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My car is very track able and street able. It is a question of balance and tradeoffs. You need as good a suspension as possible, excellent brakes (rotors that can handle lots of heat and appropriate pads), as good a rear differential as you can afford (I have a Torsen T2R Racemaster), a smooth dependable transmission that can handle your torque with reserve, a throttle responsive engine setup (e.g., fly wheel, carburetion setup, etc.), a camshaft that is not too aggressive or mild, and much more. You must set up your accelerator and brake so that you can heel and toe with ease. You may need a slightly smaller steering wheel to give you more legroom for heal and toe. If you are the sole driver, once you know your best seating position, you can take out the slider and bolt the seat directly to the floor (saving you 1-2 inches of height).
If you are going on a track, you do not want to take any shortcuts on safety. If it is safer on the track, the car will also be safer on the street. You will need a roll bar that is a least a broomstick higher that the top of you racing helmet. You want 5-point seat belts and a seat that is comfortable and keeps you from sliding around. Instructors will often not go with you unless they have 5-point seat belts as well. At a minimum, you will need a latched fire extinguisher that you can reach – a halon system is a plus. You need to get the best tires that you can get. They are your only contact with the road. You do not need racing tires to go to the track, but you need tires that you can trust to act consistently.
Note that I have not said anything about the engine except implying that it should be responsive at all RPMs (idle to redline) and dependable. Horsepower and torque is a matter of preference unless you are racing; otherwise, the objective on going to the track is improving YOUR skills to get your car as close to, but not over, the edge as possible. In one sense, you cannot get enough horsepower and torque. You just have to learn to sensibility control it through appropriate use of the throttle. You can grow into more horsepower and torque. It is hard to gain it later if you do not get the cubes, etc. up front. The side pipes on most of these cars are very restrictive despite their looks. You want to minimize header and side pipe restrictions so that the engines will breath properly. Your engine builder will be responsible for what gets to the headers. Since you do not want a pure track car, be sure that it is built to run on pump gas.
Any car can be a track car provided it has the safety items for taking it to a track. Seat time is more about the driver than the car. Your job is to learn how to get the maximum out of whatever you are driving. You want a car that is dependable. My car is expected to drive to, on, and from the track. It is not taken to and from on a trailer. By the way, my car is also expected to be a daily driver and to travel across country. I am planning on about 800-1000 track miles, some drag quarters, and perhaps 10000-12000 street miles this year. I have already taken it on a 2000 mile highway round trip this year. I park it only in the winter since Michigan gets lots of snow and salt.
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