Now I've gone and done it...

It was two summers ago that I was hip deep in the mud of Life. Two years of marriage and a little less than that in a new house. I'd been track driving off and on for about three years and had been talking to a good friend about partnering on a car we could both afford to lose. Neither of us wanted to be stuck riding the bus to work. It is the American Way, doncha know?

My loving wife had consented, but my buddy jumped off on a car of his own. So here I was with the green light and nothing to step on. I tripped over an IT-prepped Rabbit only a few hundred miles away, with a trailer, and crates full of spares. Honey? Yesss....

Then lightning struck. Literally. Within hours of cutting a certified check and sending a registered letter to the car owner, our new house was on fire. Only by Grace was the house not more seriously damaged, but the toy track car was definitely on hold.

Fast forward almost two years through my wife getting a new truck, both of us getting a new dog, and that gnawing of my own that resulted in my new GTI. Track days continued and were that much more fun with the fast, but there is still this nagging feeling.

Half the reason for a dedicated track toy was the economic consequences of making a big mistake in the daily driver. I was getting smoother and faster in my old car and those experiences were built upon in the new car. It's a busload of fun too. But if I made a big mistake, I could very quickly wind up begging a ride to work. Compound that with a lien on the GTI (presently) and I could be begging for a ride -and- still paying for the car I couldn't drive.

The toy car makes its second appearance.

I'd still passively looked for that bargain track-ready car whose driver was in dire need of cash and letting go for pennies. Maybe you are too and I can tell you they are out there. I'd found Factory Five Racing too and thought it would be a hoot to build my own 5.0l Ford-powered Cobra replica. The reality there is too similar to that of crashing the GTI and saving the money up was taking a long time. But the money was being saved and some parts were bought as other great deals came and went.

A new spec racing series within N.A.S.A. debuted about the time the smoke was clearning from my house; Spec E30. That's the E30 model BMW 3-series cars kitted for inexpensive campaigning. You see, SPECified go-fast parts is effectively a budget cap that contains racers to a limited set of modifications and upgrades. It also makes for very evenly matched cars and results in a more genuine driver v driver comparison of speed.

I have no intentions of competing. For my money, open track days and schools/clinics net me more seat time on the track than racing does. :gasp: I may try time trials, but I will be looking to the SpecE30 results to compare myself to the guys racing door to door. Otherwise I'm just having fun.

Having? As in you're able to go do that? Did you buy another car?

Yes, the cat is out of the bag. I did buy a '91 BMW 325i coupe.




It's a very strong donor and quite nicely matches up to the power:weight ratio of a Factory Five Spec Challenge car (another spec series for Cobra replicas)... but it is a tenth of the price. Even less for what I paid. I had been planning a $25-30K budget for a Factory Five, but the BMW cost me $1400. Title, taxes, tags, and insurance won't even break the $2000 mark. A packaged SpecE30 prep kit with all of the build parts is $2500. For less than five grand, I will have a rip-roaring BMW track toy.

But that's in the future and probably next year. For now I'm following some wise advice to make the car safe, make it reliable, and then make it fast. In that order. First up will be the state safety inspection which I think the car is ready to pass.

Next will be reliability. Right away I want fresh fluids, fresh belts, a new waterpump, thermostat, timing belt, and idler, fresh hoses, new plugs, cap, and rotor, clean filters (air and fuel), new wheel bearings, new parking brake shoes, and all new bushings. Together, these parts will probably cost several hundred dollars. They will give the car a completely new lease on life... and it already runs very strong with a new clutch, young transmission, and new brakes. Plus, not a thing I've listed isn't something I cannot do myself.

Finally, the fast stuff. This is where I can take the time to get the car fully prepared and learn some of the same things I felt the Factory Five experience would teach me (except in a car I can fit into!). I will follow the SpecE30 rules which are very concise; very little of them have I not understood. My goal will be a track-ready car that can still be driven on the street and not pollute the environment. That is another big plus for SpecE30 too. I'm looking forward to the experience!