Any Tractor Guys Into Sports Cars Too?

[RalphVa]

My favorite was the Alfa Duetto Jr. (1300 cc engine). Also had a TR3B and a Triumph Spitfire. Favorite pickup was a Dodge Rampage, a sportscar pickup (pic below with the Alfa).

Present sedans will far out handle any of these old sports cars though. Look at the test reports on almost any sedan today. Almost any will likely pull more cornering Gs than these old sports cars. Something about top down motoring though. Enjoyed my VW Cabrio. Except for the torque steer on hard cornering, it handled really well.

Ralph

 

[patrick_g]

At 6' 2" and 235-> 265lbs I used to "put on" a Sprite like a car suit. I fit but it wan't too big for me. I have never been in a Miata but if the front console goes all the way to the dash then likely there is not enough space for my leg as I tend to need a little space there although for the last couple years I tilt the scales at about 215-220.. I fit our 2004 Prius OK but the newer models are more cramped for me although roomier for small folks. Go figure.

Yeah, I concur philosophically regarding "sporty cars" and still choke up a little trying to say sport car when refering to a well bread sedan. XKE = sports car nicht var? I had a '59 MG-A with side curtains and no heater. Maximum fun for my wife who drove it to work getting off at midnight and hoping the roll down a steep hill would get it started when its two 6 volt batts (one either side of the centerline for weight distribution) were 10 to 40 F below zero. Heresy, our Tiger had rollup windows! I saw a Super show room cherry Pontiac "sports car" the pother day, a Solstice. I know nothing about it except it looked quite nice. I looked it up (2009 model)

For 2009, both Solstice coupe and convertibles come in two trims. The base convertible and coupe feature a 5-speed manual transmission standard and a 2.4L DOHC aluminum 4-cylinder engine that produces 173 horsepower and 167 lb of torque. Four-wheel disc brakes, a limited-slip rear differential, ABS, stability control, 18-inch aluminum wheels, traction control, a CD player with an auxiliary input jack and XM satellite radio are all standard. Both base trims have a starting price of just about $25,000. They have a turbo model too.

Oh well, my buggy will have to do for a while. A nice 1600 engine, body pan shortened 14 inches with seating for 2. Where rear seats would have been is a platform for cooler and picnic basket, or small children (there are 2 seatbelts) or a tight fit but will hold 6 each 5 gal buckets of feed for my Black angus herd. It moves out pretty well. I try to hold it back but it still gets a little air in some parts of the pasture.

Anybody with a "modern sporty car" want to race me in the dunes or around my pastures or along the side of a river in mostly sand witih ocassional water? Nah, I didn't think so.

Hey, we could set up a gymkhana course with dunce hats in my pasture... Looser buys me a rootbeer float.

Patrick

 

[tallyho8]

George, sorry to hear about the damage to your car. I know how I would feel if I damaged mine like that. I bought my new Genesis Coupe Grand Touring with the intention of running it on the new track in our neighborhood, NOLA Motorsports Park, NOLA Motorsports Park - New Orleans, Louisiana race track, go karts, performance driving schools but with insurance being $300 a day and the fear of putting a scratch on my new machine, I haven't done it yet.

With all the hype about the Genesis Coupe winning the Pikes Peak hill climb and setting new record speeds two years in a row,(although the modified one that won bears little resemblance to a stock one) the Coupe is finally starting to get a little respect around here and I can't wait to try it on the track. I might just run it at the drag strip a few times first where I have less chance of getting a scratch.

 

[robs660]

I just ordered a Mercedes C63 507 coupe. I should have it in early spring. I got to test drive one and that was it. I was in love.

 

[PILOON]

In my younger days I owned some 6 MG TD's and later on MG B's.
Two yrs ago I went thru that 'stage' and spent hours on line and looked at numerous restored and 'project' examples. Most projects were overpriced for what they were and the restored overpriced for my budget.
I narrowed down to Miata and refused to consider BMW's which abounded.
In my travels I happened on a used car lot that had 3-4 sport cars on display, one being a Ferrari parked between a BMW and a Toyota MRE.
As I closely examined the Toyota out came the salesman who simply tossed the keys at me and said "Try her out!"
The car simply said "Take me home"---To me it was an updated MG B with lots of modern amenities.
Really nice handling, good heat, good air conditioning very reliable 1.6 L Toyota motor and of fun to drive as it is rear engine and close to 50/50 distribution.
If I consider investment side of things I am sure that I will have done better than than stock market and will always get a fair return should I ever sell.
Two seasons have passed and I don't regret that purchase one second. My wife even enjoys it.
It was a Florida car legally imported to Canada so it has absolutely no rust but paint is somewhat faded due to southern sun.

I also can suggest that I am doing the environmental thing as the fuel consumption is 1/3 of my 'winter ride', a 2002 GMC 'Jimmy" that has served me well.

The MRE is winter stored in a large Ford delivery van body that even has a roll up door and insulated as well. Makes a perfect garage, just a bit narrow but ideal and best of all free.
I could heat the 'garage' easily if I wanted but have simply created ventilation to keep out dampness. A battery keeper keeps it topped up and I do run the engine every month or so.

 

[N80]

The MRE is a great little car!

Dudley, driving the car you love on track is one of the best and worst things in the world.

On the one hand, I love driving my car. To work, to the store, wherever. No matter how bad my day is going, when it is time to go somewhere I'd get a smile getting in my car. And I love the way my car looks..er...looked. Now, couple that with being able to do nothing more than change brake pads and take it to the track and drive it like a race car, well, it just doesn't get much better than that. All that adrenaline and performance on the weekend and the fun of driving the very same car day to day is very satisfying.

On the other hand, of course, is the obvious cost when something goes wrong. When you have a car that does it all (fun, fast and daily driver), you lose it all when you crash it. So it is a double edged sword no matter how you slice it.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to drive and track this car for two years and I don't regeret doing so even in light of the obvious consequences. And it will be going back to the track as soon as I can afford to. Since my car was used to begin with and has now been seriously devalued by the wreck, I can get track day insurance for about $120 per event. I hate spending that money.....but I'd be in much better shape if I'd been spending it all along.

Now, serious track rats and racers will say that you shouldn't put any car on the track that you don't mind wadding up and walking away from. That sounds like good advice but when you really look at it, it doesn't hold water for very long. Sure there are lots of folks out there in old E30's and Honda Civics, but even those cars often have quite a few bucks worth of performance improvements in them. And most of the guys who say this are driving dedicated track cars worth more than my 2007 350Z anyway.

 

[xtn]

I track my Exige four or five times per year. Worst I ever did was rip the front splitter off.

 

[N80]

I track my Exige four or five times per year. Worst I ever did was rip the front splitter off.

Me too. But I've only been doing it about two years. Been about 12 times. Still, never expected it to happen like it did. I assumed it would be when I was really pushing it. Did inexperience play a role? Probably. But I personally know more than a few drivers with more talent and experience than me who have crashed their street cars on the track. Some of them racers. In fact, several of them posted videos of themselves crashing in the same place as I did.

Anyway, might point is that it can happen, probably to anyone, and sometimes when you least expect it.

 

[RobertBrown]

Was that you or your wife driving?
If it was you. you should have got off the track when the drops hit your windshield.
Since you didn't....stop whining.
You spun out because the track was wet, I can see you were trying to compensate for the water on the track and you failed. Cold wet track means bent sheet metal.
Since it's bent up....race it some more, only this time..... RACE IT TO WIN, NOT TO WRECK.

RACE IT OR GET OFF THE POT.....ER AH TRACK.....

 

[N80]

you should have got off the track when the drops hit your windshield.

There is some merit to that advice. On the other hand, it rained all weekend. Sometimes if you want to drive, you drive in the wet. It is hard and it is risky but it can be rewarding and fun. I know folks who don't drive at all in the rain. I might be one of them now.

Since you didn't....stop whining.

Not whining. Just sharing the experience.

You spun out because the track was wet

Incorrect. I spun out because I made a mistake.

I can see you were trying to compensate for the water on the track

Of course. No one drives on a wet track without compensating.

and you failed.

Correct....Captain Obvious.

Cold wet track means bent sheet metal.

Incorrect. Track time=bent sheet metal. The wet is just another risk among many. I've driven in the wet many times on a number of tracks.

RACE IT TO WIN, NOT TO WRECK.

You should be an instructor. All this time I thought RACE IT TO WRECK IT was the way to go. Doh!

RACE IT OR GET OFF THE POT.....ER AH TRACK.....

Agreed. As mentioned above my intention is to get back on track ASAP.

Seriously though, I'm not a racer and not sure I'll ever do wheel-to-wheel. I may work my way to time trials. For now, just working my way up through HPDE. But there is a Spec Z racing class with NASA. My car would be perfect. All it needs to get started is a cage and R comps. Would take a little more to be competitive.

A friend of mine, a NASA instructor and racer, has offered to let me drive his thunder roadster next time we're at the track. This is a popular racing class in the S.E. region of NASA. Very tight, very competitive and pretty inexpensive racing.