Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
I've been a car nut ever since my father bought a Triumph TR3 when I was a kid. There was something about that car which really made me extremely interested in cars, especially sports cars, and I've been fascinated by them ever since.
Here's a quick overview of my various interests and experiences with sports cars, and why I think I might be able to answer your questions on this topic, or at least find someone who can.
My very first sports car was a 1959 Triumph TR3A. It was stolen in Atlanta. I replaced it with a 1966 Fiat 124. Then came a 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce, a 1964 Jaguar E-Type, and a 1972 Pontiac Firebird. Then I bought a 1984 Porsche 944 and took up autocrossing.
Autocrossing is a driving event where you run by yourself on a mini-race track demarcated with cones in what is supposed to be a perfectly flat parking lot with no obstructions. It is supposed to be big enough so you can ostensibly not hit anything. It is really the perfect venue to learn car control in an extremely limited risk manner.
Here is an example incar video in one of the fastest autocross cars in the country driven by one of the best drivers, just so you won't get too bored watching a vehicle a lot slower:
Link to video.
Drivers ed is a chance to drive your street car at a purpose built road racing facility. You can go as fast as you wish once you get signed off to drive by yourself. Before that point, you always have an instructor in the car with you.
Here's an incar video of a 944 Turbo at a Porsche Club of America drivers ed event at Bridgehampton, which was disputably the greatest race track ever devised by man, other than the Nurburgring or Spa of course. It featured 4 straights with some of the best corners in the world linking them together. His top speed is probably 130 mph or so right at the bridge at the beginning of the video just before the track starts to go sharply downhill, which isn't really evident in the video. The cars that pass him like he is standing still a bit later in the video go quite a bit faster.
Link to video.
I kept the normally aspirated 944 for 10 years until I broke the timing belt at Bridgehampton. I then picked up my current car, a 944 Turbo that I eventually set up for PCA club racing.
Here's the photo of my current car again that I recently posted in the "Vehicles" thread, and which inspired me to start this thread:
If you have any questions about cars in general, sports cars in particular, autocrossing, drivers ed events, or amateur road racing, I'll try to answer them or refer them to other car nuts that I know.
I am particularly keen on encouraging people to try autocrossing because it will drastically improve your car control skills at close to zero risk to you and your car. This is especially invaluable for teenage drivers. It is far better to learn how to recover from a skid under controlled conditions than to try to learn under emergency conditions. It is also a great adrenaline rush and a heck of a lot of fun.
I regularly give friends advice on potential cars to buy based on their own interests, so I'll try to answer those sorts of questions as well. Being a car nut, I spend a lot of time keeping up with the industry.
Here's a quick overview of my various interests and experiences with sports cars, and why I think I might be able to answer your questions on this topic, or at least find someone who can.
My very first sports car was a 1959 Triumph TR3A. It was stolen in Atlanta. I replaced it with a 1966 Fiat 124. Then came a 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce, a 1964 Jaguar E-Type, and a 1972 Pontiac Firebird. Then I bought a 1984 Porsche 944 and took up autocrossing.
Autocrossing is a driving event where you run by yourself on a mini-race track demarcated with cones in what is supposed to be a perfectly flat parking lot with no obstructions. It is supposed to be big enough so you can ostensibly not hit anything. It is really the perfect venue to learn car control in an extremely limited risk manner.
Here is an example incar video in one of the fastest autocross cars in the country driven by one of the best drivers, just so you won't get too bored watching a vehicle a lot slower:
Link to video.
Drivers ed is a chance to drive your street car at a purpose built road racing facility. You can go as fast as you wish once you get signed off to drive by yourself. Before that point, you always have an instructor in the car with you.
Here's an incar video of a 944 Turbo at a Porsche Club of America drivers ed event at Bridgehampton, which was disputably the greatest race track ever devised by man, other than the Nurburgring or Spa of course. It featured 4 straights with some of the best corners in the world linking them together. His top speed is probably 130 mph or so right at the bridge at the beginning of the video just before the track starts to go sharply downhill, which isn't really evident in the video. The cars that pass him like he is standing still a bit later in the video go quite a bit faster.
Link to video.
I kept the normally aspirated 944 for 10 years until I broke the timing belt at Bridgehampton. I then picked up my current car, a 944 Turbo that I eventually set up for PCA club racing.
Here's the photo of my current car again that I recently posted in the "Vehicles" thread, and which inspired me to start this thread:
If you have any questions about cars in general, sports cars in particular, autocrossing, drivers ed events, or amateur road racing, I'll try to answer them or refer them to other car nuts that I know.
I am particularly keen on encouraging people to try autocrossing because it will drastically improve your car control skills at close to zero risk to you and your car. This is especially invaluable for teenage drivers. It is far better to learn how to recover from a skid under controlled conditions than to try to learn under emergency conditions. It is also a great adrenaline rush and a heck of a lot of fun.
I regularly give friends advice on potential cars to buy based on their own interests, so I'll try to answer those sorts of questions as well. Being a car nut, I spend a lot of time keeping up with the industry.
