Ferrari Mailing List: Re: OK Thinking about a new toy car

[LS (lashdeep]

For new cars, I'd get a GT3 or a Z06, everything else is gross and 
fat...eeeewwwww!
Why not just get a car you really like and track it? I have an old Mustang 
Cobra that I've had since new...it's setup well for track use. It's also damn 
pretty, sounds sick and is a ball to drive.
Honestly, if I wasn't looking to "fall in love" with a car, I'd be in an open 
seater. 
I did a school in Formula Ford at Pocono last fall and since then all street 
cars feel like crap.
If you want a street car, get one you really like...as a street car, then track 
it. If you want a real track weapon, get a real race car and leave the pigs in 
the garage at home.
LS
PS-Ever thought of going vintage? Some serious potential there...and no girly 
driver's aids...

----- Original Message ----
From: Mike <themightytoe [at] gmail.com>
To: LS <lashdeep [at] yahoo.com>
Cc: The FerrariList <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:10:12 AM
Subject: RE: [Ferrari] OK Thinking about a new toy car

Wow,

I get this:  I want that car thing every 2 years or so...  

I want to have a car that is fun to drive on a track that goes pretty fast
but that I can still mix it up with the other folks I drive with a bit, but
it also needs to be really fun to drive to the track.  This weekend I set
the Nav to avoid highways and had a good time zipping up back country farm
roads, every time I saw a hill or zigzag I would run down that way and let
the Nav point me in the general direction.  Good stuff, nothing but smiles. 

Ferrari?  For track use?  not really, the fast ones are too expensive (for
me), the slower ones are more affordable, repairs can be insane.  Really
very seldom see these at a track day.  I miss my 348 it was a pure joy to
run it at the limit, then I think about the times the oil temp was creeping
past 300, or the throw out bearing needed to be replaced and the feeling
passes.  If I wanted to quit track days I'd consider another Ferrari but
just as something to tinker with a bit and drive infrequently.  

Lotus?  Fun, cheap, flimsy, Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious, still it would
be a lot like my Spec Miata, with less reliability and more power and much
more eye catching.  Plus I'd free up half a garage bay since it is so tiny.
Everyone who keeps their Elise for more than 6 months puts it on a track (I
think).  Its likely a bit brutal on the streets.  My gut tells me no on this
one a bit, but I really love the look of it and it can really dance on a
racetrack.

Porsche?  Solid, dependable, fast.  A bit expensive and not really my
favorite marquee except the Boxster and GT3.  Lots of them at track days,
quite a range of capabilities.  I miss my Boxster, what a fun ride...  

BMW?  Well I am on my 3rd one now.  They are porky, fat, fat, fatties.  My
current M3 enters a turn like farm equipment...  But you can do anything to
it mid corner, drift it out, no problem, squeeze the line in, easy, trail
brake to the apex, sure why not...  It's really a phenomenal handler in
terms of driver feedback and super forgiving.  And it's pretty fast too.
That said, my previous gen M3 was better built, this will likely be my last
new BMW as the company seems to have lost their way.

Corvette?  Well for bang for the buck, nothing beats the plastic
fantastic...  Even the constant brake cracking is a cheap repair (provided
you don't wad the car in a corner).  The C6 Z06 is horrifically fast and is
really tempting but if I instruct again, I don't want to be the "He gets the
Z06 students" guy.  That is not the best seat at the track...  I don't see a
lot of these at the track either, folks buy these cars and drag race them or
something, it's weird.

And why do people sell their Ferrari and buy a Z06?  To go faster without
crowding the garage.  That is why I did it.  I couldn't justify having the
car and not taking it to a track every chance I had.  


BR,
Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: LS [mailto:lashdeep [at] yahoo.com] 
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 2:52 PM
To: Mike
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] OK Thinking about a new toy car

Mike, you've got plenty of track experience, so you know breakages are
inevitable.

I like the Lotus Elise.Their trim and slim philosophy is great for the
track, but I don't see how it can withstand repeated abuse. I can see
stuff falling off of this car.

The Porsches are great ontrack as well, but are porky...

Are you going to drive it on the street? I'd go for lighter weight and no
forced induction.

On another note...why do people sell their Ferrari for a Vette? They are
so different...should have both.

LS


--- Mike <themightytoe [at] gmail.com> wrote:

> OK,
> 
> Just finished a weekend at Road America (1st time on that track)... 
> That is
> a tough track 5 cars ended up bent, at least 1 totaled (C5 Z06), no
> injuries
> other than the vehicles so that was good, and 2 of them were street
> cars,
> the others were race cars.  Really an 8/10ths only track for anyone
> without
> all the safety gear.  
> 
> Drove my 01 M3 on street tires, it is pretty much stock.  It understeers
> like a pig but is really manageable with throttle inputs so it was fun,
> hits
> about 140 on the straights.  My front rotors are very slightly warped
> but
> the car held up really well.  It has been about 3 years since I drove on
> a
> racetrack and the big thing I noticed is that the newer cars are really
> a
> lot faster!  Of note:
> 
> BMW 135i with $2000 Dinan kit, owner said it made 400+ hp and 450+
> lb-ft,
> with Hoosiers it pretty much walked away like a 911 GT3.  Driver was
> excellent also but still very impressive.
> 
> 997 GT3:  Wow.  Holy crap, wow.
> 
> 997 C4S (some work but running street tires) this thing was really fast
> also, I did need to lift to let him by and it handled really well for a
> 911.
> 
> C6 Z06 (race tires) driver did not seem to know what he was doing most
> of
> the weekend, his instructor drove it and blew by me on the main straight
> at
> >150 mph about 2/3rds the way down (I was at about 120)...  Wow is that
> a
> god awful fast car.
> 
> Not a single Ferrari, one guy with a brand new C6 Z06 sold his Challenge
> Stradale out of fear of it breaking on the track (nice guy, told him he
> would miss the Ferrari in about 1 year)...  But hats off to him for
> taking a
> brand new car and sticking it on the track at Road America!  His student
> wadded up a race prepped E46 M3 that weekend too.
> 
> Also of note, most of the other E46 M3's there ran big brake kits,
> coilovers
> and full race kits.  My opinion is the return on investment doing that
> is
> not there for an E46 M3...
> 
> So now I am thinking Lotus Elise, Porsche 987S with HT, Porsche 996
> Turbo,
> 997 C2S
> 
> What do you guys think?  Experience with any of these?  
> 
> BR,
> Mike
> 
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