Which weekend/track car?

[SKYHI]

Thinking about getting a two seater sports car that I can take for an occasional run around the twisty roads and take to the track for sprints etc.

Had my heart set on a 111R Elise, as they seem purpose built for this sort of thing, but I'm concerned I might be stretching the budget by the time I do the suggested mods for the track such as toe links & suspension etc, plus add a hardtop (personal preference).

Of course, another option would be an MX5. Out of the three currently available models, the NC appeals to me the most appearance wise, and has the best chassis to base a track car on, but it lacks the power and handling of the Elise, and weighs nearly 300 kgs more. So, is it feasible to purchase an NC and modify it to have a similar performance as the Elise for a budget of say 30-32K? For a start, the Elise has a power to weight ratio of 4.55kg/hp, so we're talking roughly 250hp in an 1150kg NC1. Would a 2.5L engine swap with mods or supercharger be feasible within the budget? Obviously you'd also have to factor in coilovers, sway bars and some brake upgrades to go with the extra power.

A third option would be an ND, but I suspect I'm going to be in the same boat budget wise as the Elise.

So modified NC or save my money for an Elise or an ND?

[oztrackdays]

Split the Difference, a Turbo K Powered MR-S will let you know you are alive.

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Toyota-MR2-2001/SSE-AD-3101326/?Cr=34

[SKYHI]

Not to hurt the feelings of any MR-S owners, but they have never done much for me

[JBT]

NC2 (or NC1 with NC2 engine) with supercharger will get along nicely. This beauty did a 1:03 at Lakeside last year.



It has this set up. http://store.automotiveplus.com.au/

An NC1 with 2.5 + FI will be reasonably affordable and very hard to catch.

[speed]

Um 20k for a fd rx7, done. They beat Porsche 4 years in a row at the 12 hour in their day.

Apologies if this is not your cup of tea but I despise NC's.


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[Dan]

I’d buy an NC, keep the stock 2.0 and do all the mods. Then determine if you need a bigger engine after you’ve dríven it for a while.

The only mod you can’t take to a 2.5 is the tune (plus arguably a 4.1 FGR if you get one) but that’s not much in the scheme of a 2.5 since that is going to probably be 7k+ if you can’t do it yourself.

I considered an Elise when I brought my MX5 for basically the exact same purpose as you so I’ve looked into it quite a bit. The downsides as I see them are:
- Cost of replacement clamshells if you have even a minor incident on the track is pretty big compared to the MX5 where minor incidents just cost you relatively cheap panels and paint. A major incident and you are out for double the cost for a new donor car (I’ve never had an incident in any of my cars *touch wood* but you should always prepare for the worst).
- The cost for modifications/maintenance is going to be more since they are a specialist car.
- insurance will be more expensive.

There is a fair bit of expense just building a basic car which people sometimes underestimate and even if you brought an NC for 15k and did all the work yourself I think you’d be lucky to have much change from 23k once you brought all the basic parts, a set of track tyres/pads and replaced all the fluids (unless you just go cheap on everything and only get the basics).

I made you a list below of the basic mods and cost off the top of my head minus install costs (some of these parts are going to be a decent amount of $ to install if you can't do it yourself) just to give you an idea of parts most people get on the NC, hope it helps.

Stuff you’ll want:
Track Wheels - $300 for RX8 16x8’s, 1.3k for RPF1’s
Headers + Exhaust - 2k
Tune - $800
Braided Brake Lines - $150
Coilovers - 1k for BC, 2.5k for Ohlins
Sway Bars - $350 without end links

Stuff you might want:
Hardtop - 2k
4.1 FGR - 1k (highly recommended)

Basic Consumables:
Brake pads - $300
Tyres - 1.5k+ for A050/Z221

That's performance mods, then add safety gear - A rollbar is about 1.5k and you should probably have a Seat + Harness + HANS especially if you drive at Lakeside (swapping the seat takes 10 mins if you want the stock seat on the street and it's only a couple of grand of cost to save you if sh*t happens).

[oztrackdays]

They aren't all that magic, with quite high upkeep getting higher as they age, hard to find a clean one
when you are the 5th or 6th owner.

Lotii aren't all that special Naturally aspirated drive one and see if you rate them.

[mitch027]

The NC1 with the soft top and cloth interior is meant to weigh in at 1100kg. Get the early one without TCS

And that is before you change out the heavy muffler

[lightyear]

Why not get an NB8B? They are the best bang for buck. I am building a weekend/track one now.

You can buy one for around $9000.
Coilovers $1100
Wheels and tyres $2000
Seat and harness $1000
Rollbar $500-$1000
Exhaust, intake $1000

May want a hardtop and other bits. You can sell some bits you take off.

If you want more power, an ecu change and turbo will double the power for around $4000.

So for around $20,000 budget, there won't be any NC that will touch you.

[Charlie Brown]

So for around $20,000 budget, there won't be any NC that will touch you.

There could be one or two.

[magenb]

Thinking about getting a two seater sports car that I can take for an occasional run around the twisty roads and take to the track for sprints etc.

So modified NC or save my money for an Elise or an ND?

Mx5, the worlds most raced car.

[wasabi]

Clearly we have a very similar taste in cars! I was looking at the exact same model before I bought my SE. The SE was a cheaper option (Even when all the mods I wanted / needed were tallied up) & so far I've been happy with it.

The major turn off I had with the Lotus was actually their qwerks. When I read a buyers guide I saw statements like:

"Keep an eye out for spider webs in the pain work as this can be a sign of a repair or over tightening of bolts. However, bolts are often over tightened by the factory so some spider webs are normal / acceptable."

Or

"Lotus have track inspired suspension with very limited travel. As with all cars, it is unfavorable for any of the suspension components to be bent. However some components bending are normal / acceptable in a Lotus"

Reading things like the above made the choice to go with the MX5 much easier... So why didn't I go with an NC? Well aside from the fact I've wanted an SE since they were released, I really wanted mine for motorsport & you can get away with a wee bit more while still being able to drive it on the street (IE: Seats).

Everyone will have different opinions on which car or series they like. Best advice I can give you is really work out what you want the car for - Try & look a few years down the track as well - & with a bit of luck, it'll point you to the car you should have

[Lokiel]

I got a chuckle from a car restoration show recently regarding Lotus', mechanics joke that the name is actually an acronym:

LOTUS = Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious!

[SKYHI]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Quite like the FD RX7s, and have contemplated buying one in the past, but a 20year old, twin turbo rotary is probably not the best basis for a reliable and cost effective weekend track car.

Most of the points regarding the Elise are valid, and something I've considered. I have dríven a K series one around Morgan Park, and whilst it wasn't as quick as the MX5 race cars I've raced, there is something special about the handling. The 111R however has the 189hp 2ZZ Toyota motor and packaged in an 860kg car would be a different prospect.

A turbo NB is an option. Initially I'd dismissed them as I've seen quite a few fail at the race track, but then again they are pushing them to the limit. The chassis of the NC is no doubt a better starting point than the NB, and the weight difference between a turbo NB and an NC1 would be negligible. However, I should be able to get a fairly reliable 200-220hp atw and get it handling well with some suspension mods, so maybe worth some consideration. Besides cooling, what other issues require attention on a turbo NB once you start tracking it?

Whilst I'm not looking for a dedicated race car at this point, it's always something in the back of mind. With that in mind the SE/SP replica or 2.5L NC would still qualify as a CAMS 2B car, as well as being eligible for Modern Sports Cars and Wakefield/Winton/QR 300 events.

[speed]

I got a chuckle from a car restoration show recently regarding Lotus', mechanics joke that the name is actually an acronym:

LOTUS = Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious!

An oldie but a goodie


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