DREAMTIME!!!!

All i need is $3000 for a group N Datsun, that doubles as my hoon around town car :)

OK folks, it's dreamtime. You have a money tree growing in your back garden and now you have a virtually unlimited racing budget. What sort of car are you going to buy and what series are you going to do?

I'm in two minds, either a VS Commodore and do the V8 Lites series or a BMW Super Tourer for the ASTC. Maybe even a '99 Primera for the independant's class in the BTCC and win even more money.
Now, over to you what would you do......

id probably go the formula ford then formula holden route because I love open wheelers..thats probably it ..then i might buy the latest V8 supercar and cruise around the back of the pack for a few years trying to convince people im not Sam Newman.

C or D-Type Jaguar

IanC

Great minds think alike, Ian.

knobbly Lister Jaguar for me. Same motor, scarier handling. Yummy.

have to be NASCAR & a car for Spa, etc 24 hours races

Unlimited budget?

I would provide a Formula Ford to every member of 10/10's who insists that any pro race driver is slow, stupid, unfit, unworthy, "sucks", or that oval driving is "easy" etc etc

We'd quickly see where these mousepad racers and armchair team managers stand, based on the standards they set for others.

Besides, that would be one fun race to watch, (from a safe distance).

Brilliant!

Can I watch, too?

Oh, hang on, you racing chappies are going to want to see how badly I do as well.

Right, next ten-tenths member who wins the lottery - this has got to happen!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TimD:

Can I watch, too?

Oh, hang on, you racing chappies are going to want to see how badly I do as well.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Tim, I didnt exactly set any records in my day. But, like you, I did learn to respect the talent of those that race for a living.

A reasonably new F1 car from sometime within the last 10 years or so (not too bothered whose) and race historic F1 when it gets old enough and also at Goodwood and any other time I can get into it and drive it around.

UNLIMITED????????

Id pay for a drive in a McLaren for the season giving them around £1bn per year. They coudnt resist it no mater how bad I am.

I think everyone in the world knows what I'd race and why! ;)

BTW : Money already does grow on trees :)

[This message has been edited by Graham (edited 22 April 2000).]

...yeah, family trees. But not mine!
:)

Comon, nobody going down the rally route. It would have to be a Peugeot 206 WRC for a bit of sideways motoring! How could you go wrong?

You'd go wrong by buying a 205. Ugly as sin. You'd be slipping on the spectator's vommit :)

Escort Mexico. Delta S4 for ****-yer-pants motoring. Audi Quattro Sport. Total aural delight : 6R4.

I want to race this Maserati. Can anyone lend me one? ;)

http://www.british-motorsport.co.uk/photo/classic_historic/track/maserati.jpg

OR, I'd race-prepare a Miura - surely it would be the first-ever? Do you know of any racing Miuras past/ present?

Hey, what about a 250F? Pretty special.

Anything with more power than grip and I'm grinning.

Tricky question!!! There's just too much to consider.... What about a GT car at Goodwood revial meeting.

Lister Knobbly, too much power for me - what about a Cooper 'Bobtail' or similar??

Or a pucka Mini Cooper in the historic touring car race?? Yes please

Delta S4 would be good but the RS200 was a real looker!

Hmmm,

Having given this the careful consideration it deserves David, I have to say that I am flummoxed. Exactly what would I do with an unlimited budget? Would I spend it on my existing project and make it the best Group 1 Touring Car out there? Or, would I look at other areas, like the FIA European Historic Touring Cars Championship. And if I took the latter option, what would I race?

Of course with said budget, I could look at many and varied exotics, but RACE one? Nah.

The sensible thing would be to stick with what I know, so I am afraid I would build the Group 2 Capri for the Youngtimer races (mooted by the FIA for this year). Build the best Group 1 Capri for my Gp1 Championship campaign and just spend the rest of my time racing. :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Surely with an unlimited budget we could actually manfacture and develop the best car there has ever been. Which is an interesting question - what areas of what cars throughout history could be put together to make the ultimate racing car? And what could be improved upon?

Looks (XJ13 :) ), handling, power, driveability, etc, etc...

So what do you think?

Is this a question for the Historic forum?

I agree with Dan about the Mini (of course). Maybe that should be a project for 10 Tenths IF anyone does win a bucket o' cash. Get everyone in to work on it and get one of the drivers in here to drive it. Would look mighty cool having a 10 Tenths car on the grid... (I dream so...) :)

[This message has been edited by Graham (edited 29 April 2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Graham:

I agree with Dan about the Mini (of course). Maybe that should be a project for 10 Tenths IF anyone does win a bucket o' cash. Get everyone in to work on it and get one of the drivers in here to drive it. Would look mighty cool having a 10 Tenths car on the grid... (I dream so...) :)
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Graham,

Why does it have to be a Mini? You keep banging on about Mini’s, TVRs et al. However if all the enthusiasts on this board got together and agreed to take turns in actually racing then you/they could build something to race at many circuits for a lesser amount.. Oh, lets be sure it isn’t stuck at Combe because that wouldn’t do 10/10s any good would it?

Of course if you were that fussy (which i know you are) you would need a big bucket of cash for the Mini just to make it competitive with everything else.

This could be the start of a new thread. ;)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Peter Mallett:

However if all the enthusiasts on this board got together and agreed to take turns in actually racing then you/they could build something to race at many circuits for a lesser amount.. Oh, lets be sure it isn’t stuck at Combe because that wouldn’t do 10/10s any good would it?

[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
How about a Fiat Uno in the Fiat challenge! cheep, fun and not just Combe ;) Although I do not see why we couldn't put it into class C of the Castle Combe Saloon Car Cup ;)

Why not?

A car which qualifies for more than one championship is obviously ideal. And to pacify those of you that can't believe that there are other circuits, then something that fits in at sleepy hollow would be even better for when its not racing elsewhere. ;)

You mean there are other cars than Minis and TVRs and other circuits than Castle Combe.DAMN. WHY WASN'T I INFORMED?!?!?!

Minis look cool, handle well and can beat cars much more powerful.

Capris are the poor 70s-man's runaround ;) :D

Capri's were the car for the guys with unbuttoned shirts & permed hair. I have one now for the CSCC, but when I was young(er), all the disco guys seemed to have them. They are great to race tho, bit of a handful & a 6 cylinder engine. If I had unlimited cash, I might even get the heap painted!

Okay, I give in, I admit it.

I had a Capri as a road car.

There. I've said it. I even bought the thing from a hairdresser. Apart from leaping out of second gear occasionally, it wasn't a bad motor. I eventually sold it to an AA patrolman, but that's another story.

It got replaced with a Talbot Tagora. Anyone remember them? And I understand that Talbot eventually went racing. But it's not the kind of racing that we tend to talk about, being on a shale circuit, with a roll cage made of RSJs.

Its all very well to denegrate a car when one has no knowledge of racing it. We should remember that in terms of National and European success, Ford and its Capri stood head and shoulders above any other car of its day. In those terms the Mini (which only beats a larger capacity car on twisty circuits) and TVR are a very poor second if at all.

However. The Capri is a very difficult car to master and therefore those guys that really make them go are to be aplauded. From experience a Mini and to an extent a TVR are much easier to sort, being cars which naturally handle well and because of that would appear to fit more into the "hairdresser" mold than the Capri.

The Mini's speciality is the ability to corner without heavy braking, hence its success on twisty circuits. ;)

Actually, Peter, I always thought that Capris were far better on track than on the road. That's where they come into their own.

For road use, I was always more impressed, for example, by the Opel Manta. But what is a Manta on the circuit? Nothing! And the squadrons of Capris in the Group 1 championships have given me some great memories over the years.

And I was actually quite fond of my old motor. And I really did buy it from a hairdresser. If anyone ever spots my old silver LS, FTT 364Y, do pat her on the bonnet and tell her that Tim says "Hi!"

And I've never yet driven a Mini out of choice...

Of course Tim,

I'm not attempting to defend the Capri or its dirivatives per se. The Opel Manta was a great Rally car for example. Likewise the Mini. However I get a little frustrated with people who claim to be enthusiasts, who want to race but can't see further than a Mini or a TVR at a circuit which is one of many in the UK and Europe.

I have attempted to offer advice to people who want to start racing but unfortunately I got the "why can't I race a Golf GTI/Mini/TVR?" Instead of a Metro or whatever, when the question was. "How can you help me to get started in racing?".

Don't get this wrong because obviously Combe is as important as Silverstone in terms of club racing. Its organisation (which is not seen by the spectators) is somewhat esoteric though.

As a racer (and this is the Racer's forum) I find the blinkered approach frustrating because it manifests itself in officials (who, let's face it, are also fans) and can spoil the event for many people.

So. When people denegrate a circuit or a car just because they personally don't like them it rankles. Constructive criticism is fine. Criticism for the sake of it is not.

Speech over. Back to the topic ;)

Back to topic indeed.

Here's a thought. Peter, you mentioned that the Capri is tricky to get the most out of. I have memories of my old motor being a little frisky at the back end, but not nearly as easy to unstick with 2 litres as a 1.6 Hillman Avenger I once owned.

I loved that old Avenger, and I'm starting thinking. The Post-Historic touring cars have plenty of Dolomite Sprints amongst their numbers, but what about a Hillman Avenger Tiger?

Is there some eligibility problem that I'm not aware of, or are the homologated bits that difficult to source?

If racing a car, say as a Tiger, does it have to have started out as one, or can it be a standard car specced-up to fit the regulations? I know that your Capri wasn't a 3 litre when it rolled off the production line, but are the regs any different for the Post-Historics?

Now that really is dreamtime. When I was a young man, I used to pretend I was Bernard Unett in that old Avenger. It would somehow square the circle if I one day got to do a little racing of my own in a Hillman.

Dave Nixon sometimes races an Avenger in Post Historics & very successfully. I believe it was a 15 or 1600. The Tiger is too new for Post Historics though.
I never owned a road Capri, but had a 1987 2 litre Manta Coupe, a great car to drive, except noise & no power steering.
As for Pete's speech, well said mate! When I races a Mk 1 Capri in Scotland against Sierra Cossies & M3s, the Capri was popular.

As for cars that we actually are going to race (rather than dreaming) - Our little project is starting to roll...

We are looking at 750 Formula (little prototype cars), but depends on whether the right car turns up at the right time..

Or fall back option - as I managed to get my hands on a decent MG Midget for a bit of bargain, we might be chucking that in at the deep end in the MGOC championship. Need a roll bar, and all the other safety stuff. Plus all the tweaking I can afford!!!

Not a mini in sight!!! And maybe only Combe once a year...

Any advice anyone??

Originally posted by TimD.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Back to topic indeed.
Here's a thought. Peter, you mentioned that the Capri is tricky to get the most out of. I have memories of my old motor being a little frisky at the back end, but not nearly as easy to unstick with 2 litres as a 1.6 Hillman Avenger I once owned.
I loved that old Avenger, and I'm starting thinking. The Post-Historic touring cars have plenty of Dolomite Sprints amongst their numbers, but what about a Hillman Avenger Tiger?
Is there some eligibility problem that I'm not aware of, or are the homologated bits that difficult to source?

If racing a car, say as a Tiger, does it have to have started out as one, or can it be a standard car specced-up to fit the regulations? I know that your Capri wasn't a 3 litre when it rolled off the production line, but are the regs any different for the Post-Historics?
Now that really is dreamtime. When I was a young man, I used to pretend I was Bernard Unett in that old Avenger. It would somehow square the circle if I one day got to do a little racing of my own in a Hillman.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Originally Posted by SNH

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Dave Nixon sometimes races an Avenger in Post Historics & very successfully. I believe it was a 15 or 1600. The Tiger is too new for Post Historics though.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well guys perhaps we can expand on this then. The Avenger Tiger was a special and as such (whilst I believe it was produced before 1974) it does not comply with the homologation regs for pre 1974 Groupn 1. When I first looked at the CSCC I was offered a 1600 Avenger (yellow with a black bonnet) for about 2K. I was told that spares were pretty good and it was not too expensive to run.

Has Dave sold his Avenger?

Originally posted by Dan Friel

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>As for cars that we actually are going to race (rather than dreaming) - Our little project is starting to roll...
We are looking at 750 Formula (little prototype cars), but depends on whether the right car turns up at the right time..

Or fall back option - as I managed to get my hands on a decent MG Midget for a bit of bargain, we might be chucking that in at the deep end in the MGOC championship. Need a roll bar, and all the other safety stuff. Plus all the tweaking I can afford!!!
Not a mini in sight!!! And maybe only Combe once a year...
Any advice anyone??
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The 750 formula cars are a good opening to single seaters. The engines are the old Reliant Kitten 850cc aluminium units and the cars are basically old Mallock Clubmans cars. One of my client representatives has just bought one for about 2K and is probably going to spend as much again on rebuild etc. However the 750MC is pretty good when it comes to assistance. There are loads of enthusiasts who usually have garages with loads of bits from previous projects. Quit often you will find that a fellow racer will have just the part you need.

Don’t know much about the MGOC regs but I always thought that with a MG you had plenty of choices. If you build it to Halfords roadgoing class I think you can also run it in the Phoenix Challenge. Therefore by joining the MG Car Club you can enter two championships with the same car. It may also be eligible for the Cockshoot Cup, which is a championship that includes races, sprints and hillclimbs. To enter the MGOC championship you need to be a member of both the MGOC and the BARC and register for the championship as well. For the MGCC championships you become a member of the MGCC and pay your registration for each championship. There is no need to be a member of the BARC, BRSCC or any other club.

In terms of rollcages etc. Can I recommend our friend Sparky who can direct you to the necessary experts.

Hope this helps. ;)


[This message has been edited by Peter Mallett (edited 04 May 2000).]

I thought I'd dig this out of the archives to see what the newer members would lust for.

I would now like a VX Supercar to do the Konica series.

Going by recent results you might want to shift camps to Ford for an AU.

My heart says Formula 5000 excitement machine...

however

the sensible part of me says go with the car of the century....

MINI!!!;)

Originally posted by Graham
OR, I'd race-prepare a Miura - surely it would be the first-ever? Do you know of any racing Miuras past/ present?


I you happened to pop along to the creek on 19-20 June 2004, you might see a Muira going around!! :beer:

1.Buy a Cadillac Northstar LMP Prototype and street race with it!

2. Buy the world.

At the end of the year, Ferrari F2002 cars will be available for sale, I think two of them would be (one spare for when I wall the first one) an ideal weekend club racing car.

ok . . .I'm late to this, but I'll have a collection of MK1 Cortinas . . .a GT or two, one for short races and one for the Spa 6 hour

I guess I'd best have an early A frame lotus as well

obviously I'd have to have the best of everything internally, magnesium casings etc, right on the minimum FiA weight.

might help offset the Salary belly !

For looks, would have to be a Porsche 956.
For sheer excitement a Mclaren M8F.

unlimited budget?
I'd have to become team principal of the next English team to win Le Mans.
And a 6R4 for hillclimbs and sprints.
And an MGBGTV8 for racing.
And an MG ZTT260 as a towcar.
And an MGSV to lend to sponsors.
Oh, did you say one car? how mean...

As you can guess from my screen name, I already race a 3.8 litre Jaguar D-type. It was my ultimate race car until some bloke in a Lister Knobbly kept beating me so I've just heavily modified mine to make it more competitive (lower, lighter, more power, that sort of thing), but now I'm thinking "unlimited budger" eh..... gotta be a Jaguar for the looks, so... XJ220 ? XJ13 ? Lister Storm ?? Ohh, I know : An XJ13 with the 700hp twin turbo XJ220 V6 in it. Now where the hell do I find that money tree? :rotate:

M3 GTR all the way and maybe a Caterham R400 for sheer thrills

For sheer pose value.... a gold leaf Lotus 49

Open face helmet, goggles and scarf look so cool. But also maybe a little Chevron sports car so my dad can have a go too

For me, it would (nay, will!!) be an ex-GM Corvette C5R to compete in the FIA GT, ELMS and of course Le Mans. I'd even ask GM if I could keep the factory colours...

After that, we really do get to the "money no limit" scenario. Maserati 250F, Ferrari 250 GTO and a few other, predominantly red, examples in Nick Mason's garage spring to mind. And a Porsche 962. And I'd race them all at the best historic events - Goodwood, Spa, Le Mans...

That's my problem - a triple rollover lottery jackpot just wouldn't be enough... :eek:

Dan F - you joining the Big Boys then? Make sure the Midget is a 1275, get your A licence then come and play at FISC like David & I.

MG David - I thought you had your dream car - a cheap way of entering at the Nordschleif - there's no other series where you could run a car that costs less than my bicycle at the most demanding course in the world.

My own dream car? 962 Porsche of course for Historic Group C racing. I'll take an Audi R8 for the odd Sundays when I've got to race a modern. Oh and a 250GTO for the classic road/race/speed events so that I can be invited to the best parties.

S-o difficult to choose one - it just depends on the mood, doesn't it.

I'd buy something racey for the 750MC and hillclimb!

Has to be a March 707/717 Can-Am car. Awesome.

If it is a proper steel shelled (panels not included) saloon, it has to be a Thundersaloon of some sort with a V8....ooops, silly me, already got one. My dream car is now in my hands. Just a case of getting it back into one piece now.

Something for Hysterics? I'd always fancied racing a Gordon Keeble, even if there were only 99 of them built, and around 70 still exist.
A proper V8, a good chassis (for it's time), and style. Everyone races Jags, or Mustangs. I suppose something for later years would be a Buick GSX, a muscle car that nobody really looked at because it wasn't a Pontiac or a Ford.

Rob