Discussion
Enjoy it..!
Modern day Aston Martin cars are totally bombproof around a track or being thrashed everyday of their lives on the road - apart from going off and scuffing body on kitty litter or ripping off a corner, you could not break it if you tried.
Only weak point is V12 engine under high lateral G excursions invoked only by pro drivers running slicks. The sump is not up to the job under these conditions resulting in engine seizure from oil starvation.
A modified sump solves that problem which was what was needed by the factory for a V12 to survive Nurburgring.
Modern day Aston Martin cars are totally bombproof around a track or being thrashed everyday of their lives on the road - apart from going off and scuffing body on kitty litter or ripping off a corner, you could not break it if you tried.
Only weak point is V12 engine under high lateral G excursions invoked only by pro drivers running slicks. The sump is not up to the job under these conditions resulting in engine seizure from oil starvation.
A modified sump solves that problem which was what was needed by the factory for a V12 to survive Nurburgring.
Thanks for feedback
My V8V sits in the garage for most of the week and I think having a few days on the track would really make owning it more worthwhile.
As for resale if its getting traded into a dealer Will a few track miles make that much difference?
For all I know mine may have been on track already
My V8V sits in the garage for most of the week and I think having a few days on the track would really make owning it more worthwhile.
As for resale if its getting traded into a dealer Will a few track miles make that much difference?
For all I know mine may have been on track already
TJB69 said:
Thanks for feedback
My V8V sits in the garage for most of the week and I think having a few days on the track would really make owning it more worthwhile.
As for resale if its getting traded into a dealer Will a few track miles make that much difference?
For all I know mine may have been on track already
Exactly....resale value is what it is.... I owned a 996 that i cared for with kid gloves, full main dealer service history, everything replaced when they said, never thrashed it, never tracked it....never enjoyed it, too worried about resale, so, come trade in day, guess what,? got kicked in the bMy V8V sits in the garage for most of the week and I think having a few days on the track would really make owning it more worthwhile.
As for resale if its getting traded into a dealer Will a few track miles make that much difference?
For all I know mine may have been on track already
ks.How will anybody know that it has been on a track day or two?, just enjoy it, you only live once, and if you are really worried about depreciation....easy... keep it! I love my V8V, and I love driving itThe only thing that would concern me (slighgtly) are the brakes - it's a big heavy car, and while they're effective on the road do they get cooked on track? Maybe tyres too?
I've driven other heavy GTs on track including my DB7 Vantage a couple of times and had a cool off every 10mins or so rather than the 20mins I'd do in the Marcos or a Lotus... it just seemed more sensible.
I've driven other heavy GTs on track including my DB7 Vantage a couple of times and had a cool off every 10mins or so rather than the 20mins I'd do in the Marcos or a Lotus... it just seemed more sensible.
yeti said:
it's a big heavy car, and while they're effective on the road do they get cooked on track? Maybe tyres too?
You raise a very interesting point.I have seen cooked GT4 racing brakes because the brake use by the non-pro driver was, perhaps, excessive compared with a pro driver. Maybe entry speed into corners might have been too fast causing driver to be on the brakes earlier, harder and for longer instead of a quick dab on / off, take the corner and accelerate away like the pro would do.
So, whilst the car is indeed a big heavy bruiser, when on track smoothness is the key and brake and tyre wear can be kept to a minimum.. Nothing new in that statement
Regarding the resale argument. If somebody were to drive 5k around a track, arduously, then change the brakes and tyres and stand that car next to the same model year car that has been wrapped-up in cotton wool for 5k miles - how would it be possible to tell the difference between the two and therefore the valuation of each be any different? Would wheel bearings, suspension bushes or any other cycle part be worn enough to detract from driving pleasure - no. Makes no difference whatsoever if the car is tracked or thrashed - the sign off tests these cars are punishingly put through prior to production exceeds what anybody could put the car through in ownership by a considerable margin.
George H said:
At the end of the day, the decision is up to you. Personally, I will never take any car I own on a track, let alone the Aston. I would refuse to buy a car that I knew had been on the track too, give me a garage princess every time.
Did you even read this? 
BamfordMike said:
If somebody were to drive 5k around a track, arduously, then change the brakes and tyres and stand that car next to the same model year car that has been wrapped-up in cotton wool for 5k miles - how would it be possible to tell the difference between the two and therefore the valuation of each be any different? Would wheel bearings, suspension bushes or any other cycle part be worn enough to detract from driving pleasure - no. Makes no difference whatsoever if the car is tracked or thrashed - the sign off tests these cars are punishingly put through prior to production exceeds what anybody could put the car through in ownership by a considerable margin
I wouldn't buy a track-day prepped car or a track tuition car but a car that's done a few days makes no difference. It's also likely that the owner checks the oil more frequently, is more scrupulous with their maintenance, car wnts for nothing and so on. Honestly George, give it a try, go at your own pace, get some tuition and you'll enjoy it.Had I not tracked the 4200GT and DB7 (once and twice respectively) I would have had NO idea how good they both were as I had preconceptions about their handling from TV reviews. It helped my road driving as I always take tuition if on offer as well.
George H said:
At the end of the day, the decision is up to you. Personally, I will never take any car I own on a track, let alone the Aston. I would refuse to buy a car that I knew had been on the track too, give me a garage princess every time.
That's interesting. In my experience 'garage princess' cars nearly always have more problems than cars used everyday or on track. People who own such cars think that as they don't use the car very much they don't need to service as regularly or worry about maintenance so often, not to mention having the car sitting for long periods of time will cause parts to seize and rust.
Whereas an enthusiast who enjoys his car on track will generally be making sure his car is in tip-top mechanical condition before and after each trackday, for example it will have far more oil changes and consumables like tyres will be fresh (not years old hard rubber).
I think that if you want to take the car to the track you should do it. These cars are made to be driven and what's the point of owning the car if you're not going to really use it? While people have mentioned "thrashing" the car around the track, there's spirited use and then there's abuse. Yes, driving fast on a track is harder on the car than daily driving, but it needn't be abusive. As for resale, I wouldn't want to buy a "track car," meaning a car that has a large percentage of its miles from the track, but I see nothing wrong with buying a car that has been to the track a few times. In fact, I'd rather buy a car like that than one that has been sitting unused for an extended period of time. I plan to take my V12V to the track at least once for the experience.
Bamford Mike: You mentioned that the standard sump is not up to the task for the V12. Should I be concerned about this if I'm planning on taking my car to the track? Although I will drive through the corners at speeds I would consider fast, I probably won't be traveling nearly as fast as a pro would.
Bamford Mike: You mentioned that the standard sump is not up to the task for the V12. Should I be concerned about this if I'm planning on taking my car to the track? Although I will drive through the corners at speeds I would consider fast, I probably won't be traveling nearly as fast as a pro would.
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