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In the days when 930s were a tad bit more affordable than they’ve become in recent years, it wasn’t uncommon to see blown-engine examples be turned into track creations. It makes a fair amount of sense – with upgrades brakes and wider flares, the Turbo model was a natural born track car. So with that in mind, we have two very different routes that seemingly similar cars could take; both based upon Turbo models, which is your track-flavored style? First we’ll look at the 3.6 flat-6 RSR-styled PCA racer:
Last week, I put a neat 2002 up on our Facebook Fanpage. Sporting crazy Zender flares, an even crazier rear wing, and most crazy a S14 E30 M3 engine transplant, it sure looked the part and generated a lot of interest. Well, the good news! It’s back up on Ebay this week, along with an added M10-swapped Targa Newfoundland Rally veteran that makes an interesting comparison. What’s your flavor?
Yesterday on our Facebook fanpage I posted a 1972 BMW 2002 track car with Zender flares and an S14 swap; while not original, it sure looked neat. Today’s car isn’t original either, but is built in the style of the Alpina racers and if anything looks even better to me as a result. Looking splendid in red over those classic turbine wheels, take a look at this 1972 2002:
Okay, so most people don’t seem to get into the race cars I’ve been posting. That’s okay; I get that owning a race car is a bit of a luxury and doesn’t make sense for 99.9% of the population; they’re compromised vehicles that are expensive to maintain and generally spend a tremendous amount of time doing exactly nothing. Think of it then as a 401K, then; but instead of a crazy year end bonus to some CEO you’ll never meet, you get to once in a while take it out to the track. What better way to achieve this than with an affordable track/race car?
Many times when instructing students at the track, I’m asked what they should do to the car; often times the answer is that it’s better to look at a track car if you’re serious about going to the track. Two of the best and most affordable options are the Porsche 944 and BMW M3; sporting offerings in their original configuration from two sporting manufacturers, they offered near perfect balance, good aftermarket parts availability, plenty of competition if you want to go racing at the next level and – best of all – you can do it all on a budget. Let’s start with the M3:
While copying factory cars such as earlier’s RSR Tribute has become a popular pastime for Porsche race enthusiasts, the reality is that those cars have a semi-limited market because they’re not authentic. However, about 16 or so years ago buying real factory race cars became a lot easier as Porsche began to officially sell the then new 996 GT3 Cup version of the venerable 911. With an upgraded 3.6 race motor, full cage and race suspension, air jacks and center-lock BBS wheels, this was as close to the big leagues as you could get from the factory. Additionally, Porsche continued to run a single marque race series, call the Supercup, that is had run with previous generations of race 911s. The Supercup was a feeder series for more popular forms of endurance racing and still is, but the car has remained the same; outside it looks a lot like the 911s you can drop down to the showroom to buy; underneath, it’s pure race car. As with previous generations, every few years there are upgrades that effectively render the older cars obsolete and they become much easier to purchase; today’s 1998 is an example of just such a car. Though they may not be as fast as the current generation, usually these cars are still quite competitive in club racing and are considerably more affordable than new options. Additionally, factory race Porsches, especially ones with significant racing history, have proven to be a good investment long term. If you can gamble on the right one and stomach the high running costs, you’ll have an impressive and capable machine that will probably come out the other side worth more than you paid:
