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Cars I Have Slid
Monterey Historics 1
Monterey Historics 2
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Here are some friends' cars that I have done my best to drift:
 Rick's 1996 Westfield Spa - This is the actual car that Road & Track
tested back in March, 1996. Powered by a 145 HP, 1700cc English Ford ohv motor, this
1350 lb. car is a back road screamer. It has the kind of performance on a mountain
road that will make you think you saw God. Unfortunately when driven in traffic, it
offers the kind of safety that makes you acutely aware of just how soon that religious
experience could really
happen. I liked it so much, that I bought it! |
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Terry's 944 S2 shows just what you can achieve with this chassis when
properly set up. In addition to adjustable spring perches form Paragon Products,
this car runs 350 lb. Eibach springs, 30mm torsion bars, Koni Sport shocks, bigger sway
bars, camber balls, and LSD. It also features an OG Racing roll bar, no back seat,
minimal sound insulation, tightened and shortened shifter and lots of soul. I
recently was treated to some hot laps in this car at SIR and it was truly amazing how
composed and reassuring it was at insane speeds. To see what happened that day to a
Corvette that wasn't quite as composed, click here
(miraculously the driver was uninjured) |
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 Steve's 1967 Alfa Romeo GT
Veloce (A.K.A. Turner) - I lost my track virginity in this
car. When I was contemplating buying an Alfa, Steve (then the
NWARC president) invited me to a wet Bremerton Raceway to see what
an Alfa could do when driven in anger. Two thoughts went
through my mind as we accelerated down the straight for the first
time: this car is damn fast for a 1.6 liter and that speedometer
gives the word optimistic a whole new meaning! When Steve then
began to brake for turn one, a tight left hander, I had a new
thought: this thing has brakes! This ride sold me on Alfas and
the GTV in particular. Turner has since gone on to another
owner, but her replacement is a Giulia Sprint GTA!
Look for photos soon. |
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 Scott's 1998 BMW M3 - This car has been replaced by the white M3 shown
below, but it is still worth a mention on this page. The car was modified by Korman
and includes such goodies as: bigger airbox, adjustable exhaust cam gear, exhaust,
springs, shocks, sway bars, camber plates, quick ratio steering rack, roll bar, 5-point
harness, BBS 3-piece wheels, etc. |
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| Unfortunately there is no picture...yet, but this is a car that is definitely worth mentioning. Scott's 1996 M3 - When 240 HP isn't enough, what do you do? Why you
add a supercharger. The conversion was done by ERT in Connecticut and supposedly
produces over 350 HP. ERT uses a centrifugal supercharger that disappears under the
hood. Unlike a positive displacement blower, which produces peak boost at very low
rpm, the centrifugal unit needs revs to produce boost. Consequently it doesn't help
out too much until the motor is spinning pretty high, so it feels more like a very strong,
normally aspirated motor running big cams than a boosted engine. As 4-passenger cars
go, this is a pretty sweet ride. |
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Tom's 1990 Porsche 944 S2 - Tom's S2 has received a few cosmetic upgrades
that render it the prettiest 944 I have ever seen. In addition to 17" Boxster
wheels (not shown in this photo) he has also added 968 door handles and mirrors.
These lend the car a very modern appearance and show just how pretty the basic 944 design
really is. Although the S2's don't offer the ultimate push-in-the-back thrust of a
turbo, they have an abundance of low-end torque and no turbo lag. If you ever want
to have some fun, post a message to the Rennlist
that disparages the S2 at the expense of a turbo, or vice versa. Either way, things will get interesting J |
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