Just curious, 'coz I just attended my last autocross of the season today. What are everyone's car plans for next year? I'll start.
This year I ran the Mirage in the Ontario regional autocross series and it didn't fare that well, although I was woefully under-prepped for the class I was in (I had stock suspention and Azenis when everyone else had upgraded suspention and R-compounds). Then, late in the season, I took it to the rough stuff and ran my first two rallycrosses ever and did extremely well, taking one first-in-class and one third. I like to think my driving abilities were a large part of that but I'm only mediocre on tarmac.
Then I found the Corolla.
Sinking money into the Mirage for the impossible goal of making a good autocross AND rally car doesn't make much sense when you've got a lightweight, RWD platform with a Cosworth engine staring you in the face. So, for next year, I've decided the Mirage will be a dedicated rally car. Stripped out, harsh, and noisy (well, it already is), with not-too-stiff springs and struts that have a fair amount of travel to preserve traction in gravel and snow. Possibly I'll go with adjustable coilovers. Under the hood will be either a rebuilt 4G15 or a 4G63 nonturbo if I find one cheap. As for the body, I plan on fixing some minor issues that have been bugging me (mainly front end panel fit and some stone chips that have started rusting) but considering the abuse it will see next year that is of minor importance. A quick ratio steering rack, skid plates, a good driving seat, and possibly even a CARS-legal roll cage and harnesses would be a much better investment. I'll be sticking to rallycross and TSD for now, but if I move up to performance rally I think the Mirage would be a great car for Production or Group 2.
For the Corolla, I'm going to campaign it as my autocross car next year. It will be low and stiff, with big sway bars, 14x7 wheels and sticky rubber. (For the Canadians on here, I'll be running it in DSS. SCCA has no equivalent.) It will probably also take over daily driver duties in the summer. Engine and drivetrain will remain mostly stock but if I can source an OEM limited slip diff for cheap I will pick one up. My main concern is body rigidity so I'll be fixing up the various rust spots. Time and money permitting, I would like to seam-weld the car, install a four-point roll bar, and maybe even remove the sunroof. Appearance wise I'll be doing some bodywork to get rid of the surface rust and hopefully a new paint job (in the factory two-tone pattern), and I'll be refreshing the worn and tattered, twenty year old interior.
And what of that Summit that's been lying around since May? It needs nothing but a little time and effort on my part. Maybe I'll fix it up and sell it to finance the other two.
Well, lets hear from everyone else? What are YOUR plans?
- J
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I've just been informed that I'm getting something like $10k for my birthday (Whew.) So that will go into a painting of the driverside fender and bumper back to red. 