I just purchased a race car!!!

carnut169 · carnut169's Garage

Here it is... cram-packed in my garage. It is a 96 Van Diemen- Formula Continental. It had a 4 cyl ford motor- but this one was built by Elite. Fully adjustable Koni race shocks, full ground effects. This car has a bunch of other great parts and I have a bunch of learning to do. It will be at least a year before it goes to the track so I can learn about it, go through it, pick up some spare parts, and save some $$. Luckly, there is a BBS like this one filled with Formula Continental experts! The car was such a good deal that I had to buy it....
Here are some photos: (I did photoshop the name out of the photo as the company who owned the car asked me to remove the name and I have yet to do it)

Victor · 08-21-2002, 07:31 PM

Wow, that looks like a lot of fun. Do I remember you posting about this a long time ago?

carnut169 · carnut169's Garage

Yep. Been trying to get it for months..... patience paid off!

Neilk · 08-21-2002, 07:51 PM

Sean,

Car looks awesome. Have you raced open wheeled cars before? Are there organizations like PCA that offer driver's ed for them? I imagine it would be fun to play around with the spring rates and wing settings. Have fun setting it up. I am jealous.

bell · bell's Garage

you're entering a whole new world

you're gonna love it

Efrain68912 · 08-21-2002, 09:21 PM

A much more connected, precise, calculated driving instrument. And a whole lot of fun. My limited experience in open wheel cars has left me planning and scheming to get myself back into one.

Not sure if you've raced any other cars or not, but if not the first thing you'll notice is how light the Ford will feel. Spend a day in that car, and the first trip back in the Porsche will feel like you are driving a Suburban.

andyu911 · andyu911's Garage

Nice, Sean. May I ask how much you paid for? I've been looking at the F500 which seems pretty affordable for a beginner. I'm very intereted in open wheel but not sure where to start. Any advice?

Andy
'87 Carrera

jluetjen · jluetjen's Garage

Cool! Congratulations on getting it. Even though the FC will out-accelerate a 911, you'll soon come to understand that it's all about the corners and carrying speed through the corners. I agree that after you drive the FC, the 911 will seem a little cumbersome, but much less so then any other car. You will also find that you'll get an entirely different understanding of how a 911 handles. The rear engine bias won't be such a big deal, but in fact a feature.

Good Luck!

82SC · 08-21-2002, 10:15 PM

check out my karting thread...the pseudo ferrari van deman

Karting Pics from Willow Springs

sweet van deman

jluetjen · jluetjen's Garage

Quote:

Are there organizations like PCA that offer driver's ed for them?

>>>The SCCA or any of its approved driving schools such as...

* Skip Barber
* Bonderant
* Spinnards (in Canada)
* Darek Daley's driving acadamy

... to name a few

ebrownson · 08-22-2002, 04:27 AM

Good to see that new garage is paying off. It always looked too big for just one car! Where are you going to race that thing? Road Atlanta?

Eric
83SC

s_wilwerding · s_wilwerding's Garage

I saw the subject of the post and thought you'd bought a new Porsche. After all, all us Porsche owners own "race cars"

motion · 08-22-2002, 06:04 AM

If I recall, Sean, you picked it up for 6 or 7k? Looks like a sweet car. Get yourself a Pegasus Racing catalog and start your Christmas list!

For those of you looking to get into open-wheel racing, I would recommend Formula Ford. They don't have wings, but wings cause too much drag on low-horsepower cars. They are tons of fun to drive and tune, and will teach you LOTS about how to avoid spins (and you thought 911s were prone to spinning!). After all the open-wheel cars I've raced, all the way up to Formula Atlantic, I would prefer the Formula Ford. They can be picked up race-ready for around 8-10k. And, you can probably find an SCCA race nearly every weekend at the tracks in your area. Man, they are fun! Hope you get it out to the track eventually, Sean!

carnut169 · carnut169's Garage

Just ordered the catalog- thanks. Its funny b/c I really know nothing about this car.... nothing about the SCCA rules.... oh boy. This will be a learning experience for sure. Got it for less than the 6-7K, but it will need $$$ to get it up to speed. That, and there is no log book so I have to go through all that as well. If you guys know of any other sources for parts or info please let me know! I am going to just leave it parked (I'll give it a good washing) until I know enough not to be dangerous. I am dying to put some fresh gas in it and see if she will fire, but I am going to resist the temptation until I have the knowledge. That, and I am not sure if the neighborhood is ready for a Formula car romping around!

expat · 08-22-2002, 08:57 AM

Oh man...

If that was in my garage I wouldn't be sleeping. I'd either being lying awake thinking about it with a big dopey grin from ear to ear, or (more likely) I'd be sitting in it, pretending.

Way to go, boyhood fantasy come true.

Are you allowed beautiful women standing around you with umbrellas and miniskirts while your on the grid

Cheers
Mark

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

Three words - Walmart Parking Lot!

-Wayne