Like most car enthusiasts without an unlimited budget to blow on cars and track days, I like to daydream about what I’d have if I ever had a bunch of money in the bank. Every day it’s different, but the concept is the same. Sometimes I think about what I’d get if I could only ever have three cars, or what I’d do with a budget of one million dollars.
Other times, I like to daydream about doing a full season of racing. If you’ve never looked into how expensive any form of racing actually is, I’d recommend staying away from that Google search, because it’ll leave your soul crushed. Even the most amateur, low-cost, no-budget, run-what-you-got series will bankrupt the average American after just a couple of seasons.
For people like me, who can barely afford to keep a shed of shitboxes running, participating in any real racing is a pipe dream. Yet, I still have trouble deciding what kind of racing I’d do if I had the money.
There are so many different types of race cars in the world. Beyond the truly popular stuff, like NASCAR, Formula 1, IMSA, IndyCar, and drag racing, you have stuff like stage rally, club racing, circle tracks, time attack, karting, desert racing, autocross, and hill climbs. No matter your taste or skill level, there’s a series or championship for you out there.
Personally, I’d love to race a Legends Car, as the racing itself seems pretty pure and very competitive. That sort of racing is a good way to hone your skills if you want to climb up the ladder to the truly fast stuff. The same goes for something like Spec Miata or MX-5 Cup, where the cars aren’t all that fast, but they’re all identical, and the drivers are all top-notch. If I had the time, I’d probably also buy a high-level stage rally car, like an old WRC car, and take it rallying across America.
While I don’t think I’d ever be fast enough to earn a paid seat in a series like IMSA, if I had the money, I’d probably consider being a gentleman driver for one of the GTD squads. Racing in the Daytona 24 sounds like a dream come true, even if I’m the slowest person on the grid.
Your turn:
You’ve Got All The Money You Need To Race Anything You Like. What’s It Gonna Be?
Top graphic image: US Legends Cars International
For me it’d be a Honda Fit built as a rally car. I don’t have any skills so that’d be a lot of fun to learn in. Maybe it’d be a Lancia Fulvia if I’m really unlimited on budget, but I’d probably still feel too bad about crashing it.
There was a Fit rally car for sale in the US not too long ago. I chased that guy around for a number of events.
I already spend a lot of time on racetracks with a m4 gts and an m4 gt4.
If money were limitless, I would run a E6X manual with a NA stroker engine with headers and a cf plenum, fully stripped inside, with brakes and suspension. It would be a lot of cretinous fun to pass people in an ancient car while listening to the glorious v10 music.
Given the chance, spec mx5, spec cobra, or a vintage imsa gt cougar. It would also be fun to run a time attack car just because I’m a bit of an aerodynamics nerd so playing with that would be fantastic.
I’m not really into racing, but maybe speed events with custom cars, but less to win anything than to see what they could do. That or vintage events for cars that are over a century old, preferably with aircraft engines.
Figure 8 school bus racing
Rally car ARA, SCCA RallyCross, WRC(Ha!) just something fast on dirt
Score Baja Class 11, 3, or sportsman class.
I would race on dirt.
Something slower than even a GT3 car, that’s for sure. I’ve done a track day in a prepped up Cayman and it was tough on my body. I just don’t have the tolerance for the g-forces yet.
Motorcycles are so different in the forces they exert, and I have way more experience with them. So probably like a Supersport bike or even just a super twins cup bike. Something mortals can handle.
Back when I was in the British Drift Championship (working three jobs to keep my turbo MX5 going) I’d often fantasise about what I’d do with more money. Not spend so much of my time laying on gravel trying to fix the bastard.
The top end guys at the time were all in JDM classics with three of four times the power of my piece of crap, so naturally I thought an Alfa SZ would make the perfect starting point for big budget build.
I’d need two. One keeping the OEM rear transaxle to maximise rotational inertia for stability, just to see what it was like, the other with a traditional front mounted transmission and a quad rotor Wankel.
I’d still get bored of watching it after I got knocked out, but it’s the most fun way to drive.
I know I’m average at sprints, and I’ll never win anything based on speed, so I’ll pick the type of driving that makes me laugh while I’m doing it, rather than cross when I see the results.
I’d also do the 2CV 24 hour race at Snetterton. They all look like they’re having fun. I’d use my unlimited budget providing spares for the other competitors.
Being a talentless wuffo, I should probably settle on team manager of a stable of tweed hat-set iron – some old Rileys or chain gang Nashes or Bugattis or some such. But cyclekart racing looks fun and less dangerous for the reflex-challenged of us.
Sixties Porsches
Le Mans Prototypes.
Hundred year old Morgan
Unlimited money I’m taking an EV swapped beetle with a custom solid state battery to the baja 1000.
If we are doing drag racing a pro mod. If we are doing circle track I could handle ARCA. I know my skill level and I’d run out of talent in anything faster.
Trophy trucks
For maximum silliness, I’d love to do a mild endurance race (say 12 hours) on a twisty course with something like a field of Mk. II Jetta/Golf turbodiesels. It would be the stinkiest, slowest racing possible, but the chassis is so fun to toss around that it would be a hoot and no one would be able to go fast enough to really hurt themselves.
Something outrageous, like a ’71 Buick Riviera powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin.
Whatever the track, nobody will get by me because I’ll be physically occupying all the space.
Back in the day, Australia had Appendix J racing, basically touring cars from the early 60’s. Common cars were Minis, Jags, Alfa Romeos, EH Holdens etc. The most notorious was a 7 liter Ford Galaxie… not the fastest, but genuinely hard to pass due to how much of the track it took up, especially going around corners!
As a low-performance driver who doesn’t bounce so well anymore, vintage dirt rally sounds like a lot of fun, though splashing money around Lemons might be more my speed. Be the funder behind the team that always brings lots of extra food and tools and quietly helps with the random hospital bill.
You would be beloved by all (if you aren’t already).
Top Fuel.
Full stop.
Anything, you say? Unlimited funds, you say?
Fine.
Ultra-class haul trucks.
Komatsu 960 vs Cat 979 is the new WRX vs Evo. Spectator stands are built onto the back. Let’s gooooooo
^^ COTD HERE ^^
I think build small apartment buildings on the back of each for the support staff , spectators etc The race route would be Casablanca to Dubai non stop with no refueling. Maybe allow each team to have a helicopter and helipad on top for scouting.
Sort of The Big Bus meets Paris to Dakar.
Absolutely! The engines and other machinery could be worked on from the inside, underway, like a ship. I’m split on no refueling/tire changes, though – I kind of want to see an f1-style stop when the wheels each are the size of a suburban house.
Round the world zeppelin racing seems to be on indefinite hold. Panamax cruise ship pursuit racing starting at Panama and Suez until one ship catches the other would be an alternative I suppose.
Any of these would make great TV.
Illegal fishing ships or pirates being pursued by activists and/ or government enforcement ships has been some of the more exciting racing for some time now.
Racing strategy raised to a different level!
First thing I saw run at Bonneville was a 16 cylinder turbo semi tractor.
Sounded exactly like the space shuttle does in person, that ripping sound!
So there’s an option that’s not over crowded.
The Joint Venture or the tugboat engine in a logging truck Phoenix ?
It’s hard to believe that there’s two 16 cylinder diesel land speed record semi trucks. What a world we live in!
I saw two run at Bonneville.
I don’t have a lot of details.
They appeared to be the joined 8 cylinder engines made in the 60s, but I could be completely wrong.
They were both tractors and the engine appeared to be behind the cab.
Also saw a narrow 4 wheeler with two exotic hemi engines midsong, a claimed 9000 HP.
Absolutely best engine sound I’ve ever heard!
The Phoenix is an old International harvester logging truck that has a bit of a steampunk vibe to it. The Joint Venture looks comparatively modern.
I love multi engine vehicles, especially ones that don’t have the engines locked together so they can run at slightly different speeds sounding like a twin engine prop plane or a twin engine boat
Very cool trucks!
Sorry I never got to see those.
Looks like the same engine in the Phoenix as the trucks I saw though.
They weren’t streamlined, so would never keep up with one that was.
Almost certainly running in different classes.
Someone in tech was explaining to me how they can change one thing and run in another class.
So much fun!
Large scale (1/5 or 1/4) racing would buy choice. Trying different mods all season and if the car wrecks it’s only parts and not doctor bills.
I wanna go vintage racing. Or something like a subcompact spec race. Slow car fast.
B-spec racers are just so endearing. Enclosed, FWD go-karts for the big kids. Flickable-handling focused, light weight, cheap racing. Unlimited funds huh? I’d make it a High School sport and put 1 mile long road courses in every county. It’d make driver’s ed a whole lot more fun and help educate more on driving behaviors and at limit handling.
Who wouldn’t choose that as an elective?
Those slow vintage cars can go pretty fast. At the Laguna Seca historics one year someone came up with the brilliant idea of a race where half the field was 1960s Mini Coopers and the other half was Porsche 935s. After five laps they were still pretty mixed and on the same lap. It was by the way, some of the best racing I have seen. One of the Porsche guys “it’s not fair, they don’t brake” but they were up on two wheels a lot of the time though.
I suspect the minis had used up their tires in just 5 laps though.
I am about to start a full season of IMSA super trofeo. Did SCCA (gt2 class), WRL and lucky dog for a while so this is a big jump up. Sebring end of this month! I am simultaneously terrified and excited. Wish me luck!
Damn. Now this is a members rides we really need.
Way to go, man! Best of luck!
Thanks! Good place to start is LDRL. A and B class are reasonably competitive and not especially expensive (as these things go). Plus since it’s endurance racing you can split costs (and driving) with friends
Keep us posted!
Oh man that’s so cool! I’d ask what car but if you don’t want to personally identify I understand. Good luck either way!
Something old, German, visceral and nice to look at. The Mercedes 300 SLR Stirling Moss won the Mille Miglia with seems appropriately excessive. Or Auto Union’s V16 from the late ‘30s. Even imaginarily rich people gotta die somehow.
When I went to Lime Rock there was someone racing Mercedes 300 there. Always great cars there.
Four ~1990 Fleetwood Bounders, and maybe a pair of Elkhart, Indiana’s finest C-class RVs for an eight-lap race at the Arena Essex Raceway (or similar in the US). Five of my friends and I would determine who is the best driver of these unconventional racing vehicles.
I suggest this would make for excellent television viewing, especially with the use of in-vehicle cameras.
Full kitchenware on board or nah?
Anyone can drive a proper chassis.
Amazing to see what some people can do with suspensions that barely qualify, especially on roads that don’t.
This was the nexus of NASCAR….
Maybe add a Panther or two…