You make an excellent point there...

 

Grand Am racing.

And guess what, one of our own members is going to be driving a new Camaro!!

 

Whats funny is all of the racing series mentioned in this thread(non-Nascar) just aren't popular.

 

Those are awesome, but that is a purpose-built race car and is not at all what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about racing cars that you can find in your local dealer's showroom. Bring back the old "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" scheme!

 

I see what your saying and IMO, I'd be generally satisfied with something like the FR500S in a production class. Exhaust, safety cage, dampers, springs, bars, and brakes aside, it is pretty much production stuff (IIRC the cars can be bought for a tick under 90k)

That said, I'd find such a car especially acceptable if such a race series had a homolagation rule requiring a certain amount of cars to be produced in order to legally compete in the series (sans stripped interior, safety cage, and possibly the exhaust). I'm sure with something like the bat crazy world of Barrett Jacson, 200-500 such cars from each could find a home (look at the various R Model Mustangs)

 

I want the homologation rule to require production numbers of 30,000 or higher.

I want to see real cars racing.

 

I honestly feel the manufacturers would be better served by a more "upscale" racing venue. Thinking people would be more impressed with a factory stock (with applicable safety updates) road race series than with identical cars going in a circle with questionable drama injected during the most boring segments. Nascar has the recognition factor now, but if the factories got behind another series, using vehicles you could actually purchase, showing them turning left AND right, braking, accelerating and maneuvering with stock underpinnings, I believe it would pay off. Welcome all the European and Asian manufacturers in if they have cars to compete. Let the winners advertise their victories. Having the new Camaro identified with Nascar would burden it with the wrong stereotype in my opinion. Chevrolet, Ford and Chrysler should be aiming higher.

 

Have a displacement limited factory car class. It would be fun. Wasn't the original 302 Z28 developed for a racing class? MFG could offer these high performing engines as a special model and they would definitely sell.

Although, the new cars HP output now is much higher then they ever where. But they could offer the car completely stripped down, performance suspension, etc etc etc...

 

I'm with Jake. I want to stock cars on a race track.
Only one modification allowed; the addition of a roll cage.
Everything else stays and stays stock, right down to the fluids.

When I'm at the drag strip, I enjoy watching the street cars the most. Probably because I can identify with them, it shows what a real street car can do, and it's probably something I could obtain easily. The race cars do nothing for me (except top fuel; those are impressive).

I think there would be room for a series like this in the round-y-round racing and road course racing worlds.

 

I'll also allow the installation of a fire suppression system, a racing seat w/ five-point safety harness and HANS device, and an external power and/or fuel shutoff switch.

 

What, you mean you don't want homologation to require at least one vehicle produced for public consumption?



Only two road-going models of the GT-One were ever built. One is in a museum.



Again, only two R390's were built, and one is in a Nissan warehouse.



Mercedes only built 25 road-going versions of the CLK-GTR for homologation, which was, at the time (and my still be) the most expensive production car ever built with a price tag of $1,547,620.

All three of these models were built with only one intention in mind, and that was to satisfy homologation rules. If that rule was never in place, these cars might have never been built for public consumption. Imagine owning one of either the R390 or the GT-One (TS020.) You would have the only one ever sold to the public.

 

I was thinking the same thing. If you want to see the actual car in a race, you have to find other racing series.

 

I'd like if Nascar allowed tube-chassis cars with a stock-dimensioned body over it, like the GTO.R. I think that would allow them to incorporate at least a lot of the safety equipment of the COT, but have meaningful looking cars.

They would have to run factory NA V8s available in that car model and sell say... 1000 of them a year. It'd give GM another avenue to test their motors aside from the Corvette racing program.

Even if they maintained parity by limiting the throttle body size it'd still be a lot more exciting than the car and engine package we have today. Small blocks that turn 9000+ RPM are sweet, but I dont think I'll be buying any SBC2.2 heads anytime soon.

Plus, if GM decided to run the Camaro IMO it'd pretty much guarantee a top-of-the-line Camaro... and the R&D money might be easier to pull from the marketing pot.