Track day car

[hiroler]

I`m looking at possibly getting a little toy to do some track days in! something like a Clio 172 or similar. something cheap and cheerfull i can rip out the interior and fit a roll cage and bucket seats and just trailer to and from the track! anyone ever done anything like this any advice??

[animal]

ive always thought about doing something t
like this but never have.
i know of a 1.4 honda civic p-reg hatchback going cheap if your interested.

[dieselboy]

I had a stripped / caged mk1 XR2.
How far you want to go with it and what are you prepared to do youself? Also what sort of races will you be doing? Will it be road legal?

[smiffy]

I've had a Clio 172. It was the lighter,lower Cup version. Never had it on the track but was great on the B class roads about here. Good chassis and an engine you can rev. We bought it new and it was the best value bang for buck out there

Theres a forum dedicated to them Clio Sport

We went to the 197 after that,but it seamed slower and a lot heavier than the good old 172.

Get one !!!

[greeley]

hello there mate,get a honda prelude 2.2 vtec,can get em for peanuts,super reliable,make a great track day car

[puddlesurfer]

I know someone who has a Nissan 300ZX that's not working - I think it's just a head gasket, I could find out how much he want's for it if you like?
Would be good fun on a track if you could fix it!

[rambling angler]

My son goes to track days in his road legal car (Honda Civic) & he has spent thousands on his car, his other car is a Nissan Skyline R34 which he has spent a fortune on, I'm sure he'll be taking that one this year.
It can be expensive depending on what you want.

For cheap thrills try banger racing, I did it for years & you can pick up cars for next to nothing.

My sons Honda at Silverstone

[dieselboy]

Don't buy anything French.

[an1mal_69]

I'm gonna track the cossie once the truck is done. From all the reading on the subject I've done it's all down to the ol' power:weight

How much money have you got? How good with the spanners are you? Is it a toy or daily driver?

Personally (& obviously) I'd go for a turbo an RWD at that. Turbos give the most scope for increasing the power once you've gotten used to the car, and RWD because you'll get the most entertainment out of it IMO.

If your on a modest budget something like a 200SX, S13 or 14. The more you can spend, the more track focused I'd go until you wind up at Westfield or similar. Again power:weight, the cossie currently stands @ a smidge over 300/ton which is a giggle..my long term plans for it was as a donor for a Westfield & run it at around 400/ton..should be adequate to keep most people entertained.

[ezza24]

i built a bit of track day toy just have never got round to actually getting it on the track yet its a vr6 golf which i have spent a small fortune on it and the sound of that v6 through a decated exhaust system is one of the best sound ever

[Growler]

I`m looking at possibly getting a little toy to do some track days in! something like a Clio 172 or similar. something cheap and cheerfull i can rip out the interior and fit a roll cage and bucket seats and just trailer to and from the track! anyone ever done anything like this any advice??

Have a chat with my eldest son Mike. He currently has a 172 with the same idea and has done a fair bit of research on the subject.

[markp2]

Try an Alfa 75 2L or 3L V6. Rear wheel drive, excellent balance and great fun without being too fast.
They are good enough for there to be a race school at the Nurburgring which uses them exclusively.
And more reliable than Alfas reputation would suggest!

[Hesh]

I know someone who has a Nissan 300ZX that's not working - I think it's just a head gasket, I could find out how much he want's for it if you like?
Would be good fun on a track if you could fix it!

wouldnt advise that .. as the zed is a v6 transverse mounted. if its the rear head that has gone its very much an engine out job to fix.

similarly withthe twin turbo onthe zed and the 3000gt (gto) turbo feeds and the like all require engine out to fix.

id say find an old 200 sx ...they are cheap as chips .. drop in the skylinelump or a sr20det and you have 200plus bhp and rwd...alot of fun.

[dieselboy]

I like your ideas Hesh!

How about a Datsun with a 200SX lump?

[Mork]

What's your budget?
Do you want to race, or just trackday?

Trackdays are all about going fast and having fun, there's minimal restrictions on roll cages, harnesses and stuff. Many people use their road cars – perhaps just changing wheels.
If you want to race then it's a different question – all sorts of restrictions, fire suits, weight limits, engine size, gearbox, price and stuff that can become very tricky to stay within.
If you want to race you're better of finding a race division you like and buying a pre-made race car for it.
Racing can be very expensive.

If you want to just play on a track then search around for something RWD with some balls.

An MX5 can be fun, RWD go kart style action and quite easy upgrade and turbocharge and you can buy them for buttons.
You can get my favourite, the Honda S2000, you can get them for £5-6k, 200BHP (allegedly ) road legal, lots of mod options and ###### quick.
9000 rpm sounds fantastic as you accelerate out of a corner.
Perhaps a lotus, old MR2. There's a garage near me flogging a Bright Blue old Jag XJS for about £5k that could be a lot of fun to hammer round a track.

If you want a hardtop then you can't go far wrong with an old BMW 3 series.
RWD drive, plenty in the scrapyards for spares, plenty of aftermarket goodies for customising and some decent bootspace for taking your tools to the track.

Or you could go for a caterham style of thing. Much more nuts and bolts rather than computers so easier to work on. Light and fast.

I don't race, I just play on trackdays and airfield days.
I went down the Honda S2000 route.
High Speed, lots of comedy sideways action, roof down on sunny days and street legal.