Lee's new car choice

[Caz SR]

I agree with you, but with Lee's points he is quoting track times and how fast it would be compared to other cars.

Well I've seen Supra times round Nur .. I don't think he had the drivers, that set the times, worried.

The S2000 is rapid as round Nur, I, unfortunalty, am not.

I know that I would love to have a go track racing but in a sub 1k car. OK it could be the slowest thing on track stats-wise, but then I really wouldn't care because I'd enjoy pushing it to the car's limit without the fear of trashing an expensive bit of kit. It would also enable me to learn about set-ups, what's good and what isn't and adapt accordingly, rather than build an uber car within it's class and find out it's great on paper but crap on tarmac.

This was my theory behind the whole MK1 thing. I actually think it could be considered a sin to take mine out and risk trashing it - for the whole potential classic thing. But there are plenty of disgarded restoration projects or less cared for examples that could make fantastic track cars - the MK1 challenge series is there to prove that. I will buy another MK1 at some point and give the track thing a go when funds allow.

But all that's just my opinion. Lee - what's the most important factor? Having a track car or a modern, funky run around that may save some petrol money and you'll enjoy on the roads as opposed to on track? I really don't think you can truely have both :)

[Bibbs]

If Lee said I want a slow, roadster (that isn't a proper convertable) that is over priced and has a bit of Badge snobbery .. but in reality is a wobbly old lemmon.

I'd rather see him in a Z3 ..

As I said, it's a compromise of too many things, and doesn't do any of them outstandingly well.

I wanted a super fast, affordable, rare, open top, sleek sportscar that would be great on the track.

I got a quick, rare-ish, good looking roadster with good handling.

[Flat Pack]

Aaah if we're talking about actually racing a car rather than just having a laugh at track days, then being able to drive the damn thing becomes more important :)

Massively generalising (ie you might well be disproportionately slower in something that actively tries to kill you all the time), but if you can only drive a car at 80%, you'll still be quicker in a faster car. So on a track day does it really matter that perhaps you can't extract everything from it provided you're having fun?

Can't say that I really understand keeping the Aristo and having a Smart too. Maybe that's just because it just doesn't fit in with my thinking. I wanted a track car, so I'm building one. It does track and full on driving well. It's pretty much rubbish at everything else though ;) When I started I also wanted something cheap to run and practial for the daily grind, so I've pootled around in a Focus for the last year or so. Now I want something faster to use day to day, so I'm looking for something to meet that need ;)

Still doesn't change my fundamental thinking though - a car that's good day to day and one a car that's good for sunny days and thrashing on track (need to spend PLENTY for one that can do both well). If he's got a different set of needs that the Aristo and Smart can meet better then he's making the right choice. I don't understand what they are though ;)

Oh and have you considered sprints / hillclimbs? I'm thinking about them as a cheap entry to motorsport once I'm able to make better use of my car. They've got a competition element, but with only the risk of your own idiocy bending your car rather than someone else running into you :)