Considering buying this racecar

[2mAn]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1967- ... -coupe-10/

It never sold and I've been in contact with the shop owner who is helping to sell it. I like it but the fact that its on the complete opposite side of the country means that I will have spent a good deal of money before it arrives at my doorstop.

My questions/ concerns:
- I've wanted a vintage racecar for a while and would love to have this, but I wonder what are the typical racecar running costs... not so much the actual dollar but where are areas I will have to keep an eye out. It will need new tires before anything else, but with a fresh rebuild on the motor I would think the major expenses have been addressed.
- What would a newbie like myself have overlooked when looking this thing over, or questions I should've asked that aren't addressed in the BaT listing?

Just trying to look at this thing with eyes open, and would love more experienced set of eyes on it. I also reached out to 'lotuszog' on BaT and am hoping he can give me some more info about it.

I see a lot of value in this car and would love to have it round out my 'collection' as I have a resto-mod Alfa and this would satisfy the urge for a track-worthy car.

[StressCraxx]

Consider having a local vintage race prep shop or Elan expert perform a PPI for you.
It should only require a drain and flush of all fluids, particularly brake fluid and fuel cell.

My son just had a Mk 1 Cortina shipped from PA to San Jose, CA. Cost was reasonable.

He used this shipper/broker: https://bearstransport.com/

[Ross Robbins]

While I agree with Dan about a PPI, I will urge you to contact the vintage race group with whom you wish to run as well. The rules in each of the clubs differ and you will want to be certain the car is eligible to race. I know for example that SOVERN does not permit a dry sump which this car has while RMVR where I raced my Elan does. On the other hand, RMVR would not approve of the flares and oversized tires, so there you are. I don't know the ins and outs of VARA or HMSA in CA, though the principle still applies.

If you do find the right car, it will provide some of the most memorable times you can ever have with a car. I had 15 years of wonderful memories of the friendships and comradeship with my fellow racers as we challenged each other both on track and bench racing before and after. In the immortal words of NIKE, "Just do it!!"

[2mAn]

Thank you for mentioning the details about the organization. I live in Southern California so I would be with VARA and they are generally fairly loose with the rules… at least until I start to become a front runner. I can’t imagine that would happen for a long time and generally the vibe that VARA gives off is that they want to see the cars out there racing so they can find a home for it.

For example, a fellow built a fairly wild Alfa Romeo GTV with a twin spark motor, sequential gearbox, AEM efi, carbon, $$$$$$…. They let him run with b-sedan because that’s technically where the car belongs. Because he wasn’t the best racer he wasn’t a front runner and they let him go enjoy himself with the other similar makes and models.

I don’t think an Elan falls in F-Production where a 1600 normally would be, I think it would likely end up in C or maybe even B production where some of the faster cars are classified.

I haven’t even looked yet TBH

[h20hamelan]

Keep your eye on the prize
If its driving, and some money spent on changes. Your doing good

[gherlt]

I am just astonished that the car is sold with "The car does not carry a title and is offered on a bill of sale. "
and has no id plate.
So ... when you enter a race, which year is the car ?? A body number may give you a hint, but is no proof.
Maybe the cylinder head gives you an engine number and there you might find the original car it went with (not necessarily an Elan). This could be used as a track car but I doubt you can use it as race car in a decent series.
Simon, this is the reason why this car did not went for more than offered. The resale value will be low forever, even if you put more money in it. So, I hope you will not want to pay much more than the last offer.

[Andy8421]

My questions/ concerns:
- I've wanted a vintage racecar for a while and would love to have this, but I wonder what are the typical racecar running costs... not so much the actual dollar but where are areas I will have to keep an eye out. It will need new tires before anything else, but with a fresh rebuild on the motor I would think the major expenses have been addressed.

As mentioned above, the most important thing is to confirm the car will be eligible for the series you want to race in, or if not, will only require minor changes. Significant changes will get expensive, fast.

Rohan will have a better idea than me, but based on my experiences when racing and depending on the length of races you plan on doing and how many, you should budget for 2 to 3 sets of tyres per year, 2 sets of brake pads, a change of brake fluid after every race (at £75 per litre!), oil and filter change mid season - and this assumes you don't hit anything. You won't be getting 30 miles to the gallon, so budget for a decent amount of fuel.
Before each season you should work through the car from front to back, changing anything that looks worn. The calipers get cooked when racing, so its not a bad idea to change the seals, suspension components take a real beating so might need changing, possibly discs as well. Change the oil in the diff and gearbox at least twice per season. Getting the engine out, refreshed and crack tested once season is a good preventative measure - this can be expensive depending what is found. If the engine is out, examine the clutch / release mechanism and change if worn. Change all the usual consumables (filters, plugs, belts etc).

On top of this there are entry fees, test day fees, travel to and from the track and potentially accommodation costs. When I raced it was in a series that limited the amount of modifications allowed, which (in principle) kept the costs down. My info is very out of date, but having checked a few current prices, I would guess that to be reasonably competitive now for a 10 race series would be in the £10K to $20K per year range assuming nothing went wrong and you didn't hit anything. To be a the front of the grid would be more. To race in a 'full race' series would be much more again.

I would be interested if others have a different experience.

Andy.

[2mAn]

Some great info guys, thank you

BTW It looks like it would fall under C-Production with VARA and like I said, until I'm a front runner they probably wont dispute too much

[TWebb]

You might contact Joe Carr of Carr Racing. He preps a number of Elans for folks who race on the west coast. He is located in Petaluma. I know that is not Southern California, but he is a good contact for Elans in CA.

http://www.carrracingchassis.com

707.481.7416

Tim