The next project: Caterfield or Lightweight 986

[Lennym1984]

First of all, it's worth me saying that I'm a serial tinkerer and if I don't have a project of some sort on the go, it makes me anxious and annoying to live with

For the last year or so I've been working through jobs (very few of which were actually required) on my 986. *Unfortunately* it has now reached the point where I've done everything I want and can now just jump in, turn the key, and drive it hard... So I've started thinking about my next project. 

Originally I was planning to get another (cheap) boxster, strip it out, stick in a cage, and turn it into a full on track weapon. I liked this plan because I now know the cars, and the money I make from selling the bits I rip out can help finance the bits I want to put in. 

Then I started thinking that it would be cheaper and easier to just buy a Caterfield type car and build it up accordingly. This also has the advantage of being very easy to repair if I have an off on track. 

So a question to those who have owned both, what would you do? Which will be more fun? Which is more sensible? 

[the baron]

Done neither but if you take another boxster off the road and butcher it will only make my boxster a little rarer and help increase the prices.🧐

[Lennym1984]

1 minute ago, the baron said:

Done neither but if you take another boxster off the road and butcher it will only make my boxster a little rarer and help increase the prices.🧐

Ha ha and my current one (which I hope to keep)... 

[½cwt]

@the baron keep going with yours and it will achieve high rarity value as the highest mileage Boxster even without others disappearing from the road. 

[the baron]

Just now, ½cwt said:

@the baron keep going with yours and it will achieve high rarity value as the highest mileage Boxster even without others disappearing from the road. 

👏😂🤔

[½cwt]

Hmm, now could you modify a Caterfield chassis to take a 3.2S engine?  500+ bhp/ton and low CoG!

[edc]

@marseille has set the template or menu for a lightweight 986. Done a good job of weighing parts and calculating the saving. I wouldn't go to the bother of keeping one 986 and having a trackday project 986. 

[Pezky]

I owned a Caterham for 21 years

Many tracks are clamping down on noise. Second hand Caterhams are expensive, limited spare parts supply

You'll also need to factor in a trailer, no hope of thrashing round a track all day then have enough tread on the tyres to get home.

Having an off will be very expensive- expect chassis damage.

My best track car was the Elise, did 3 track days on the same set of tyres (yoko AD07) with loads of thread left. Could drive it to and from the track, room for camping gear and luggage

 

[Menoporsche]

1 hour ago, Pezky said:

with loads of thread left

Sounds like your idea of road legal tyres is different to ours  

[Lennym1984]

1 hour ago, Pezky said:

 

My best track car was the Elise, did 3 track days on the same set of tyres (yoko AD07) with loads of thread left. Could drive it to and from the track, room for camping gear and luggage

 

The difficulty with an elise is that even a minor scuff will damage the clamshell and write off an older car. My thinking was that something like a Westfield with fibre glass panels would be fairly easy to repair in all but more heavy crashes (ie. The kind of thing that would damage a rear quarter but not bend the chassis of a boxster) 

[CMA]

I spent many years in the kit world, owned a locost with Essex V6 and a SSC Stylus with 1660 Xflow on R1 bike carbs which I mistakenly upgraded to a Zetec on Throttle bodies, faster but killed the spirit of the car.

Cateringvans and Westfieds are expensive to buy and fix if you do have an off. There are a whole world of other kit cars out there cheaper to buy and cheaper to run and less concern if you do have an off. Look up Road Runner Racings SR2 and GBS Zero. My mate built and SR2 with a supercharged 1.8 mx5 engine, sweet car. Both that and the Zero can house many different engine combinations, from Pinto to Chevvy V8.

Now I own a Boxster I miss the tinkering but the comfort and ease of ownership are plus points. Most kits have no heaters or poor ones so if you're expecting to stay warm on cold days, buy some quality thermals  I did a few track days in my SSC stylus, great fun, slow compared to others with the 1660 120bhp Xflow and my lack of driving skills but more fun than I expected In hindsight I should have had a pro suspension setup to help the handling.

[Zero]

A Caterham is amazing to drive, but they can but utterly frustrating also, no locks means anything to take has to go with you when ever you leave the car, and that could also include the steering wheel which always will get odd looks. I don’t think I have ever driven with the roof on. Mirrors are pretty much useless, they vibrate so much everything is a blur so get used to checking over you shoulder. But when you are in the mood in the right situation the feel and sensation of driving doesn’t get much more raw.

The variety of models can be baffling unless you really know what you are doing. For me it has to be the standard chassis (s3) as the wide body SV’s proportions are just a bit wrong. I prefer the k series engine as they sound fantastic when revved and has the bonus that the exhaust is on the passenger side so you don’t risk burning yourself when you get out of the car. The ford engines are probably a safer bet if you are after reliability, although they don’t feel as special as they don’t rev as freely.

I spent months looking for my current one to come up for sale, I wanted one of the original super-lights as it was the car that caught my imagination over 20 years ago, six speed gearbox, lsd etc. I was thankful for the heater being fitted on the 4 hour drive home in mid November when I bought the car.

Defiantly it’s a case of trying a few to decide what suits, if you are 6 foot lowered floors liberates a surprising amount of room. I found that many of the cars will have been upgraded from their original specification so it’s a case of understanding what the car has fitted not what the car was  when it left the factory.

My first was an ex academy car with a 1.6 k series, if you want one for track these are not a bad way of starting out as they will be pretty well striped of any excess weight. The engine can be easily upgraded, the gearboxes are from a ford sierra and a full role cage will be fitted and the wheels should be 13 inches (anything bigger looks comical). The body could also be a bit rough around the edges but if it’s is for track this could be less of a concern than if you want a car for the road.

[james_ly]

MR2 is good on a budget, handles as well as a Boxster, cheaper on tyres etc, just slower. And more reliable and safer to track than a Lotus. 

And if too slow, and you fancy a project, 2zz engine swap is common, 190bhp in 975kg car.