Okay, in the last four months I've read a zillion posts, watched a thousand in-car videos on YouTube, gone through two sets of tires on the Lotus Elise, been to a more than a few open track events, and learned a lot. I'm still a total newbie, but I'm even more convinced that I want a GT40 replica. A big, honkin', gulf-flared beastie with steamrollers out back!
However, now I am realizing that my priorities are a little different than when I started, and I'm wondering which replica might fit these new criteria:
1 - CAGE - I know the sanctioning bodies aren't loving mono chassis cars, but is it any different for tube-frame cars that can have a burly welded-in cage that can be inspected? Not that I am a member of, or have any concrete plans to join, a racing organization, but my reasoning is that it would be wise to try hard to adhere to what rules can be adhered to when building a car, so I don't wind up with a favorite car that won't pass tech someday, somewhere... Here is what I definitely DO like the look of, safety-wise, provided it's kosher with no bar connecting the top corner of the windshield to the top corner of the rear hoop... I'd go even farther; what about the full door bars, top bar, and footwell box? How does something like this pic compare to the bolt-to-the-mono, 6-point cage offered by RCR? (btw: what is the consensus on caged cars; track only+helmets required, or safe for the street if you pad the bars enough? Are full cages even street legal in CA?):
2 - FUEL CELLS - Me want. Me want these very much. Do any of the mono cars have clear space in the sponsons (ie: no internal ribs or bracing) that could accomodate a custom FuelSafe cell, sliding in from the front through a removable panel (with the front suspension off, I realize), or loading from the outside (like the ones in the pic), or are the panels of the sponson "too structural" for that? CAV makes mention of fuel cells on their website, but it's not clear what sort they are. Likewise with SPF. With the talk of US fuel additives eroding some of the foam tank inserts used elsewhere, I really like the idea of ordering the actual FuelSafe brand cell. It would seem that with one of these inside the hollow metal shell of the sponson, you'd be safer and closer to compliant (bulkheads?) in terms of your fuel system.
3 - REPAIRABILITY - Eventually I WILL go into the dirt. What happens if I tweak the chassis? In terms of repairability/weldability/modifiability, what are your opinions on tube vs. mono? Steel vs. stainless vs. aluminum? Is drilling and welding on an aluminum tub trickier/less advised than a steel tube-frame, when doing various mods? With the Elise's aluminum tub, there's no putting it on the frame machine after it's bent... one big tweak, and it's all over for the tub. Is this the case with steel tubs as well as aluminum? What do ya do with a tweaked RCR tub?
Obviously, if I'm driving a Superformance, I will be a little (a LOT!) more scared of going backwards into the dirt than if I was driving a track-oriented replica with lots of modern safety features. I think I'd rather have a car that I'm not afraid to push a little bit, drives like a big honkin' Lotus, and just happens to look like a GT40. I'm okay with the idea of big wheels, big brakes, front splitter, etc., and I don't mind a climb-in car with big harnesses. The money I don't spend on the full alcantara interior can go to AP brakes and the fire system.
I don't know exactly where the "cut-off" point is for street-legality in CA via SB100, in terms of full cages, harnesses, in-cockpit fire systems, 'race' dashes, etc., but obviously this will affect my decision as well. Suffice to say I see all manner of EXTREMELY sketchy vehicles (open pipes on rat rods, chopper trikes, ProStreet cars, etc.) every single week here in SoCal, and they're all wearing current tags. Anybody care to chime in? At what point does my car become a 'track-only' car? With the Lotus, it happens when the cage, 6-points, battery cutoffs, and fire system go in (Cup Car). After some of the videos I've downloaded of bad moments in motorsports (!), and a few weekends roasting at Willow Springs (106mph at 106 deg F!), I say bring on the HANS, fireproof jockstrap, permanent coolshirt and helmet air systems, and all that jazz. If I'm getting a bespoke car, why the heck not?
All of a sudden, things like the DRB look good to me, because of the simple steel cage-like frame, whereas before it wasn't a contender... but it seems that all the tube-frame cars are from the UK or downunder and have frightening lead times.
All this said, I still have my finger hovering over the "Buy-It-Now" button on a few 2006 Ford GT auctions, am scheming about swapping the Elise for an Exige S, and if I find myself a nice finished CAV or whatever with SB100 and a good price, who knows? I might not be able to resist...depending how many of the above mods could be retrofitted.
What's up with a CAV GT-R? Not much specific info over there....
BTW: Anybody know this car?
http://www.vipclassics.com/sdcc/uploads/viewpage.phtml?id=2162427
Fran, how about making a tube-frame, full-cage, fuel-celled, SCCA-compliant GT40-R variant? Can't you just hang a MkI body on the SuperLight roadster?
rockonsmile
