Which Radical and why?
Discussion
As a keen trackday goer I am currently hypothesising about replacing my much loved 964RS with a Radical. So looking for advice and guidance!
What I like about the RS is the fact I can drive to the circuit, drive around it fairly quickly, and drive home again. I've had some lovely trips to the 'ring and Spa in my RS.
A Radical would be a serious upgrade in speed terms, but, realistically, you'll be trailering it to circuits.
So I'm sort of undecided. Very tempted having been overtaken on several occasions!
My (probably extremely newbie) questions are:
1. Secondhand Radicals do appear every now and again. What are the drawbacks of not buying new? There's no mileometer to gauge how shagged the engine is likely to be. Also I downloaded the SR3 owner's manual and the running-in instructions looked rather frightening! How do I know it's been run in correctly?
2. How reliable are they? I'm accustomed to rock solid reliability despite the abuse I give the RS.
3. Why buy SR3? The Introsports look quick enough to me! I want to save money... in fact I *have* to save money. It's a touch difficult to differentiate between them AFAICT.
4. Apart from engine power, how do you get a quicker, or better, or more fun Radical for your money - if you tickle the options list with an itchy tick-finger, you'll soon be well out of pocket! So what're the best or essential options and why?
5. I guess there's no such thing as a test drive?
6. How safe are they? I have a full cage in the RS and feel pretty secure. Outside single-seaterdom is a concern when there's just (apparently) a roll hoop and the car will be travelling that much quicker when I hit something.
7. How easy to maintain? I am a buffoon in the garage. Do they have to go back to Radical themselves for a rebuild every few track days?
8. How easy to track? By which I mean, do certain tracks disallow anything that isn't SVA'd like an SR3? I'm thinkin specifically of the public days at the 'ring here - no sense in trailering the beast all the way over only to be turned away.
9. How noisy?
10. How expensive to run?
This is just a starter for 10 of course!
thanks
What I like about the RS is the fact I can drive to the circuit, drive around it fairly quickly, and drive home again. I've had some lovely trips to the 'ring and Spa in my RS.
A Radical would be a serious upgrade in speed terms, but, realistically, you'll be trailering it to circuits.
So I'm sort of undecided. Very tempted having been overtaken on several occasions!
My (probably extremely newbie) questions are:
1. Secondhand Radicals do appear every now and again. What are the drawbacks of not buying new? There's no mileometer to gauge how shagged the engine is likely to be. Also I downloaded the SR3 owner's manual and the running-in instructions looked rather frightening! How do I know it's been run in correctly?
2. How reliable are they? I'm accustomed to rock solid reliability despite the abuse I give the RS.
3. Why buy SR3? The Introsports look quick enough to me! I want to save money... in fact I *have* to save money. It's a touch difficult to differentiate between them AFAICT.
4. Apart from engine power, how do you get a quicker, or better, or more fun Radical for your money - if you tickle the options list with an itchy tick-finger, you'll soon be well out of pocket! So what're the best or essential options and why?
5. I guess there's no such thing as a test drive?
6. How safe are they? I have a full cage in the RS and feel pretty secure. Outside single-seaterdom is a concern when there's just (apparently) a roll hoop and the car will be travelling that much quicker when I hit something.
7. How easy to maintain? I am a buffoon in the garage. Do they have to go back to Radical themselves for a rebuild every few track days?
8. How easy to track? By which I mean, do certain tracks disallow anything that isn't SVA'd like an SR3? I'm thinkin specifically of the public days at the 'ring here - no sense in trailering the beast all the way over only to be turned away.
9. How noisy?
10. How expensive to run?
This is just a starter for 10 of course!
thanks
Peter
Some good questions, most of which I'll leave to those who've owned for longer (my SR3 is still in build). But, for what it's worth:
5. Test drives - Radical will do you one (for about 100 quid I think refundable with any order). You spend most of a day at Bruntingthorpe for this, usually they run them every Wednesday but call the factory and speak to Ben Crissall if you want to arrange.
6. Safety - my SR3 Supersport has side impact bars and front crash box, as well as the optional US spec roll over bars to stop your head from getting squished. SR3 Tracksports I think don't have the crash box, and I'm not sure about Introsports, Prosports or Clubsports. Sitting in one I felt very safe myself, and drew some comfort from the race developed nature of the car. Certainly it felt to me a LOT safer than in my Caterham (think I've seen you a few times on BaT days, I used to have a yellow Superlight R, reg T777XXX)
7. Maintenance - on rebuilds, Radical say my 1500 engine will have to go back to them (Powertec) every 25-30 race hours or 50-60 track day hours at a cost of around 1-1.5k. Not sure but don't think the lower powered engines need as much fettling but again you're in race engine territory here so I'd personally factor in some annual maintenance on the engine. I was also advised to get the gear drive oil cooler to protect the expensive gear drive (just in case, perhaps). Radical's labour rate is I believe around 35 an hour. They *look* reasonably easy to maintain in that everything is easy to access and relatively simply laid out. Not sure what everybody else does, I was thinking of a mixture of some DIY for minor stuff and rest going to somebody else to sort out for me.
9. Noise wise, you can get an additional silencer which takes down to 98dB
10. Radical have quoted me the following for basic consumables: set of tyres c550, brake pads 64 per axle, front race splitter 146, gear oil 6.50 per litre. With oil change every 6 hours if running under race or track day conditions. Oil filter 8 quid, engine oil 25 per 4 litres, plugs 5.85 each, K&N air filter 29, brake discs 84 a pair.
I've got the complete SR3 parts price list if you want to mail me off line also.
Good luck!
Andrew
Hope helps
Andrew
Some good questions, most of which I'll leave to those who've owned for longer (my SR3 is still in build). But, for what it's worth:
5. Test drives - Radical will do you one (for about 100 quid I think refundable with any order). You spend most of a day at Bruntingthorpe for this, usually they run them every Wednesday but call the factory and speak to Ben Crissall if you want to arrange.
6. Safety - my SR3 Supersport has side impact bars and front crash box, as well as the optional US spec roll over bars to stop your head from getting squished. SR3 Tracksports I think don't have the crash box, and I'm not sure about Introsports, Prosports or Clubsports. Sitting in one I felt very safe myself, and drew some comfort from the race developed nature of the car. Certainly it felt to me a LOT safer than in my Caterham (think I've seen you a few times on BaT days, I used to have a yellow Superlight R, reg T777XXX)
7. Maintenance - on rebuilds, Radical say my 1500 engine will have to go back to them (Powertec) every 25-30 race hours or 50-60 track day hours at a cost of around 1-1.5k. Not sure but don't think the lower powered engines need as much fettling but again you're in race engine territory here so I'd personally factor in some annual maintenance on the engine. I was also advised to get the gear drive oil cooler to protect the expensive gear drive (just in case, perhaps). Radical's labour rate is I believe around 35 an hour. They *look* reasonably easy to maintain in that everything is easy to access and relatively simply laid out. Not sure what everybody else does, I was thinking of a mixture of some DIY for minor stuff and rest going to somebody else to sort out for me.
9. Noise wise, you can get an additional silencer which takes down to 98dB
10. Radical have quoted me the following for basic consumables: set of tyres c550, brake pads 64 per axle, front race splitter 146, gear oil 6.50 per litre. With oil change every 6 hours if running under race or track day conditions. Oil filter 8 quid, engine oil 25 per 4 litres, plugs 5.85 each, K&N air filter 29, brake discs 84 a pair.
I've got the complete SR3 parts price list if you want to mail me off line also.
Good luck!
Andrew
Hope helps
Andrew
Your choice depends entirely on whether you want to be able to take passengers. If you don't, then you can save a lot of money and have just as much (if not more) fun in a Prosport or Clubsport. You can pick up quality second hand Clubsports pretty cheaply nowadays.
On the liveability front, it's a completely different story to the Porsche. If you go off track in a Radical, you will damage it. On the safety front they're great - much better than a single seater, though on a trackday you could still get run over... :-)
On the liveability front, it's a completely different story to the Porsche. If you go off track in a Radical, you will damage it. On the safety front they're great - much better than a single seater, though on a trackday you could still get run over... :-)
Peter 964RS,
I was in exactly your position three years ago, enormously enjoying track days all over Europe with a Porsche 964RS which I really loved and enjoyed, a number of friends moved up to 993RS/CS which were faster and easier to drive. I decided to bite the bullit and buy a Radical Prosport, at the time they were very new, but to my amazement a used one turned up in Autosport, it turned out to be one of two factory prototypes, but it was high spec, and had raced three times in its life and was un shunted. So i sold the RS and bought it. After one event with the Brian James trailer that I already owned it became obvious why everybody seemed to run box trailers, you need quite a bit of back up to run a Radical, fuel, nitrogen bottle for air jacks and to remove the single wheel nut, spare wheels and so on. So then its the purchase of a box trailer, I bought a Dastle Race Box, basically because they are made a couple of miles from my home, so thats another £8K. now a Race Box is a whole different ball game towing wise to a flat bed trailer, so away went the sporty performance saloon, and a new Discovery TD5 is purchased, missed five track days that year with the Discovery broken down on the side of the road, eventually sold it after have a brand new engine under warrante for half the original purchase price in twelve months ! Purchased Shogun, pretty horrible but at least it works, and wife likes driving it, so a bonus ! Back to the Radical, yes its wonderful, amazingly fast and agile, miles faster than any thing else you meet on track. After a few more events it dawns on me that I'm not actually having much fun, because insted of having lots of skirmishes with other Porsches, hot Elises and slower Seven's, I'm suddenly just miles faster than everything else. After a couple of Spa's and a Nurburgring, I realise how much a hate towing, it really is an utter pain ! Those wonderful cross country drives doing the D roads through France and Belgium with the RS are a distant and fond memory and now I'm dicing with death trying to edge past trucks at sixty five. Especially after the Ring and Spa I'd always look forward to a great drive home in my poor mans supercar, now with dread I look foward to the prospect of the long slow tow !
Then there's maintainance, with the RS I'd clean it, possibly give it a quick Zymol, check the oil and change the brake pads, with the Radical there is endless cleaning after every event, that chain (on the Prosport) throws oil and muck every where, all the rear suspension is covered, the drive shafts the uprights, the inside of the wheels the back of the engine. I usually spend more than half a day cleaning after every event and this is having the facility of compressed air and running water in my home garage.
the Radical is very cheap to run in terms of tyres and brake pads, if you are not racing and not looking for the ultimate i reckon you can do a fifteen event season on a set of slicks and a set of brake pads, which is a fraction of the cost of an RS.
then comes the time to sell your car, I could have sold my RS several times over for what I paid for it, second hand Radical's are not worth a carrot, basically because the factory are not mature enough to realise that as a manufacturer you have to support the second hand market ( I'm a manufacturer, and I recognise this and bite the bullit ), my understanding is that they will not pay more than there cost price for any second hand car, a friend with an immacculate full spec Prosport, less than eighteen months old, track days only was offered £12K by the factory in part exchange for an SR3!
I owned a 968CS as my daily driver when I first got the Radical, and now use it at track days more than the Radical, because its actually more fun to drive on track for a man of my driving abilities, and i can mix it with all the other road cars, and at some where like Bedford autodrome in the wet, i don't think any car could be more fun, how sideways do you want to go !
So in answer to your problem i'd keep the RS, unless you are a young testosterone rich young man who can really motor,and can afford for someone else to transport and look after the car, then I'm sure the Radical would be fabulous.
Anyone want a complete little used Prosport package ?
Best Regards, Tim Raven
PS forgot to say the Radical spare parts service is the best imaginable, couldn't be more efficient or helpful.
I was in exactly your position three years ago, enormously enjoying track days all over Europe with a Porsche 964RS which I really loved and enjoyed, a number of friends moved up to 993RS/CS which were faster and easier to drive. I decided to bite the bullit and buy a Radical Prosport, at the time they were very new, but to my amazement a used one turned up in Autosport, it turned out to be one of two factory prototypes, but it was high spec, and had raced three times in its life and was un shunted. So i sold the RS and bought it. After one event with the Brian James trailer that I already owned it became obvious why everybody seemed to run box trailers, you need quite a bit of back up to run a Radical, fuel, nitrogen bottle for air jacks and to remove the single wheel nut, spare wheels and so on. So then its the purchase of a box trailer, I bought a Dastle Race Box, basically because they are made a couple of miles from my home, so thats another £8K. now a Race Box is a whole different ball game towing wise to a flat bed trailer, so away went the sporty performance saloon, and a new Discovery TD5 is purchased, missed five track days that year with the Discovery broken down on the side of the road, eventually sold it after have a brand new engine under warrante for half the original purchase price in twelve months ! Purchased Shogun, pretty horrible but at least it works, and wife likes driving it, so a bonus ! Back to the Radical, yes its wonderful, amazingly fast and agile, miles faster than any thing else you meet on track. After a few more events it dawns on me that I'm not actually having much fun, because insted of having lots of skirmishes with other Porsches, hot Elises and slower Seven's, I'm suddenly just miles faster than everything else. After a couple of Spa's and a Nurburgring, I realise how much a hate towing, it really is an utter pain ! Those wonderful cross country drives doing the D roads through France and Belgium with the RS are a distant and fond memory and now I'm dicing with death trying to edge past trucks at sixty five. Especially after the Ring and Spa I'd always look forward to a great drive home in my poor mans supercar, now with dread I look foward to the prospect of the long slow tow !
Then there's maintainance, with the RS I'd clean it, possibly give it a quick Zymol, check the oil and change the brake pads, with the Radical there is endless cleaning after every event, that chain (on the Prosport) throws oil and muck every where, all the rear suspension is covered, the drive shafts the uprights, the inside of the wheels the back of the engine. I usually spend more than half a day cleaning after every event and this is having the facility of compressed air and running water in my home garage.
the Radical is very cheap to run in terms of tyres and brake pads, if you are not racing and not looking for the ultimate i reckon you can do a fifteen event season on a set of slicks and a set of brake pads, which is a fraction of the cost of an RS.
then comes the time to sell your car, I could have sold my RS several times over for what I paid for it, second hand Radical's are not worth a carrot, basically because the factory are not mature enough to realise that as a manufacturer you have to support the second hand market ( I'm a manufacturer, and I recognise this and bite the bullit ), my understanding is that they will not pay more than there cost price for any second hand car, a friend with an immacculate full spec Prosport, less than eighteen months old, track days only was offered £12K by the factory in part exchange for an SR3!
I owned a 968CS as my daily driver when I first got the Radical, and now use it at track days more than the Radical, because its actually more fun to drive on track for a man of my driving abilities, and i can mix it with all the other road cars, and at some where like Bedford autodrome in the wet, i don't think any car could be more fun, how sideways do you want to go !
So in answer to your problem i'd keep the RS, unless you are a young testosterone rich young man who can really motor,and can afford for someone else to transport and look after the car, then I'm sure the Radical would be fabulous.
Anyone want a complete little used Prosport package ?
Best Regards, Tim Raven
PS forgot to say the Radical spare parts service is the best imaginable, couldn't be more efficient or helpful.
Tim, thanks for your posting.
Your posting gives a very interesting perspective on Radical ownership. It is so easy to be seduced by the fabulous looks (to my eyes anyway) and the breathtaking performance. I can see how that this may ultimately be less satisfying (a bit like some really good looking women). I suspect that part of the problem is that a good deal of the fun in trackday driving is exploring the outer edges of your car's handling. With a Radical you are much more likely to discover the outer edges of your own driving ability before you reach the cars limits. Ultimately that may mean that you have less fun on the track. I used to enjoy mauling porches, ferraris and a lot of other 7's in my old humble Caterham 1600 Supersport. Now I have an R500 it is no surprise to anyone that it is faster than almost everything else other than Radicals. So I agree that this may also result in you actually having less fun in a very high performance car than in a more modest set of wheels.
I must say that I am also quite concerned by the resale value and depreciation of Radicals. I know of two SR3's and quite a few Prosports that have been on the market for a very long time now. So far as I can tell it is only the cheaper Clubsports (£10k to £16k) that seem to be selling. I would guess that if anyone is in the market for an SR3 then they are likely to buy a new one in preference to a used car when the asking prices for used examples is not that much lower and there is always the question mark over how the engine has been treated on a used car.
Still, they are still sexy and desirable and I can resiste everything but temptation. Anyone fancy swapping their SR3 for my R500?
Your posting gives a very interesting perspective on Radical ownership. It is so easy to be seduced by the fabulous looks (to my eyes anyway) and the breathtaking performance. I can see how that this may ultimately be less satisfying (a bit like some really good looking women). I suspect that part of the problem is that a good deal of the fun in trackday driving is exploring the outer edges of your car's handling. With a Radical you are much more likely to discover the outer edges of your own driving ability before you reach the cars limits. Ultimately that may mean that you have less fun on the track. I used to enjoy mauling porches, ferraris and a lot of other 7's in my old humble Caterham 1600 Supersport. Now I have an R500 it is no surprise to anyone that it is faster than almost everything else other than Radicals. So I agree that this may also result in you actually having less fun in a very high performance car than in a more modest set of wheels.
I must say that I am also quite concerned by the resale value and depreciation of Radicals. I know of two SR3's and quite a few Prosports that have been on the market for a very long time now. So far as I can tell it is only the cheaper Clubsports (£10k to £16k) that seem to be selling. I would guess that if anyone is in the market for an SR3 then they are likely to buy a new one in preference to a used car when the asking prices for used examples is not that much lower and there is always the question mark over how the engine has been treated on a used car.
Still, they are still sexy and desirable and I can resiste everything but temptation. Anyone fancy swapping their SR3 for my R500?
Thanks for your generous replies, please don't think I'm knocking Radical (except for not supporting the second hand market)it is a great little car. I never been convincinced personally by the SR3, I just can't see how a car that is so much bigger than the Prosport is ever going to be as fast, additionally for normal mortals who look after and transport there own cars, its a very big car to run single handedly. You cab just about manage Prosport body sections on your own, although the nose is quite difficult to get off, tail is easy. More than anything there is the issue of transporting, and garaging, you've got to have a very wide trailer for an SR3 and its always sitting there in your workshop waiting to trip you over !
The other main issue that the SR3 can address, which is one that I forgot to mention in my original post to Peter964RS was the fact that, and this may only apply to quirky me, but in the good weather there is nothing like getting up early in the morning at the weekend and going through the start up and warm up proceadures on the cut price supercar (964RS) listening to that wonderful multi-cylinder engine, and then going for a good road drive before the traffic. With my Prosport a quick "run up the road" is impossible, aditionally any mods that you undertake cannot be tested until the next track day, and in my case on more than one occasion the mod has not been successful, so its straight back home !
Yes I'd love to pass my Radical package on, so this is what I have : The Prototype Prosport, raced three times in its life, then on track days only, never shunted. Dark Blue with white stripe and nose band.
Two and a half sets of wheels, new slicks. Air Jacks, Dry break fuelling. New Koni double adjustable alloy Dampers(nearly £500 a corner!) New Drive shafts and rear uprights.Fresh TTS 1400cc motor with Corello Rods, JE Forged Pistons, and fully dry sumped, over 180bhp at wheels. Latest MBE ignition (£700). Dastle Racebox in silver, with electric winch, extending rear ramps, side boxes, front box with workbench and vice, internal lights and headlining, less than 5000miles from new. Brand new Hyabusa engine/gearbox in a crate. Numerous small spares, complete nut aqnd bolt set, wheel nuts, chain plugs leads etc. High Pressure regulators and high pressure armoured hose to run wheel nut gun and air jacks, spare splitter, nice carbon fibre rear wing ( much nicer than the now standard fit ripply tin wing !).
Would be interested in p/ex either way.
Best Regards,
Tim Raven
The other main issue that the SR3 can address, which is one that I forgot to mention in my original post to Peter964RS was the fact that, and this may only apply to quirky me, but in the good weather there is nothing like getting up early in the morning at the weekend and going through the start up and warm up proceadures on the cut price supercar (964RS) listening to that wonderful multi-cylinder engine, and then going for a good road drive before the traffic. With my Prosport a quick "run up the road" is impossible, aditionally any mods that you undertake cannot be tested until the next track day, and in my case on more than one occasion the mod has not been successful, so its straight back home !
Yes I'd love to pass my Radical package on, so this is what I have : The Prototype Prosport, raced three times in its life, then on track days only, never shunted. Dark Blue with white stripe and nose band.
Two and a half sets of wheels, new slicks. Air Jacks, Dry break fuelling. New Koni double adjustable alloy Dampers(nearly £500 a corner!) New Drive shafts and rear uprights.Fresh TTS 1400cc motor with Corello Rods, JE Forged Pistons, and fully dry sumped, over 180bhp at wheels. Latest MBE ignition (£700). Dastle Racebox in silver, with electric winch, extending rear ramps, side boxes, front box with workbench and vice, internal lights and headlining, less than 5000miles from new. Brand new Hyabusa engine/gearbox in a crate. Numerous small spares, complete nut aqnd bolt set, wheel nuts, chain plugs leads etc. High Pressure regulators and high pressure armoured hose to run wheel nut gun and air jacks, spare splitter, nice carbon fibre rear wing ( much nicer than the now standard fit ripply tin wing !).
Would be interested in p/ex either way.
Best Regards,
Tim Raven
My plan was to look and see what the SR3 prices are second hand after this seasons racing. I don't know how many have been sold but one must assume that some of these would come on the market at the end of the year. Right now the used ones (very few) still want silly money and personally they can stick the VAT up the chuff as I WILL NOT pay VAT on a used good.
The other car I was looking at was a DJ firecat, same principle and a second hand one seems to be for sale for 19,995. (anybody know anything about these?)
With Tims reality-slap I should just relax and drive my Elise (oh yea, BTW blew its head gasket today..)
The other car I was looking at was a DJ firecat, same principle and a second hand one seems to be for sale for 19,995. (anybody know anything about these?)
With Tims reality-slap I should just relax and drive my Elise (oh yea, BTW blew its head gasket today..)
All very thoughtful comments but also should point out that 'vive la difference' is what makes the world go round. I'm of the opposite camp, having been there done that with fast road cars, yes it was fun and driving to and from the track days was nice and easy. But there's a compromise in there and FOR ME, that was not something I could live with. I 'put up' with the hassle of trailering my Superlight R to and from the circuits for best part of two years. The payback for me was the intensity of the on track experience. I thought nothing could match that, till I tried an SR3. My point? Depends what pulls your chain.
The SR3 trailer is not hugely wide, only 2 inches wider than a standard Brian James A series. 6 foot 3 bed. Speed wise, in racing currently the Prosports are slightly ahead of the SR3 but Radical are searching for the perfect tyre for the SR3 and say it will overtake the Prosport this year with luck and a following wind. Anyway, far more important for me is the ability to have space for a passenger since I hardly ever track alone.
As for manageability, well time will tell but I'm hugely looking forward to the experience. Hassles of trailering don't perturb me at all.
Each to their own and good luck to all, don't think I personally would ever want to go back to road cars but as my other half has a TVR perhaps I've got that base covered without really thinking about it.
Andrew
The SR3 trailer is not hugely wide, only 2 inches wider than a standard Brian James A series. 6 foot 3 bed. Speed wise, in racing currently the Prosports are slightly ahead of the SR3 but Radical are searching for the perfect tyre for the SR3 and say it will overtake the Prosport this year with luck and a following wind. Anyway, far more important for me is the ability to have space for a passenger since I hardly ever track alone.
As for manageability, well time will tell but I'm hugely looking forward to the experience. Hassles of trailering don't perturb me at all.
Each to their own and good luck to all, don't think I personally would ever want to go back to road cars but as my other half has a TVR perhaps I've got that base covered without really thinking about it.
Andrew
PS. As to resale, well it is a new car with a lot of good press and not much supply as yet, so prices are high when you can find one, what's the novelty in that? What will they be in 1, 2, 3 years' time? Dunno, I'm not banking on owning a car like this on a tight budget.
My conversations with the factory, they indicated to me they did buy back an SR3 at far more than cost, a few months ago.
My conversations with the factory, they indicated to me they did buy back an SR3 at far more than cost, a few months ago.
LRDriver,
Just after I purchased my Radical I became aware of the DJ Firecat, I think through an article in Racecar Engineering. Its a really stunning little car, looking very much like an Audi LeMans car, so very much more modern than a Radical. Its got a Carbon /Kevlar Honeycombe Tub, and inboard suspension, so it really trumps the Radical in terms of "hi-tech"and I believe it lighter. At the time of reading the article I was really gutted because I'm a bit of a mug for "hi-tech" and "unusual".
I saw my first Firecat at the Nurburgring driven by a famous Caterham guru a got chatting to him about it, I have to say to my eyes it made the Radical look like a "barn door", but there is always a down side, and it was explained to me that the good old Radical space frame has got lots of "holes and gaps" where you can thread your hands and tools for maintainance, the honeycombe tub on the Firecat has none its just solid, so the simplest job becomes a major issue.
I have little doubt its a better concept, but not for people like myself who do the maintainance as well !
Regards, Tim
Just after I purchased my Radical I became aware of the DJ Firecat, I think through an article in Racecar Engineering. Its a really stunning little car, looking very much like an Audi LeMans car, so very much more modern than a Radical. Its got a Carbon /Kevlar Honeycombe Tub, and inboard suspension, so it really trumps the Radical in terms of "hi-tech"and I believe it lighter. At the time of reading the article I was really gutted because I'm a bit of a mug for "hi-tech" and "unusual".
I saw my first Firecat at the Nurburgring driven by a famous Caterham guru a got chatting to him about it, I have to say to my eyes it made the Radical look like a "barn door", but there is always a down side, and it was explained to me that the good old Radical space frame has got lots of "holes and gaps" where you can thread your hands and tools for maintainance, the honeycombe tub on the Firecat has none its just solid, so the simplest job becomes a major issue.
I have little doubt its a better concept, but not for people like myself who do the maintainance as well !
Regards, Tim
All these posts and I am still unsure.
Primary worries are:
1. Cost
2. Hassle
Tim makes some excellent points about arrive and drive. This is a real forte of the RS; no hanging aruond on the autoroute, "plenty" of boot space for squashy bags and stuff, I can use it on the road and yet it's still very fast and good to drive on track.
Also the 964RS will hold its' value and the SR3 may not; more correctly, it doesn't have a history I can refer to to convince myself I'll get back a fair bit of what I pay for one!
Despite all these negatives the sheer speed and driving experience of the SR3 is definitely tempting me.
Any other insights would help me make a decision
Primary worries are:
1. Cost
2. Hassle
Tim makes some excellent points about arrive and drive. This is a real forte of the RS; no hanging aruond on the autoroute, "plenty" of boot space for squashy bags and stuff, I can use it on the road and yet it's still very fast and good to drive on track.
Also the 964RS will hold its' value and the SR3 may not; more correctly, it doesn't have a history I can refer to to convince myself I'll get back a fair bit of what I pay for one!
Despite all these negatives the sheer speed and driving experience of the SR3 is definitely tempting me.
Any other insights would help me make a decision
I've deliberated and cogitated and decided to keep the RS for another year. Might get a Radical next year, perhaps there'll be a few more secondhand, a bit more info on depreciation and ownership worries, etc. I also just don't have the time to go through the purchasing process at the moment!
But thanks for all the replies.
But thanks for all the replies.
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