Noteworthy Sports Car Design -- And It's Cheap!

[Lady Brin 0]

Lady Brin,

I look forward to hearing how the lessons go.

Anyway, I sure hope you get a lot of fun out of your new car.

Just to let you know, I'm missing out on all the spring DE events. It seems the '88 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet is in such great shape that everyone has advised me to leave it in concours condition (Not that I would ever enter a concours event. I read where one guy used over 1000 q-tips to clean the underside - now that's serious cleaning).

To get out the race track, you have to have a roll bar. No roll bar, no drive. Even bolting in a roll bar would diminish its value...so I'm buying another - '77 911 SC with a 3.0 European engine. It will actually be faster than my '88 3.2, plus I'm adding Carrera flares (rear), suspension complete including torsion bars, shocks and 4 wheel set up, one adjustable rear sway bar, dual exhaust, roll bar with 5 way harness, street tires and race tires and turbo tail..in of course Guards Red. Presently it's an ugly brown.

I'm really enjoying the '88, but I'm very afraid I'm going to end up under the jail if I don't get out on the track. I have been very lucky so far. If I forget to set the cruise control on straight, open roads, I'll be doing 110-120 without even realizing it. Also I'm just dying to learn the toe-heel technique that transfers the weight for better control to make faster turns.

Speedinly yours,

[RayK 0]

I'm really enjoying the '88, but I'm very afraid I'm going to end up under the jail if I don't get out on the track. I have been very lucky so far. If I forget to set the cruise control on straight, open roads, I'll be doing 110-120 without even realizing it. Speedinly yours,

I have the same problem and thank goodness I have only received one ticket so far.

[Lady Brin 0]

I'm really enjoying the '88, but I'm very afraid I'm going to end up under the jail if I don't get out on the track. I have been very lucky so far. If I forget to set the cruise control on straight, open roads, I'll be doing 110-120 without even realizing it. Speedingly yours,

I have the same problem and thank goodness I have only received one ticket so far.

How fast were you going? I've never gotten a ticket when I was intentional speeding, but rather boringly doing 68 in a 55 on a state highway because I wasn't paying attention. After awhile I got suspicious because of the repeatedly 68 infraction. It's been over 10 years, IIRC, since my last ticket. I sure would like to keep it that way.

Also, which car do you own? I tried searching, and although I remember reading, I couldn't find it.

[RayK 0]

How fast were you going?

Also, which car do you own?

In Nevada the posted speed limit on most highways is usually around 75 miles per hour, I was going around 90 miles per hour. I own a Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG that can get to sixty in just under 5 seconds.

[JohnRgt 0]

To get out the race track, you have to have a roll bar. No roll bar, no drive. Even bolting in a roll bar would diminish its value...so I'm buying another - '77 911 SC with a 3.0 European engine. It will actually be faster than my '88 3.2, plus I'm adding Carrera flares (rear), suspension complete including torsion bars, shocks and 4 wheel set up, one adjustable rear sway bar, dual exhaust, roll bar with 5 way harness, street tires and race tires and turbo tail..in of course Guards Red. Presently it's an ugly brown.

Awesome, Lady Brin!

Remember your concerns Re your reflexes not being there since you're not a teenager anymore?

In addition to the point RayK made above, I'd like to add that Michael Schumaker, easily the most successful F1 driver ever, was tested to have average reflexes. (I think his success might have had more to do with the fact that he worked at his craft 24/7.)

Also, good move on keeping your Cabrio untouched. Early 911s (pre-1973) have been soaring in value over the last few years (race rules and Emissions developments.) The Carreras, the 3.2s, are expected to be the next class of 911 that appreciates substantially, even though they already have a huge following.

Enjoy your rides, Lady Brin.

[Lady Brin 0]

To get out the race track, you have to have a roll bar. No roll bar, no drive. Even bolting in a roll bar would diminish its value...so I'm buying another - '77 911 SC with a 3.0 European engine. It will actually be faster than my '88 3.2, plus I'm adding Carrera flares (rear), suspension complete including torsion bars, shocks and 4 wheel set up, one adjustable rear sway bar, dual exhaust, roll bar with 5 way harness, street tires and race tires and turbo tail..in of course Guards Red. Presently it's an ugly brown.

Awesome, Lady Brin!

Remember your concerns Re your reflexes not being there since you're not a teenager anymore?

In addition to the point RayK made above, I'd like to add that Michael Schumaker, easily the most successful F1 driver ever, was tested to have average reflexes. (I think his success might have had more to do with the fact that he worked at his craft 24/7.)

Also, good move on keeping your Cabrio untouched. Early 911s (pre-1973) have been soaring in value over the last few years (race rules and Emissions developments.) The Carreras, the 3.2s, are expected to be the next class of 911 that appreciates substantially, even though they already have a huge following.

Enjoy your rides, Lady Brin.

The biggest problem I've had is that the clutch is really stiff and for the longest I had to pull the seat up close so I would engage it fully. It just kills my pride if I let it go dead when maneuvering in tight spots. I've also had to get use to short ratio before red-ling in first gear and a few times in 2nd. The power between 3rd and 4th is awesome. There is a group of guys who get together once a month to make a couple hour twisty-turny trip and lunch. My shoulders are usually screaming before we get finished. I have to admit it's also fun being the only girl driving. I can keep up with all the Porsche owners but one guy has a mean BMW. I stay out of his way.

[JohnRgt 0]

The ability to get my 1973.5 911 immediately to redline in 1st was one of the things I loved about that car. It was a brilliant option for a mid-displacement sports car.

(Maybe you should consider installing a rev limiter on your cars. Lady Vroom? Quality Porsche engine rebuilds can cost as much as a new subcompact.)

[flyboy2160 0]

......To get out the race track, you have to have a roll bar. No roll bar, no drive........

You could try the Dragon.

[Lady Brin 0]

The ability to get my 1973.5 911 immediately to redline in 1st was one of the things I loved about that car. It was a brilliant option for a mid-displacement sports car.

(Maybe you should consider installing a rev limiter on your cars. Lady Vroom? Quality Porsche engine rebuilds can cost as much as a new subcompact.)

It has one. The first time I red-lined in 3rd, it was an odd skip which didn't register in my pea brain. Soon afterwards I did it in 4th. I have gotten much better at keeping my eye on the tack.

BTW, I was watching the Fast and the Furious and the ring leader Dom was making fun of the undercover cop for his granny shifting and not double-clutching. They were running the quarter mile. Why would you double-clutch in a 9 to 10 second race? Am I missing something? I could double-clutch my dad's 56 Chevy into 1st, but I believe the max. speed was 30 - and the only reason I did it was because I could.

[JohnRgt 0]

BTW, I was watching the Fast and the Furious and the ring leader Dom was making fun of the undercover cop for his granny shifting and not double-clutching. They were running the quarter mile. Why would you double-clutch in a 9 to 10 second race? Am I missing something? I could double-clutch my dad's 56 Chevy into 1st, but I believe the max. speed was 30 - and the only reason I did it was because I could.

BY D-Cing, do you mean flooring the clutch pedal to get to neutral, letting go, then flooring it again to engage the next gear, Lady Brin, or are you referring to the Heel-n-Toe technique? (I ask because some people refer to H-n-Ting as D-Cing.)

While I don't enjoy drag or sprint racing, I can't think of a reason why someone launching a 911 would stop in neutral, engage the clutch, then disengage the clutch and shift into the next gear. If you ever hear a good argument for employing this technique in a 911, Lady Brin, please consider posting it. (Reminder: When shifting 911s of this era it's important to come out of the gear fairly quickly, take the slightest pause in neutral, and then ease into the next gear.)

If anything, I'd think that you'd want to perfect your heel-n-toe technique in the new cars. As I'm sure you know, mastering this skill not only results in better lap times, but it spares equipment, it automatizes all kinds of considerations you have to take into account when "flying," and it makes driving these beauties that much more rewarding. I guess you could shave a 1/10 or a few 1/100s of a second off of a sprint or drag race if you H-n-Toed. You'd also spare equipment that wasn't designed for this sort of thing some of the abuse inherent in repeated launching.

If anyone is interested:

Wikipedia on H-n-T

Basic H-n-T Video

*

*The frequently confirmed story goes this way: Porsche has been working an a successor to the 928 for some time. One of the first steps of the development program was to get Rohl familiar with the Ferrari 599, the design considered that dominates this category of GTs. One day, Rohl saw another 599 way ahead of him on the Nurburgring. Naturally, Rohl, who considers the Ring to be his, gave chase. He eventually caught up with the other 599, executed an impossible pass, and "disappeared." The other 599 came in just as Rohl was walking away from his own ride. A window came down, and Rohl's skills were acknowledged the way motorheads acknowledge another's superior skills: "You're crazy..." Ends up the driver Rohl had demolished was the legendary Michael Schumaker, the very man that had helped Ferrari develop and fine tune the 599.

[JohnRgt 0]

For several years now, Sony has been awarding the Sony Gran Turismo Award to the five most interesting custom cars at the SEMA Show (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association), aka, motorhead Nirvana. One of the five, the Grand Prizewinner, is featured in the next edition of Sony's bread-n-butter video game, Gran Turismo.

This year's winner was a GTM:

For an article and more pictures, click here.

(Note that this kit has a paddle shift transmission. Standards for upper end kits seem to be on the rise.)