Racy Little Number – Track Day Classic?

With Goodwood having just passed us by, I was left pondering something – is a classic car built for the track a good thing? To my mind, a track day classic is something of a brilliant concept, but many people wince and moan when they see this old machines being used in anger. It’s not something I really get, as using these thing in anger is a visceral, exciting, loud celebration of what they were built for, surely?

Of course, when it comes to events like Goodwood, the cars I’m referring to as a track day classic are more often than not machines that have always been that. The old Porsches and Ferraris, the open-wheeled racers of the mid 20th century, all built for competition, and are now celebrated in speed as track day and demonstration display cars. They, new or old, are a different breed. A car that’s built as a race car will always be a race car, it’s never had leather seats, a stereo and carpet. It doesn’t know how to be a normal car.

But even then, people argue that these old racers should be mothballed for posterity. I don’t agree. When a race car can’t race, you take away it’s reason for being. This is why modern race cars, when they’re replaced, are effectively worthless. In fact, the life of a race car is usually a short one, even if it managed to stay out of the armco. To be competitive, you need to be new. So a five year-old BTCC car for example isn’t much use. But, to go through that lull and that period of uselessness and lack of desire, only to come out the other side as a celebrated survivor? That’s amazing. And those cars deserve to be given a damn good thrashing. A case in point would be the Super Touring BTCC cars as we covered here.

But what about buying a classic and building your own retro racer? Well, ultimately, it’s your money so you can do as you please, naturally. And it’s also something I would consider you look into. There are myriad tailored track days for classics on offer, and if you take part in one, you will see classics in a new light. An exciting, noisy, Castrol R scented light at that. I used to have a Capri 3.0s, while while not a balls out track car, it did have a cage, some suspension and brake tweaks, decent rubber and upgraded cooling. Flinging that thing around Brands Hatch or Combe was electric. Figuratively. It had an Essex 3.0 V6. Here it is before the cage went in…

It’s a giddying feeling to push your classic hard and without the worry of the Police or speed cameras. And that’s just a track day classic, if you have the money, there is nothing to stop you from building something with which you can compete. Like track days, there are various classic race series that will welcome older cars with open arms, and arguably the racing is more exciting than some modern disciplines. Of course, the risk of a collision or a bit of panel damage is higher, but that’s racing.

To quote a good friend of mine, a car doesn’t know how old it is. If you look after it, if you build it right, if you use quality parts, a track day classic, or actual racing classic will be a joy to own. It will be a new take on classic ownership, it will be exciting and it will be fun. And yes, it will make people in heavy-knit jumpers moan, but it’s your car, your money and your time. And just remember, you never, ever see a miserable driver at Goodwood – build the right car, and you could be there with them, smiling too.