CS vs 360 Modena & 360 Challenge ?
Have been looking around for a track car for a few months that I could possible race next year. Have a strong preference to find one that is road legal so I will not have to bother with transport/trailers. Other preference is for an F1 gearbox.
Have consider a Challenge Stradale but they are twice what I want to spend and for the price of a CS you can get both a 360 Challenge which is a better track car and a 360 Modena/Spider which is a more enjoyable road car.
Comments, Suggestions?
There is a reason for that...Originally Posted by Boxer
Yes, its called marketing.
If you are looking to race the car next year then the only choice is a Challenge really as you'd have to fit a full cage, change fuel tanks, fit ignition cut outs, sort some approved seats and SO much more. For example a lot of classes at this level ban carbon brakes so if you bought a CS you could well end up binning them. Better to buy a car fit for purpose in the first place, I'd guess you'd be looking at spending £25k minimum to turn a Modena into a legal racer and then it would make a nasty road car.
If it's only a track day car then maybe a modena (Spider isn't really a choice if you are serious on track and will never make a race car) even then to keep up with Caterhams, Lotus 211's and Radicals the like you're going to be spending some big bucks!
Hence I've ended up buying a new Caterham R500 which I've had built up to race spec components incase I feel like doing the odd race/sprint or hillclimb.
If you want a road legal track car, GT3 is the way to go. 360 challange would cost a fortune to make road legal.
But again, if he does really want to race it, even a GT3 will cost a load to make race legal. The days of road legal GT race cars are really over now, they either work on track or road, never both
(Monty Python voice on)Stone him,stone him
the difference between the strad and a standard 360 is huge and don't let anyone tell you any different. drive them both yourself and you will know.
i have driven the challenge and the strad and found the strad better, the handling on the strad was better and perhaps due to the amazing tyres they run. The front end grip when you turn in is stunning, trail the brakes and it will stick like its on slicks.
there's no way you could use a standard 360 on the track for serious driving, it just isn't designed or built for it.
I agree it is better to get separate track and road cars and vital if you intend to compete as opposed to entering the occasional track day. I would also seriously consider transporting a race car to events - I speak from experience! It isn't ideal having to get a broken down competition car collected by the AA! You also need to consider how how would transport spare wheels/tyres and whether you would actually want to drive a competition car home after an event. If it is a hard race you'll be greatful for something comfortable and relaxing - and with aircon in the summer...
I would also suggest buying a well used car for competition use, you won't want to be too precious about it. I know that Nick Cartwright and his son compete in their 328s and I'm sure they would be very happy to discuss their experiences if you'd like to call them. A final bit of advice - buy a ready prepared car, it will save you a fortune and you'll actually get to use it. I know a vast number of people who have been building their competition cars for years with no end in sight... Good luck!
There is no way a stradale is better than a challange car round a circuit. Otherwise one would buy a strad to race not a challange? Every one would be racing strads. A Stradale is a track biased 360. It is not a racing car. It is a road car. I have also driven both.
The tyres on a strad are the same as the regulation tyre for the FOC Pirelli classic. These are quite different to a standard road tyre - they become very sticky once warm. Alot of the Strads potential on a track is done to the tyres and a track orientated camber / toe/ settings and some stiff shocks. This is why it feels different to a road 360. And for the extra £40 - 60 k over the road car price you get a stradale badge also.
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