As I've said, I had one for twelve years. Very easy access to everything under the hood, I cleaned the engine bay with a sponge and reached nearly everywhere. Sure optimally the battery should be in the front, but for track day use, just put in a smaller one.
Track Car Suggestions
- Thread starter andyoz
- Start date
As I've said, I had one for twelve years. Very easy access to everything under the hood, I cleaned the engine bay with a sponge and reached nearly everywhere. Sure optimally the battery should be in the front, but for track day use, just put in a smaller one.
The Celica was always going to be the practical choice. It has 4 seats and a decent boot. On that basis FWD (from the Corolla?) was the obvious choice for easy packaging and a big boot for family life.
andyoz
pfm Member
Not a track car and I know they are a bit heavy and will break down and make you cry but the V6 Brera's are looking silly cheap. Any car that looks like that (especially inside) must be worth a buy and hold if you have the room.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...dius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&page=1
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...dius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&page=1
wow&flutter
pfm Member
Not a track car and I know they are a bit heavy and will break down and make you cry but the V6 Brera's are looking silly cheap. Any car that looks like that (especially inside) must be worth a buy and hold if you have the room.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202006089906808?make=ALFA ROMEO&model=BRERA&sort=relevance&postcode=bt343su&minimum-badge-engine-size=3.0&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&page=1
Alfa Romeo is always worth a look but be careful! I’ve had an Alfa itch since the mid eighties when I had three Italian cars in a row, however this guy always brings me back to Earth!
I want another Alfa, but I know the last one was on a transporter 3x in a year, and after I sold it with a blown engine and it was repaired the gearbox let go. "It was because it wasn't properly maintained" comes the cry. Oh yes , because there's lots of maintenance that you need to do to a gearbox in 80k miles, isn't there?
Hopefully the modern ones are better than the 90s variants. In addition to mine, a friend had a 156, a company car, it was beautiful but it spent more time in the dealer than at his house.
Hopefully the modern ones are better than the 90s variants. In addition to mine, a friend had a 156, a company car, it was beautiful but it spent more time in the dealer than at his house.
-alan-
pfm Member
I bought a 90s 75 Twinspark with 6 months work of NCT/MOT off a mate for 500 euro about 10 years ago - primarily to have a bit of fun on track. Got one track day out of it - which was fun when it was going, but It had two distinct operation modes - completely fine, and completely dead. And would switch from one to t'other with no warning. Died on me out on track twice in the one day. After the 2nd time I didn't fancy running the risk of being clubbed senseless at the back of the paddock with tyre irons by the other non-too-happy drivers who were in the sessions which were red-flagged, so that was the end of that.
Discovered (eventually) it was a bad connection in one of the electrical relays - but by that time it was too late, the damn thing had oxidised itself into oblivion on the driveway.
About 3-4 years after I bought it, two passing gentlemen from the Hi-Ace driving fraternity offered my wife 100 quid for it one day when I was at work - and the deal was done. Gone by the time I got home. Biggest regret I had was not getting a chance to whip the steering wheel off it before it disappeared:
I still regret that loss
Discovered (eventually) it was a bad connection in one of the electrical relays - but by that time it was too late, the damn thing had oxidised itself into oblivion on the driveway.
About 3-4 years after I bought it, two passing gentlemen from the Hi-Ace driving fraternity offered my wife 100 quid for it one day when I was at work - and the deal was done. Gone by the time I got home. Biggest regret I had was not getting a chance to whip the steering wheel off it before it disappeared:
I still regret that loss
andyoz
pfm Member
Jim's first Alfa was a 200k job!!!
andyoz
pfm Member
I bought a 90s 75 Twinspark with 6 months work of NCT/MOT off a mate for 500 euro about 10 years ago - primarily to have a bit of fun on track. Got one track day out of it - which was fun when it was going, but It had two distinct operation modes - completely fine, and completely dead. And would switch from one to t'other with no warning. Died on me out on track twice in the one day. After the 2nd time I didn't fancy running the risk of being clubbed senseless at the back of the paddock with tyre irons by the other non-too-happy drivers who were in the sessions which were red-flagged, so that was the end of that.
Discovered (eventually) it was a bad connection in one of the electrical relays - but by that time it was too late, the damn thing had oxidised itself into oblivion on the driveway.
About 3-4 years after I bought it, two passing gentlemen from the Hi-Ace driving fraternity offered my wife 100 quid for it one day when I was at work - and the deal was done. Gone by the time I got home. Biggest regret I had was not getting a chance to whip the steering wheel off it before it disappeared:
I still regret that loss
Jeez, don't leave your Lotus unattended with your wife and any Hi-ace drivers.
BTW when I was back in Oz at Xmas, my brother had kitted out a 2.5 petrol Hi-Ace (long wheelbase) into a surfers cruise mobile with bed. On the Great Ocean Road, we were getting some decent cornering speeds/loss of traction/wheel squeal. Chassis had just enough flex in her to give that satisfying snap back into line feel. Think it was 13" rims too.
I've probably laughed more at 50mph in that car and our £500 MX5 than any other car for years. That's got to tell me something about how car design has lost it's way. We're all bloody snowflakes that want to be cosseted from any NVH...also known as FEEL. I guess we don't want to die in crashes either.
andyoz
pfm Member
Our local track Kirkistown would let me take a Hi-Ace on track. The last fundraiser cruise we did ended up with all the cars on track and one of them was this green people mover with two hay bails on the roof. It was in the paddock and we were all waiting for him to take the bails off, no way! All four lads hoped into her with helmets and kept the bails on for ballast.
English readers must be wonder WTF goes on over here in Nth Ireland...
That's our MX too with our spray can Heatseeker paint job...miss her!
English readers must be wonder WTF goes on over here in Nth Ireland...
That's our MX too with our spray can Heatseeker paint job...miss her!
Ouch. I bet you do. I'd pay £100 for that wheel alone!About 3-4 years after I bought it, two passing gentlemen from the Hi-Ace driving fraternity offered my wife 100 quid for it one day when I was at work - and the deal was done. Gone by the time I got home. Biggest regret I had was not getting a chance to whip the steering wheel off it before it disappeared:
I still regret that loss
andyoz
pfm Member
I kid you not, the extra weight of the wooden bed frame in the back settled the back end nicely and the thing just never got totally out of line....would snap back like an MX5 (sort off haha)
That's my youngest in the back and he still talks about the "washine machine" treatment we'd give him in the back fishtailing the Hi-Ace on the Oz dirt roads. His mum's never seen the videos thankfully..
Mongeddavid
pfm Member
RX8
andyoz
pfm Member
Yeah, need to look into that one more.
I really like Mazda's. One of them stripped could be great
Mongeddavid
pfm Member
I had one it was a great car revving up to 9k was awesome a little tricky in the wet though but then im not certain i went for the best tyres for that otherwise very forgiving and easy to drive fast but no drift in the rear end like a MX5 my other love other than the boxster i have now would be a MRS MR2 toyota mid engined lively performance and a real connection to the road. May be a little similar to the MX5 though
Mongeddavid
pfm Member
andyoz
pfm Member
Haha. I watched that two weeks ago!
MX-5 still comes our well though.
Maybe a mk1 MX-5 1.8 Supercharged with full cage etc is what we need.