how are these to drive(not race)
- Thread starter grass disaster
- Start date
Some do manage to drive them as a daily driver (that would be my intent if I were lucky enough to own one).....but they are essentially a "detuned" race car and so they will not be as easy to drive as a production car. Another issue will be the amount of attention they attract....you'll never be able to fill up with gas without a lengthy line of onlookers, all of whom want to talk about the car.
I thought I'd like to put a radio in mine, but most who own them say the only music you'll want is the sound emitting from those "bundle of snakes" headers behind you. Having said that, though, I'm sure there must be a way to muffle the sound adequately.
Windows are pop-out on hinges. The actual size of the window is small and they are usually hinged from the front.....if you have to go through a toll-booth daily, get ready to open the door a lot!
They are reportedly not very water-tight, so if it rains in the northern part of the U.S. where you live, you'll want another car for a daily driver. One of our forum members has a business that makes products that help weatherize the SPF line of GT40's.
Doug
I thought I'd like to put a radio in mine, but most who own them say the only music you'll want is the sound emitting from those "bundle of snakes" headers behind you. Having said that, though, I'm sure there must be a way to muffle the sound adequately.
Windows are pop-out on hinges. The actual size of the window is small and they are usually hinged from the front.....if you have to go through a toll-booth daily, get ready to open the door a lot!
They are reportedly not very water-tight, so if it rains in the northern part of the U.S. where you live, you'll want another car for a daily driver. One of our forum members has a business that makes products that help weatherize the SPF line of GT40's.
Doug
they are not daily driver cars, in the sense that say a Vette or Viper can be. Low, poor vision, not water tight, loud, hot, hard to get in and out of in a parking lot.
so idoling through a car cruise might get tricky?
you guys take these to the track a lot?
Jim Craik
Lifetime Supporter
Ryan,
I've had P2264 for a couple of years now and I've put about 15,000 miles on her. First off let me say I absolutly love her, I something happend to her I could not get another one fast enough!
That said, they are definatly not daly drivers for several reasons.
My car is an SPF mk1, with an RBT-ZF and a Roush 342R.
I have put Dynamat to cut the noise, a good insulation material to help with the heat and I have replaced the firewall window with 3/4' Lexan which made a huge differance in noise. With these improvements it is much quieter and cooler but it still is not a daly driver. (quieter is a relative term, it is still loud)
First off your wife/girlfriend will not like it, It is fairly hard to get in and out and due to the design of the doors, they need to open almost all the way, so that leaves out most side by side parking. There is virtually no storage, and as you noted the windows do not open.
It does attract a lot of attention, I do not find that a problem except when drivers weave around trying to get a better look or shoot a pix of you. As noted before rain water can be a problem.
Ryan, these cars are wonderfull for the right person, I've wanted one for 40+ years and knew what to expect and for the most part have been pleasantly supprised. Its easy to drive, being so light it almost impossable to stall, with 425lbs of tourque it really does not matter what gear you are in and its handeling and breaking are supurb!
But, I'm afraid a lot of these cars are bought by people who think they want one but it turns out that their too hard to live with. This accounts for the fairly high number of low mileage cars available out there. (the same can be said of Ferraries and Lambos).
I would suggest trying to find someone in the northern US to give you a ride before you make up your mind.
As far as track days go I probably will not. I use to race SCCA back in the 70' (C sedan, mini) so I'm fairly fast and understand what goes on, but quite frankly this car driven to its limits goes quite a bit faster than I'm prepaird to go.
I've had P2264 for a couple of years now and I've put about 15,000 miles on her. First off let me say I absolutly love her, I something happend to her I could not get another one fast enough!
That said, they are definatly not daly drivers for several reasons.
My car is an SPF mk1, with an RBT-ZF and a Roush 342R.
I have put Dynamat to cut the noise, a good insulation material to help with the heat and I have replaced the firewall window with 3/4' Lexan which made a huge differance in noise. With these improvements it is much quieter and cooler but it still is not a daly driver. (quieter is a relative term, it is still loud)
First off your wife/girlfriend will not like it, It is fairly hard to get in and out and due to the design of the doors, they need to open almost all the way, so that leaves out most side by side parking. There is virtually no storage, and as you noted the windows do not open.
It does attract a lot of attention, I do not find that a problem except when drivers weave around trying to get a better look or shoot a pix of you. As noted before rain water can be a problem.
Ryan, these cars are wonderfull for the right person, I've wanted one for 40+ years and knew what to expect and for the most part have been pleasantly supprised. Its easy to drive, being so light it almost impossable to stall, with 425lbs of tourque it really does not matter what gear you are in and its handeling and breaking are supurb!
But, I'm afraid a lot of these cars are bought by people who think they want one but it turns out that their too hard to live with. This accounts for the fairly high number of low mileage cars available out there. (the same can be said of Ferraries and Lambos).
I would suggest trying to find someone in the northern US to give you a ride before you make up your mind.
As far as track days go I probably will not. I use to race SCCA back in the 70' (C sedan, mini) so I'm fairly fast and understand what goes on, but quite frankly this car driven to its limits goes quite a bit faster than I'm prepaird to go.
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You could drive a Formula-1 car as a daily driver, but it would not be very practical...
The GT40 has precious little storage space.
Unless a lot of care has been taken to insulate the cabin, the heat from the radiator and the engine compartment is extreme.
They are typically quite loud.
The forward and side visibility is good but rearward visibility is not good.
If someone parks close to you - you will not be getting into your car to leave as the doors need to open fully to get into it (remember over 1/3 of the roof is the top of the door..
Other motorists will have a hard time seeing you in traffic as the car is so low..
When you pull up along side a kid on a moped, you will be looking UP at him..
Now - once you get past all that, you're GOLDEN!
The GT40 has precious little storage space.
Unless a lot of care has been taken to insulate the cabin, the heat from the radiator and the engine compartment is extreme.
They are typically quite loud.
The forward and side visibility is good but rearward visibility is not good.
If someone parks close to you - you will not be getting into your car to leave as the doors need to open fully to get into it (remember over 1/3 of the roof is the top of the door..
Other motorists will have a hard time seeing you in traffic as the car is so low..
When you pull up along side a kid on a moped, you will be looking UP at him..
Now - once you get past all that, you're GOLDEN!
Ryan, my DRB was built to be a nice road car ( i have had road/race cars in the past and they are pigs to drive on the road) it has a LS1/G50 with a higher final drive ratio and fully soundprofed with a quite exhaust and the shocks are set on the softer side.
I have driven hundreds of kilometers in the rain with no leaks so far. Yes there is little luggege space etc.etc. but I supose if we make the choice early the car can be built to be whatever we wish.
My car
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/drb-gt40s/27217-drb-46-now-road.html
Darrell
I have driven hundreds of kilometers in the rain with no leaks so far. Yes there is little luggege space etc.etc. but I supose if we make the choice early the car can be built to be whatever we wish.
My car
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/drb-gt40s/27217-drb-46-now-road.html
Darrell
Others will probably be able to explain ownership better but I can tell you from my experience it is driving purity. No power brakes, no power steering, no power anything and I LOVE it. It is a direct extension of your own driving ability. Nothing more nothing less.
Additionally, be prepared to answer questions in the middle of every meal you'll have while out in the car. Be prepared for the child like stares from everyone around while on the road or in every parking lot. Be prepared for the constant tinkering that will need to be done. Be prepared to be invisible to every "Soccer Mom" who's in a rush in her stampeding SUV. Be prepared for anything. But most of all be prepared to actually LOVE a car.
Additionally, be prepared to answer questions in the middle of every meal you'll have while out in the car. Be prepared for the child like stares from everyone around while on the road or in every parking lot. Be prepared for the constant tinkering that will need to be done. Be prepared to be invisible to every "Soccer Mom" who's in a rush in her stampeding SUV. Be prepared for anything. But most of all be prepared to actually LOVE a car.
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Salina Bailey
Supporter
RASPBERRIES! or PFFFFFFTTTTTTTT.....whichever you prefer lol. I love ours! most certainly dont wear stilletos and a mini skirt when going somewhere but its my ride of choice if we are going to get a milkshake or something! We do have to be careful about parking, dont ever forget about the doors. Brad is pretty good about watching out for that. It does get wet in the rain, dribbles on my feet but I dont mind, its loud and wicked fun so I trade off, wet sock for a fun ride. I can get a small backpack right on front of my seat, use it as a leg rest, bout all your gonna get if you have a passenger (my job). ours has AC and it works well, we do plan on replacing the plastic rear window so we can hear each other talk. no radio, where would you put it? speakers? no.
the attention thing, you have to be careful like they are saying, they drive at you trying to take your picture or look at your car, they walk into things and fall off curbs, rear end the car in front of them. its crazy lol.
not sure about the daily driver part but ours goes out a couple times a week sometimes, it never gets old
Dimi Terleckyj
Lifetime Supporter
Hi All
Have to agree with almost all the comments as it is not the most practical as a daily driver but in the 2 years mine has been on the road I have clocked up 15000 Km's and enjoyed every minute of it.
At the end of one trip of just under 1000 Km's when I got back home I honestly felt like getting back in and doing it again.
A little bit of care and work during construction can make them quiet and waterproof which makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable.
Dimi
Have to agree with almost all the comments as it is not the most practical as a daily driver but in the 2 years mine has been on the road I have clocked up 15000 Km's and enjoyed every minute of it.
At the end of one trip of just under 1000 Km's when I got back home I honestly felt like getting back in and doing it again.
A little bit of care and work during construction can make them quiet and waterproof which makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable.
Dimi
Seymour Snerd
Lifetime Supporter
The do not roll down.
They pop out if you elbow them out hard enough because you are upside down and the fuel tank now crushed against your thigh is dripping on you.
Remember, when you are "daily driving" there are no corner workers or fire crew standing by. The cars have essentially no designed-in concessions to crash survival. There is a famous picture of one of them being crash tested in which it proved it's fuel storage to be an extremely effective generator of gasoline fog when accordioned in a head-on. Such a gas mist is the basis for one of the Defense Department's more interesting pieces of ordnance.
So in addition to being hot, deaf and invisible to the drivers of the the semi-truck axles on either side of you, you're putting your life at much greater risk than if you drove that sweet vette.
I love mine. But then I started out with a Lotus Europa.
+1. Alan is right on.
These are fun cars to drive for a nice Sunday blast or the occasional long road trip, but if you value safety then it's not a car to use as a daily driver...no bumpers, no air bags, very little roll over protection, vulnerable fuel tanks, no side impact protection, difficult to see by other drivers, etc. If I was involved in a serious accident in my '02 Suburban or '03 mercedes s-class I'll probably survive and maybe even walk away from it. Not so in my GT40 I have no doubt.
some posting here seem to be confusing "fun" with "Practical". We all know they are fun, if they were not we would not own one, however, they are not practical in any sense of the word.
If you are interested in combining GT40 and "practical", here's your only option (but you still won't be able to get in or out with another car anywhere near yours):
2005 Ford GT - Video - Jay Leno's Garage
The Ford GT has roll down windows and is a production automobile. It can be serviced at any Ford dealership and even has a "baggage area".....sort of.
Unfortunately, according to Jay, the price will not be in your range, but if you......well, you get the idea.
Cheers from Doug!
2005 Ford GT - Video - Jay Leno's Garage
The Ford GT has roll down windows and is a production automobile. It can be serviced at any Ford dealership and even has a "baggage area".....sort of.
Unfortunately, according to Jay, the price will not be in your range, but if you......well, you get the idea.
Cheers from Doug!
I'd have to agree with most of the previous comments. Really not a daily driver unless you live in a rural area. Crawling along in rush hour traffic is not for this car. Great car for weekend drives, not sure on long hauls. As far as track use some mods are required. The SUV tires supplied on SPF's are garbage for track use. Harder pads, brake ducting, and high temp brake fluid are musts.
Ian Anderson
Lifetime Supporter
Over the Le Mans Classic weekend I clocked up 1000 miles
Got stuck in Rouen for about an hour a5 noon to 1pm - about 40 degrees celsius outside and about 60 in the cabin area with heat from firewall, radiator pipe tunnel, hot air from radiatoe hitting footwell etc. Car ran faltlessly I sweated a lot!
Arounf the circuit I removed the side windows (unscrewed them) to get air into cockpit and dissapate heat
Trip back no problems (ambient about 30 degrees celsius)
After the trip right knee ached from holding accelerator in one position for so long (400 miles on return in 1 day) and not able to move it Likewise ankle was a bit stiff.
Next morning I was back to normal!
Would I do it again - probably
Would I fit air conditioning - yes I think I may become a whimp like the rest of you!
Ian
Got stuck in Rouen for about an hour a5 noon to 1pm - about 40 degrees celsius outside and about 60 in the cabin area with heat from firewall, radiator pipe tunnel, hot air from radiatoe hitting footwell etc. Car ran faltlessly I sweated a lot!
Arounf the circuit I removed the side windows (unscrewed them) to get air into cockpit and dissapate heat
Trip back no problems (ambient about 30 degrees celsius)
After the trip right knee ached from holding accelerator in one position for so long (400 miles on return in 1 day) and not able to move it Likewise ankle was a bit stiff.
Next morning I was back to normal!
Would I do it again - probably
Would I fit air conditioning - yes I think I may become a whimp like the rest of you!
Ian
Tires are choice of dealer and customer. We fit what the customer wants and credit our tire allowance., i.e. if you want Avons you pay only the difference between Avon cost and our tire allowance. I use Goodyear GT IIs as "roller" tires only so we can move chassis' around, I would not deliver a GT40 on them..........
I would drive my car every day if I could. It always makes me feel better. I did add a lot of noise and heat insulation to the car. On a trip it's the most comfortable car I own as long as you plug into you iPod on the really long sections. I got 30mpg on part of my first road trip (the part where my son wasn't in the car or behind the wheel).
I always felt safe when Jesus was driving. Not sure I'll ever get the smile of his face. His comment "120mph and everything feels just fine".
I always felt safe when Jesus was driving. Not sure I'll ever get the smile of his face. His comment "120mph and everything feels just fine".
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What they are not is practical. What they are is high adventure. I've been driving exotics for many years, but when I get in the Superformance I have to remind myself that the car requires an even higher degree of defensive driving. As for track use, several of us were invited to take our cars out on the track at Road America during last summer's GT40 reunion. We were allowed to stretch our legs pretty good, and it was a big thrill. I've been racing at Road America for years in SCCA, and being in a GT40 at speed on that track was a dream come true. However, every time I went through the Kink and saw the nasty crash marks on the concrete barriers I had to remind myself that if I made a mistake at high speed I would hit the wall at that same place and likely burn to death in the wreckage of my dream car. So, I will never track the car at any timed events where I would be tempted to push my limits. In fact, I'm reluctant to take passengers with me on trips around town, though I get barraged with requests. My wife lovingly calls it "the deathtrap". Me...I can't get enough of it.
