Wanted: Track Day Car

[John Toomath]

After experiencing Sandown  , Winton  and Philip Island  sprint days in my road car, I am now looking for a track car so that I can return in something more suitable and push a bit harder.  If you have a well sorted car that has a record of doing better than about 1:38 at Sandown or 2:05 at Phillip Island and would let it go for under $5000 please let me know.  My preference is for a GTV, but a 105 or 75 would also be fine. I grew up with Alfas and have a passion for them, so rest assured your car would be going to a good home.

I can be contacted on john.toomath@nab.com.au or 0411 280 599

[alfagtv58]

Hey John,

Good to hear the bug has well and truly bitten!  Robin Doherty has the perfect candidate for sale, it is in the current club mag....he has $4500 on it, you should check it out.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Robin's car has been sold.  Brian Canny has an excellent candidate for under $5000, a GTV with all the good bits and a roll cage, but it needs some assembly apparently.  Sorry I don't have his contact details, but if you're interested, PM me I'll try and find them for you.

or you could buy my 90, and sort out the suspension and put in a Twin Spark gearbox for under $5000.  It's doing 2.09 at PI now, with those mods it would easily get under 2.05.  And then i 'll buy brian's car

Hmm, John, I seem to remember telling you before Sandown that you would be after a track car before long.  it's highly addictive isn't it?

[Scott Farquharson]

The kind of performance you are looking to achieve is not that difficult and everything you need is available off the shelf.  You could:
Buy a std Alfetta GTV for around $2000
Add Koni yellows
Add torsion bars, sway bar, rear springs
Add R spec tires

Plus a bit of clean up work and fettling......

2:05's for well under $5000 and very little work!

And you are also well on the way to having a group s car as well!

[Anthony Miller]

A little bird tells me that Michael from Ital Motors is going to sell his well sorted and very fast Alfetta GTV early in the new year, no idea on the asking price though

[alfagtv58]

Ooohh. who bought Doherty's GTV

[John Toomath]

Thanks for the enthusiastic responses guys.  Robin's car was probably the perfect answer.  I wonder if the purchaser has had second thoughts? (Hope, Hope!) Thanks for the other leads.  I will follow them up.

I think my preference initially is to look for a completed car so that I can have a full year starting with the Winton training day in March. Unfortunately my mechanical skills, time and facilities are all lower than I'd like to enable me to experience the pride of building a weapon myself.

Sheldon, I knew you'd be in there with a generous offer of the 90  ,hence the 2:05 requirement.  Presumably the only mod really necessary to get down from the 2:09s is the addition of the flame stripes  .

Guys, please keep your ear to the ground for cars that may be out of circulation or need to go for someone to start their next project. Hopefully a car appears sometime soon that makes me smile everytime I look at it in the driveway and then gives me huge enjoyment chasing you on the track.

[alfagtv58]

What about Marcus Hancocks old car....is he still looking to sell that??  I might try and get in touch with him for you.

[Scott Farquharson]

Hanncock is turning it into a Grp S car for himself so he can stop running the Porsche

[jimnielsen]

Just keep running the new GTV 3.0 24V !! We need more newer cars going round!

JimN~

[John Toomath]

Jim,

Seems they can also be modded to come in custard too!

http://www.lmaperformance.com/motorsport/racing_team/Soper_GTV_2007.jpg

[jimnielsen]

A thing of beauty is a joy forever...

[hammer]

John,

If you are willing to move to a Sprint, I know that Bob Whitehouse in Brisbane would look at selling his "Stealth Bomber" sprint. This weapon is quicker than anything else in the Qld AROCA division and took out our championship again this year. It's a mean looking beast and goes like stink! This thing out-runs all our 105s, Alfettas and even hot 3 litres.

Regards,

Brent

[Fast Eddie]

There are pics of it somewhere on this site.  Mighty mean car!
What's he going to do next then?  A stealthier stealth bomber?

[John Toomath]

Well folks, I'm in.      I have gone the route of starting with a cheap base car and building from there.  A week ago I picked up a 250k 1987 75 2.5 V6 that had a pretty straight body and only minor rust.  It has lived outside for a far chunk of its life so the paint and exterior plastic trims have suffered a lot. Not sure that the engine is very lively, but it will be fine for now.  One day in the future a 3.0 164 engine may find its way in. 

After a busy few dedicated days, it has had a cut and polish, repainted grill in body colour and I have made it down one side sanding back the pitted moulding strips and painting them in body colour.  I have kept a log and have removed 90kg of weight from the interior.  Second hand 16 inch wheels and R type tyres are waiting for some slight adjustment to the hubs and then its off for its Pace suspension makeover. 

Hopefully I will be ready for the MSCA driver training day, then the Winton Sprint on March 30. For those of you who don't know me, I'll be easy to recognise...I'll have the ear to ear grin! 

So, team Cheap Thrills Racing is born.  Anyone wanting a 6 Hour rookie teammate?

...and then the obligatory baby photos...

As purchased...


After a clean and painting the side mouldings...


With repainted grill...