Major Shift in Dream Race Car; Now What?

So after I sold the Formula 500 my wife admitted she was happy I am no longer road racing an open wheel car.

I was road racing motorcycles when we were dating and the F500 is my third single seat and she never says a word. She is totally OK with single seaters as autocross cars but again admits they make her uncomfortable as my road race car. We have been together 37 years (3 1/2 dating & 33 1/2  married) and although she would never ask I've decided to stop any plans to road race a single seat car. She was also the one who suggested we by th Mustang.

My original goal was to buy a Ralt Formula Super Vee; naturally I could buy one and keep it as a strictly autocross car but I am a road racer who happens to autocross occasionally. Beisdes a shifter car offers the same pace for a one fifth the price.

So this leaves me with what do I buy?

Here are the parameters; no more than 25K, lightweight (2000lbs or less), tube frame preffered, semi vintage and around 10-15 seconds a lap faster than Spec Miata.

My thoughts are to get a SCCA GTL car and run it outside the rule set. Basically I'd like ditch the inlet restrictor and ignore the weight limits. My local vintage club will let me run a modern car.

I would love to hear some suggestions or out of the box thinking.

SRF? 

Older DSR to stay vintage eligible? Basically similar to what most run in BM autocross. Like a legrand?

Here's a helpful doc from apex speed if you haven't seen it 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AbsliOHCsfw1KptLNZ0-0nz5dmdW0UzM1GQ-PnCHBGA/edit?usp=sharing

You could play with a legends car... Bike power, full cage... Play with engine for power.

There are a few sports 2000 cars on racing junk in your budget...

Tiga S2000

Shrike S2000

^^yep, I was thinking "how about a closed wheel single seater?"

j_tso said:

^^yep, I was thinking "how about a closed wheel single seater?"

I would say that a SRF appears to be rather good on a safety front, even compared to some tin tops. That said, gen3 is getting expensive. That also said, you can get a gen2 somewhat affordably 

In reply to Apexcarver :

I had a very fast DSR 20 years ago and I know she was very nervous about that car. The car once grenades the engine and had a somewhat minor oil fire........the singed bodywork didn't help those fears.

I even mentioned Spec Racer Fords were built like tanks but I can tell she's not crazy about those either.

It's not the open wheels that makes her nervous; it's the exposed cockpit. 

Something with a Halo like a F4 car would probably go a long way but that's going to be outside the price range. 

In reply to Tom1200 :

Gotcha, legends car or a diasio if you can find one in budget?

Here's a source I found. https://usedlegends.direct/collections/all

Or...  Old stock car? We have a few threads in here with people doing it 

Apexcarver said:

Or...  Old stock car? We have a few threads in here with people doing it 

This would be my goto. OP, I have a 2500lb bmw race car with 400whp LS power inside your budget......

Gen 3 SRF's are around double your budget these days. Gen 2's are right there, and there are a number of people still running them. Also eligible for SVRA and HSR; VDCA is the only major vintage series that hasn't let them in yet. They are built like tanks; I've seen some pretty major hits that the drivers walked away from without a scratch. 

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

Gen 2s are what I had in mind. Probably the sweet spot for me. I like cars that you have to skate around, it's what I liked about my F500.

The DSR was absolute magic to drive but I hated owning it. I don't enjoy working on cars. I only do it because it saves a ton of money.

I was thinking old stock car as well.  You could maybe even remove a zero off the cost.

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Old stock cars have always been a great deal but they are bigger than I like.

I'd probably have to drive one to see if I like it.

In reply to Tom1200 :

The spec Hoosiers are really good; they're at their fastest for 8 heat cycles, but you can run them for over 20 before they start to cord. They run around $1k per set, so pretty manageable. Brake pads are under $200 per axle. 

What about a Thunder Roadster?  Might not quite hit your laptime target but $25K should buy you a front runner.  

I've not driven one but hear they are pretty great to drive.  

Shrike s2000 in CT

I'd be looking for a GT3 car. Specifically a rotary powered rx7 silhouette. Those things are awesome 

are you looking to just do racing or are you looking for more track day / time trial with specific passing rules, etc.  I.E. are you looking for something with a full cage and fire supression?   

Link to my build just in case is small enough to fit your needs: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2470075-Olemiss540-s-WAR-Machine-LS1-E36

:-)

In reply to Olemiss540 :

Cool stuff but really not my thing......plus I am a couple of years out.

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

I'd be looking for a GT3 car. Specifically a rotary powered rx7 silhouette. Those things are awesome 

There was one at the vintage race I did in the fall and they are super cool but bigger than I like believe it or not.

ClearWaterMS said:

are you looking to just do racing or are you looking for more track day / time trial with specific passing rules, etc.  I.E. are you looking for something with a full cage and fire supression?   

As with my Datsun it would do a mix of vintage race weekends, time trials and track days. 

In reply to preach :

I know and love those; one of the coolest S2000s around..........but those area no go.

Loving all the suggestions.

Before the single seat bug bit hard I always thoguht I'd do a 2.0 liter 911. I had driven a 72 911 a little bit and loved it. I find the prices on those to be absurd and realistically even if I sold everything in the garage they are still out of my price/comfort range.