MattLaw wrote:Been looking at several posts and videos on here and I really fancy a mk1 as track motor.
I've seen loads for peanuts on Autotrader too.
Is the mk1 N/A any good or would it be a lot better to get a SC?
Matt, I've had and used on track my Mk2 Turbo for a few years, and have recently bought a cheap Mk1 NA for
£500 as a trackday car.
I'd worked out that a set of new tyres on trackday rims for the Turbo was going to cost nearly
£300
- for not much more you can get a complete Mk1 NA.
My impressions of driving both are that the Mk1 is deinitely as much fun as a turbo to drive on track.
Back to back, below about 70mph there isn't much to separate them
- above those speeds the extra bhp of the turbo means its pulls away.
To give you a comparison
- looking at footage I recorded around Donnington in the Turbo a couple of years back on a wet circuit I was doing laps in 1.46ish,
MK1SCs
(Matt Jenkens) in 1.48, and thsi year
(again in the wet) in my MK1 NA this year about 1.50.
If you like throwing the car sideways a LSD helps with powerslides and goonage in general
- the Mk1 NA doesn't have a LSD and so can't be provoked in quite the same way.
Can someone inform me of the different revisions etc of the mk1's too? I know all about the mk2 but have never been interested in the mk1 until now!
Well, there was a
'Mk1a' and a
'Mk1b' revison.
Loosely, the biggest differences were the early engine is a little better than the later
(but prefers Super Unleaded) and the early car has slightly smaller front brakes.
You can upgrade the front brakes to bigger disks and calipers from the later car, and keep the early engine which is lighter than the later one
- getting the best of both worlds.
Or at least that's what I'm doing
I've got some Bigger Mk1 brakes to fit to fit to the Mk1 in the new year
.
.
I'd have to say that I'd highly recommend the Mk1 as a trackday tool.
IMHO
- its styling isn't ever going to work for me, but behind the drivers wheel the feedback and enjoyment you get from the car is excellent
- dare I say it, it certainly gives more feedback to the driver than my Turbo, making it
'easier' to drive on the very limit.