Any Tractor Guys Into Sports Cars Too?

[Big Barn]

I've totally lost interest in cars. I just sold my SL500 last spring. I like my pickup trucks better.

 

[frugalangler]

I've played w/ 'sports cars' - definition is wide - in the past

late teens early twentys age:
built a '69 Chevelle 396 that would snap your neck
'70s 442 that was nearly the same
took a family break until my mid-life crisis about 1990
acquired a '86 Corvette Convertible (Pace Car Replica), has a Mickey Thompson factory option 4sp with auto-overdrive, love the torque the L98 generated
traded for a '87 IROC Camaro, rebuilt it to put about 400#/ft to the rear wheels, another head snapper with the manual shift built 700R4 trans
acquired a '83 Jag XJ6, what a boat anchor, engine looked like a submarine engine and weighed similar as all cast iron built like a tank, lost that engine and it's torque-slide trans (a Chrysler variant) in favor of an L98/700R4 combo like in the 'vette,another head snapper - once you got the tires to quit smoking, just not quite as violent as the Jag is a HEAVY sedan
had a very limited production Pontiac "Turbo Grand Prix" that was built to a Lotus design by an after-build factory sanctioned company, a little computer and turbo tuning and it was the ultimate sleeper, had virtually no markings to make it distinctive from other V6 dogs, but this puppy would smoke the 245's that were stuffed in the wheel wells - insane time in a front drive jackrabbit
and, once my daily driver was a Volvo type-R, Motor Week's description was "Do you need a car like this, no. Do you want a car like this, hhhhhhhhh YES!" Talk about smooth insane power, that was it!
Also did a little w/ bikes, had one of the first Suzuki multi-valve 750GS ('78 if memory serves) that was ridiculously fast, was actually the fastest production 750 ever at that time.
oh, also did some time pitting and wrenching for a drag biker that ran both a 500cc Mach and the 900 successor, drilled frame, rotors, alum accessories, etc - never got the xxxx's to get on one and run it though

wow, thanks for the walk down memory lane

 

[N80]

s219, that's a lot of nice cars.

I have found that my 350z, even before the roll bar and race seat, was noisy and has a harsh ride. Fine for on track, not great for long commutes. My work drive is about 8 minutes long so that was never an issue, but it is definitely not a 'grand tourer'. On the other hand, my wife has an Infinit G37s coupe with a 6 speed manual. It is a similar platform to the Z but more HP, more refined and way more comfortable. We made a 1 week road trip from SC to Memphis then down to New Orleans via highway 61 and then back to SC. It was very comfortable, very poised and reasonably fast so I consider it a true GT car and will hold on to it as long as I can. Infiniti no longer makes a manual transmission in any of its line.

I like my Z but it understeers and is too heavy for a serious track car. I can make some mods to help with under steer. The beauty of the Z is that it has been a stellar dual use car. I change brake pads for track weekends and then change them back and drive it to work every day. No serious reliability or performance issues on or off track. As mentioned, it is steadily progressing to a track only car.

I have found that the S2000s perform similar to my Z with comparable drivers/tires even though it is lower in HP to the Z. They catch me in the corners, I pace them a little on the straights. With a better driver or stickier tires the S2000s are faster than me.

Corvettes, for whatever reason, do not appeal to me, never have. But late model Corvettes are fast and handle well. Usually among the faster cars on the track even relatively unmodified. The latest Corvettes are at near supercar performance levels for way less than supercar money.

When I look at what's out there now, if I had a little money to spend, I'd get a used Porsche Caymen with a 6 or a used BMW M2.

 

[N80]

I've totally lost interest in cars. I just sold my SL500 last spring. I like my pickup trucks better.

View attachment 529267

Street pick up trucks just suck on the race track.

 

[ultrarunner]

Your uncle had a lot of dream cars.

Back when most were still affordable... also a divorce can wreck havoc.

Lots of the SCCA guys back in the 50's and 60's owned many dream cars today.

My Uncle paid 10k for one of the 427 Cobras and made the trip to Southern CA to drive it home... the car was in a garage in the Hollywood Hills...

Last year I bought the Cobra and GT40 registry books showing each chassis number and chain of ownership.

At least I had the chance to get to know the cars... Uncle is in his 80's and down to one original Cobra... it got quite a write up in local paper not all that long age.

 

[stingray1]

Corvettes,Corvettes and Corvettes

 

[lostcreekranch]

Corvettes,Corvettes and Corvettes

 

[bunyip]

That looks a lot like a Super 7.

They all look very similar and there are quite a few kit manufacturers here, engines seem to be either the Toyota 2 litre or Nissan 1.6 litre.
Clubman is the category not the manufacturer (which you probably knew) and not to be confused with the Mini Clubman.

 

[N80]

They all look very similar and there are quite a few kit manufacturers here, engines seem to be either the Toyota 2 litre or Nissan 1.6 litre.
Clubman is the category not the manufacturer (which you probably knew) and not to be confused with the Mini Clubman.

I think Caterham is a well known maker of cars like this. Some of them with fairly serious HP....and prices. They look like a blast to drive.

 

[RalphVa]

I'm on my 5th topless car. Have had a Triumph Spitfire, Triumph TR-3B, Alfa Duetto Jr, VW Cabrio and now a Mazda MX-5 GT. The Miata (MX-5) is my favorite. Next best was the Alfa. The Miata is the first retractable hard top I'd had. That's better than a soft top. Regularly drive it even in the winter with the top down. Had tonneau covers for the two Triumphs. They were a good way to drive topless in the winter. A 4 passenger car like the VW Cabrio is NOT nice in the winter. Air goes over the windshield and then comes down into the back seats and then swirls around at one's feet.

We have a Tacoma pickup which is a great pickup, but we both hate to drive it. We call it the Toyota Turd. Compared to any of our sedans or sports cars, it's a slug and just not fun. Good appliance in that it does what it's supposed to do and does it quite effortlessly (for the driver) but is like piloting a slug around on the road.

Ralph