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Motorsports Monday: 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera X51 ex-Koni Challenge

Motorsports Monday: 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera X51 ex-Koni Challenge

Published May 4, 2015 by Carter

There are countless enthusiasts who have converted street cars to track cars for their own pursuit, this author included. Few of them are professionals, though (this author included), and consequently buying a used one is always a bit of a mixed bag of dealing with shortcuts, ill-conceived modifications or poor planning. At their base, these cars were also often used street cars initially, with years of miles on the road softening their chassis and electrical connections. Shifting gears, though, there are special cars built by enthusiasts that really stand out. These are close to factory builds; pro teams who take brand new street models and convert them to race cars for specific series. Today’s 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera was one such car; built for the popular production-based Koni Challenge, it’s an upgraded version of the already potent 911 that’s available for a fraction of the cost of the original build:

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Motorsports Monday: 2007 Porsche Cayman

Motorsports Monday: 2007 Porsche Cayman

Published April 27, 2015 by Carter

I really like the concept of the Cayman. Mid-engined, manual gearbox, rear drive and a lighter chassis are a return to the roots of Porsche – the Auto Union Grand Prix cars first designed by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930s. Dynamically, it’s hard to fault the Cayman, too – on track, they’re simply magnificent, dispatching corners and straightaways with ease, rippling pavement in braking zones. I was lucky enough to spend some time on track in a then-new ’09 fully loaded S; it immediately put you at ease, the capabilities of the chassis left plenty in reserve even when you entered corners at seemingly inappropriate or inadvisable speeds. Fit and finish-wise, they’re a Porsche through and through; beautiful paint, striking wheels, and luxurious interiors. The soundtrack is pretty great, too. One area that I’m not convinced? The looks; some look great, while others look slightly out of proportion to me. One great upgrade that you can do that really makes the Cayman look more purposeful, though, it to equip the front end with big-brother 911 GT3 items. The result is much more aggressive, and paired with some racing graphics, a huge rear spoiler and the right bits inside, you’ve got yourself a budget Cup car:

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Motorsports Monday: E30-off – 1989 v. 1990 BMW 325i

Motorsports Monday: E30-off – 1989 v. 1990 BMW 325i

Published April 20, 2015 by Carter

A funny thing happens when you go to the track often. People arrive with generally a slower car in stock form. The immediate experience most have, once hooked on heading to the track, is that their driving is not the limiting factor, but the speed of their car. So the story goes, with searches of the internet resulting in stiffer suspension, chips and exhaust, engine mapping and dyno runs, camber plates and coil-overs, sticky rubber and the lightest wheels possible – even if they’re ugly. Why? All in the quest of speed. However, once those drivers get towards the top, a few strange realizations occurs: first, there will always be someone with more money (often, a lot more) who will turn up at the track with a weapon capable of making your turned up and tuned up ride look positively slow. The second is more profound – the guys in the slow cars are coming off track with bigger smiles. It’s simply very satisfying to drive a slow car fast, and it turns out that those drivers get closer to the edge and experience a more pure driving experience. Anyone can plunk down $110,000 at your Nissan dealership and go and let the car set fast lap times. But it takes panache to take a step back and enjoy an older, slower car – to hone your skills and make yourself a better driver. While there are several cars from the 1980s that will afford you that opportunity, arguably the most popular in the German car realm is the venerable E30:

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Motorsports Monday: 1969 Porsche 912

Motorsports Monday: 1969 Porsche 912

Published April 6, 2015 by Carter

The Porsche 912 was originally conceived as a budget model because the 911, quite simply, had become too expensive compared to the outgoing 356 model. On the surface, you got the updated looks of the 901 – but underneath was a more simple and frugal flat-4 similar to the unit from the outgoing 356. This helped to keep costs down but performance was less exciting, and for a long time the 912 was the “also ran” compared to 911. But stratospheric rises in prices – especially of early 911s – meant that it was no surprise to see the 912 get drawn up as well. The simplicity is almost more appealing than the 911 in some ways; as the adage goes, it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast, and a 912 is just the type of car that you can drive flat out without worrying about lighting your hair on fire and jumping backwards off a cliff. As with all Porsches, some of these 912 have been modified to race, such as this 1969 example:

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Motorsports Monday: 1993 Porsche 968 Club Sport

Motorsports Monday: 1993 Porsche 968 Club Sport

Published March 16, 2015 by Carter

Early in my track career, I became an instructor with the BMW Car Club. This afforded me many interesting experiences, one of which also happens to be one of my favorite track memories. One trip to Lime Rock Park was on a rainy Saturday; arriving, I found that one of my students had a Porsche 968. The car was well modified, running on sticky Michelin Pilot Sports and replete with a fully upgraded suspension, the 968 looked purposeful in Guards Red with BBS wheels and a 6-speed manual. Now, on paper the 968 was disappointing compared to the earlier Turbo models. Several times I’ve backed up this view because modified Turbos offer so much track performance. I’ve also spent some time in 944 Turbos around the same track – notably, my father’s ’89 Turbo, so I’m not without a point of reference. But this rainy day my student’s 968 was a blazing chariot against the bleak fog of the morning. Usually I get together and talk with my students before we head out about what their experience, expectations and trouble spots are. And this day, my student approached me and immediately said “I’m not heading out”. I figured this was because of the rain; in inclement conditions, the risk of an incident increases considerably, but so does the learning curve. It wasn’t fear of the conditions that was holding him back though; he had taken some medication and prudently didn’t feel as though his mental state was conducive to track time. “But you could drive me around” he said….

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