I can still walk after a 2 hour drive on the road bearing in mind I'm 6'3" - need also to consider headroom since I'll need to wear a crash helmet for the circuit.

TVR T350C (reliability?), Caterham 7 (can I live with it?) and Lotus Exige (overnight bag?) have sprung to my attention but there must be others. I'm thinking a Porsche Cayman is too road orientated - am I correct?

I'd welcome thoughts on where I should turn. If there is somewhere I should visit (dealer...) around Hertfordshire/Essex I'd welcome these thoughts too.

Any track days coming up that I should visit?

Thanks
Mike

Depends on budget Mike, but if you want a real quick and easy to drive car, can't beat the CSL. I'm HErts if you fancy a listen!

[Masher964]

shim said:

Depends on budget Mike, but if you want a real quick and easy to drive car, can't beat the CSL. I'm HErts if you fancy a listen!

Thanks very much for the offer. I'm certain the CSL is a wonderful car as is my neighbours M3 and the sound is fantastic. However, having sat in TVR's, Lotus' and Nobles, they are so different from the daily driver that this difference becomes part of the experience for me. That's why I'm gravitating towards 'niche' cars rather than derivatives of large volume manufacturers. Maybe I should reconsider?

Ref budget - up to £25k is the ceiling I've set myself.

[Porkie]

S2 Exige S 240pp. I paid 26k for mine few months back so bang on budget

fun and fast on track. very cheap to run as pretty light on tyres and brakes. Involving and super reliable in my experience as long as you dont tune engine up as you will eat gearboxes.

You can get a bit more in than you think. Got 2 helmets and an overnight bag in back of mine at weekend for trip to Donnington.

Clarkson fits in one... he is taller than 6'3 isnt he?

I've got a Westfield as well which I DO prefer driving on track... but in this country the Exige is so so much more usable. Exiges are brilliant in the wet... they find so much grip at the front.

Have Traction control and ABS so you can trust girlfriends or clown mates with it!

The roof comes off an S2 Exige as well... not many people know that

Edited by Porkie on Tuesday 20th September 15:48

[Masher964]

Porkie said:

S2 Exige S 240pp. I paid 26k for mine few months back so bang on budget

fun and fast on track. very cheap to run as pretty light on tyres and brakes. Involving and super reliable in my experience as long as you dont tune engine up as you will eat gearboxes.

You can get a bit more in than you think. Got 2 helmets and an overnight bag in back of mine at weekend for trip to Donnington.

Clarkson fits in one... he is taller than 6'3 isnt he?

I've got a Westfield as well which I DO prefer driving on track... but in this country the Exige is so so much more usable. Exiges are brilliant in the wet... they find so much grip at the front.

Have Traction control and ABS so you can trust girlfriends or clown mates with it!

The roof comes off an S2 Exige as well... not many people know that

Many thanks. Exige is the way I'm thinking right now. Need to get to have a good look around one and a drive but it's looking favourite right now. Any recommendation on where to be looking / buying from? (other than Pistonheads ads of course )

[shim]

Masher964 said:

Thanks very much for the offer. I'm certain the CSL is a wonderful car as is my neighbours M3 and the sound is fantastic. However, having sat in TVR's, Lotus' and Nobles, they are so different from the daily driver that this difference becomes part of the experience for me. That's why I'm gravitating towards 'niche' cars rather than derivatives of large volume manufacturers. Maybe I should reconsider?

Ref budget - up to £25k is the ceiling I've set myself.

422 UK cars and about as far from an M3 yo drive as you could imagine.

Also you will go faster quicker around the track and with a better noise.

It just takes one drive to understand

[Porkie]

Masher964 said:

Many thanks. Exige is the way I'm thinking right now. Need to get to have a good look around one and a drive but it's looking favourite right now. Any recommendation on where to be looking / buying from? (other than Pistonheads ads of course )

I'm in Essex if you wanna drive mine


Always a few on sale here as well


www.exiges.com

[Masher964]

Porkie said:

Masher964 said:

Many thanks. Exige is the way I'm thinking right now. Need to get to have a good look around one and a drive but it's looking favourite right now. Any recommendation on where to be looking / buying from? (other than Pistonheads ads of course )

I'm in Essex if you wanna drive mine


Always a few on sale here as well


www.exiges.com

Nice offer thanks. I'll PM you.
Mike