Any Tractor Guys Into Sports Cars Too?

[xtn]

I like the Shelby Cobra and actually most of the replicas. I've been dreaming of building a Factory Five replica and dropping a 390 into a 2000lb car. It's mean, it's smelly but it's all so much fun. Perhaps one day I'll jump in and do it but it's a lot of money and time to make one.

I originally wanted a FF car. I dreamed about the for a few years. When I could finally afford one, I decided I didn't want to spend two years building a car. Still think very fondly of them though!

 

[ultrarunner]

I like the Shelby Cobra and actually most of the replicas. I've been dreaming of building a Factory Five replica and dropping a 390 into a 2000lb car. It's mean, it's smelly but it's all so much fun. Perhaps one day I'll jump in and do it but it's a lot of money and time to make one.

I grew up around them... my Uncle was big into SCCA and owned several... still has one of the originals... he said it was just too nice to part with... paid a little of 10k for it during the 1973 Gasoline Shortage...

Somewhere, I need to find a picture with his garage door open... he has the Cobra parked next to his GT40... both are red... of course...

There was a time, nearly 40 years ago when muscle cars couldn't be given away...

He got his start with TR2 and then raced Super 7 and Lola's...

Anyone ever make it to the Historic Monterey Races??? He would always have one car there for many years...

His son-in-law has his eye on the cars... so no chance one coming my way...

A couple of years ago he sold the GT40 and bought a brand-new GT... something about having the amenities, like A/C becoming more important when you are in your mid 70's...

Did get to drive his cars a little... the big cobra he had before was a monster and and I think I still have a scar from the exposed side-pipe on my calf... Pantera were fun and the GT40... was wicked...

 

[N80]

Everyone's definition of a sports car is different I guess. I'll answer like this: For similar money, one can choose a GT-R, a Z06, an Exige, a Cayman S or older 911 variant, and several others.

The GT-R starts at $90k now. I don't know about the Exige, but the Z06 starts at $75k while the Cayman S starts at $62k so they are well below the GT-R in price so its not surprising that there are a few more, not to mention that they are all fantastic.

The GT-R just doesn't have the feeling of control the way the others do. It would be an exaggeration to say you're just a passenger when you drive it, but if a car can lean in that direction, the GT-R does. That seems to make a lot of difference to the guys that have taken up road course driving as a sport.

I guess I just don't have enough experience to know what you mean. I can understand numb steering, oversteer, understeer, mushy brakes, sloppy suspension and all that. But if you can get in a car, whatever it is, and it performs really...really.... well, I'm not sure what the value is to that 'feel' unless it is fun or nostalgia. I'm not knocking it, I think I'd prefer the more 'involved' vehicle as well, but it seems like more of a sentimental thing that a true performance thing. Anyway, I'm just thinking out loud and don't really know what I'm talking about.......but I have watched a LOT of Top Gear!

I guess the closest thing in my experience is trying to horse my coupe around a bit and being frustrated by the car's systems. You really have to do a high rev clutch dump to smoke the tires and you're as likely to get wheel hop as a burn out. I could easily smoke the tires in my older, lower HP trucks and SUVs.

On my car I use Pagid RS14 brake pads. They're pretty much full race pads. Pagid makes their RS4-2 pads, which are excellent as a street/track pad in my experience. Don't know if they make a fitment for your car. Other popular street/track pads around the track are EBC Yellowstuff and Hawk HP Plus. Be advised any of these is going to dust more than your OEM pads and may be a bit noisier too.

I'll look into the Pagid RS4-2 pads. I've researched the EBC Yellowstuff pads and have been leaning that way. They seem to be a reasonable compromise for a daily driver luxury coupe/would-be track day car.:laughing:

It already has very lightweight forged rims but future plans include adjustable shocks/struts and beefier adjustable antisway bars...but trying to resist dumping too much money into making this a mediocre track car when I should be saving for a 2010 Cayman S with maybe 40k miles on it to be purchased in 2013.:drool:

Don't worry about your tires at all. A new driver isn't going to do much damage to them in his first weekend. If you decide you love it and are going to come back to do it again and again, then of course your tire wear will begin to increase and there isn't much you can do about it. You just accept the idea of buying expensive tires a lot more often than you used to.

Thanks for that advice. It has summer high performance tires on it but their a bit harder than most of the super pricey tires. Still not cheap though. But you're right, I suspect I'll spend most of any track day learning technique rather than pushing any limits.

 

[N80]

It looks like Pagid does not make pads for the G35. I did not check to see if they had pads for the 350z since it is same as the G35.

 

[toy]

Not really a sports car but a modern muscle car, a 2010 Dodge Challenger. I've done a couple of things to it and it makes about 375 hp and 410 ft-lbs at the rear wheels.

That is a nice looking ride was it imported from Detroit?

 

[dfkrug]

That Ferrari is beautiful. Magnum PI? I always thought the 240Z was a great looking car.

My 308 was an 83, the first of the 4-valve/cyl V8s, with mechanical fuel
injection. WAY better than the earlier 308s that go back to 76. You can
pick up a 77-78 with triple webers pretty cheap, or an 80-81 fuelie 2V even
cheaper. These last were more trouble-prone and under-powered, as
on Magnum PI. Not expensive to buy....very expensive to fix.

I used to run catalytic converters only for the smog tests, but I got tired
of the battle. Same with my 240Z....working around CA emissions rules
is labor-intensive. I am embarassed to say my current cars have NO mods.

 

[Landon]

Also commonly thought of as a girly man's car, FYI. Hey, I don't make this stuff up ... but I do happen to agree.

Of course you certainly have the right to ride around in such :thumbsup:

Here is a video of me driving my girly man Miata at 133mph in the 1/4.
10 70@133 V8 Miata - YouTube

 

[N80]

You can
pick up a 77-78 with triple webers pretty cheap, or an 80-81 fuelie 2V even
cheaper. These last were more trouble-prone and under-powered, as
on Magnum PI. Not expensive to buy....very expensive to fix.

I would love to own a Ferrari just to say I'd had one. Several years ago we were in Northern Italy and when we were in Modena we stopped by the Ferrari museum. Performance aside I just love their style.

Anyway, I doubt I'd ever tackle a Ferrari project car. Sounds like a nightmare to me.

However, I know where a barn-parked 77 BMW 2002 is. It's in decent shape and was running when it was parked there 25 years ago. I could buy it pretty cheap and I already own a Weber that will fit it. Not really a sports car, but I've heard they were lively little race cars in their day. I'd love to rebuild it like one of the race modified ones from the 70's. I'd have to pay to have all the work done though....I don't even have a garage now.

Edit: Maybe it is a 76. It has the big ugly saftey bumpers anyway. It is not a Ti or Tii.

 

[ham]

My first sports care was a barn find of a '64 Spitfire with only 17K miles. After catching my girl and moving on I purchased car number 25 of the Maxda RX7s which I still have in daytona blue. After that I changed to a '88 Mazda RX7 convertible which I still have and drive. My newest sports car is a '11 Ford Heavy Duty Ecoboost that runs like a scared cat and handles extremely well in the curves...much faster than the first two

 

[RoyJackson]

However, I know where a barn-parked 77 BMW 2002 is. It's in decent shape and was running when it was parked there 25 years ago. I could buy it pretty cheap and I already own a Weber that will fit it. Not really a sports car, but I've heard they were lively little race cars in their day. I'd love to rebuild it like one of the race modified ones from the 70's. I'd have to pay to have all the work done though....I don't even have a garage now.

Edit: Maybe it is a 76. It has the big ugly saftey bumpers anyway. It is not a Ti or Tii.

Those 2002's (especially the Ti and Tii models) are what made BMW's reputation as sporting machines. Nice cars!!
They are prone to rust and body parts might be difficult to obtain. I think they still have a pretty good following by BMW enthusiasts though.