Maserati has a new version of the Gran Turismo called the “Corse.” (Check it out at AutoFiends). It’s stripped out, no sound insulation, racetrack ready. Lieberman tells me it’s like a Porsche GT3 RS or an Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24. I initially thought that these cars were pretty silly. When you’re talking about that level of money, you don’t need the car to be street legal. Sure you could drive it home from the racetrack, but would you want to? I saw the episode of Top Gear when James May drives one and sweats his walnuts off. These cars are just brutal; so I figured you would stick it in a trailer and haul it home behind your Escalade. Sure, I have plenty of friends that take their personal cars to and from autocross. But that’s a different story. But I have realized the benefit for manufacturers selling cars like these. First, they are profit machines because customers pay more and get less. But more importantly, they let buyers feel closer to the racecars and the brand’s supposed sports car credentials. Think of it as buying a set of kitchen knives because Gordon Ramsey uses the same ones at home. It’s all about what your car is capable of (I mean, I don’t usually drive 155 in the U.S.). And in this case, the special racing-spec version of already expensive cars are just what the millionaire toy collecter ordered.
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I took my Cobra down to the track
Hitched to the back of my Cadillac
Prize goes to whomever can guess which group sang this
Rip Chords
What about the flip side-can daily drivers be racecars? Am I the only one who would love to see a highly-publicized race series that uses cars that are actually available for sale? With tires and maybe brakes the only modifications? The main reason I’m not a big racing fan is that the cars in the vast majority of race series have next to nothing to do with cars I can actually buy. I think a racing series with real ‘stock’ cars would not only be extremely interesting, but do a lot to promote brand loyalty
Motorcycles are even worse for this.
Do you really need a motorcycle that can hit 95mph in 1st gear, 120mph in 2nd gear….for the street?
Hey, little cobra!
Robstar: Define “need.”
Do you really need a motorcycle that can hit 95mph in 1st gear…for the street?
Yes, because then I don’t have to shift.
Interestingly the same link profiles a guy that uses an Ariel Atom as a daily driver:
http://www.autofiends.com/index.php/2008/09/ariel-atom/
Maybe the major manufacturers can’t build street legal race cars, but (through the kit car loophole) Caterham (and other Se7en makers), Factory 5 (and other Cobra [Co6ra?] makers), Ariel/Brammo and others can.
I beg to differ. Racecars must be daily drivers for those of us that can’t afford both.
@guyincognito:
We don’t differ at all. I am talking about cars like the Aston Martins and Maseratis.
As I said in the post, I have plenty of friends that race their daily drivers.
Well James May used a full out racecar for a trip through Italian cities – one of the worst tests. These cars can be driven to / from racetracks and be driven early weekend mornings to have some fun – but the daily grind of traffic, etc. puts them entirely out of their element.
This is the direction Jeep should go…. if it’s not too late already. Maybe Cerberus could sell the brand to someone like Bombardier.
@robstar:
Yes, yes I do. In the same way a crack addict needs his next score…
Geez, Topdog…
A lot of racecars where I play go “MiataMiataMiata…”
Real pistonheads have no use for soft-touch interior parts.
Or, in the case of motorcycles….interiors.