Rally Racing

[Tandyman100]

Get a two-door Chevy Lumina

Edit: '91 or '02

 

[winslow33]

I can get a '97 Ford Escort for $150. weighs 1,491kg (2,468 lb) with 2.0L V4... Might not be powerful enough though... What do you think? I also emailed a guy about a '96 Cavalier Coupe, so I'll see how that goes too.

By the way, when i get the car I'm planning on doing some modifications to the engine to give it better performance, also I'm stripping down the interior (back seats, un-needed excess crap, etc.) so it wont be THAT heavy.

 

[alvino]

There have been a few FWD cars in WRC that did well, like the Citroen Xsara.

Speaking of FWD rally cars:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjyE9qDO40M

 

[Mutant Corn]

I can get a '97 Ford Escort for $150. weighs 1,491kg (2,468 lb) with 2.0L V4... Might not be powerful enough though... What do you think? I also emailed a guy about a '96 Cavalier Coupe, so I'll see how that goes too.

By the way, when i get the car I'm planning on doing some modifications to the engine to give it better performance, also I'm stripping down the interior (back seats, un-needed excess crap, etc.) so it wont be THAT heavy.

Apparently the escort can do it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodneywills/sets/1353321/
I doubt it'll have the Zetec engine though...

The cavalier is definitely the better platform to use. It'll be lighter, and have more power. Do you know if it's a Z24 or not? A 5-speed Z24 would be perfect.

 

[Cabbs]

Speaking of FWD rally cars:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjyE9qDO40M

Fantastic video. Rally drivers are really something.

 

[alvino]

Fantastic video. Rally drivers are really something.

Agreed. This has to be my favorite from that YouTube user though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozntieZs8Bg

Group B rally racing was so goddamn amazing. 600+hp to four wheels, massive downforce, three pedals, a traditional H-gate gearbox and testicles forged from adamantium. Fantastic.

 

[Cabbs]

Should have never gotten rid of Group B.

 

[alvino]

Should have never gotten rid of Group B.

Well, the FIA didn't have much of a choice. Group B was simply too fast to be safe for the drivers and spectators. During the 1986 season there were several accidents and some of them were fatal. I think it was the Tour de Corse where Henri Toivonen's Lancia Delta S4 fell off an unguarded edge and plunged into a wooded ravine. The fuel tanks ruptured and both the driver and co-driver died inside the car. After that, the FIA banned Group B from the 1987 WRC season. I guess the man just couldn't beat the machine this time.

But damn...those cars were fast. Apparently, Toivonen tested his Delta S4 around the Estoril circuit in Portugal and set a fastest time that would have qualified him 6th on the starting grid of the 1986 Portuguese Grand Prix. Against Formula 1 cars.

 

[Cabbs]

That's understandable. Still badass though. And qualifying 6th in a rally car against F1 cars is really something.

 

[superman22x]

I can get a '97 Ford Escort for $150. weighs 1,491kg (2,468 lb) with 2.0L V4... Might not be powerful enough though... What do you think? I also emailed a guy about a '96 Cavalier Coupe, so I'll see how that goes too.

By the way, when i get the car I'm planning on doing some modifications to the engine to give it better performance, also I'm stripping down the interior (back seats, un-needed excess crap, etc.) so it wont be THAT heavy.

You could get the escort and for $150, and depending on your skills, do a small junkyard turbo to get an extra 50hp out of it or something. Or some spray to pull you out of the corners with an extra 100hp.
What other mods are you planning on doing? Suspension mods? Cutting brake?