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Oh, How I Obsess
Aug. 16th, 2010 01:58 amRace cars, again.
Saw a recap of the Mid-Ohio Le Mans racing overday, and was wondering whether there were any differences in the competition classes compared to the past. There were, but mainly it was changes in terminology and the need to include alternative fuels and other new technologies.
I wondered why there weren't more American cars in the GT classes...but then I compared the specs for the new Dodge Challenger to the Porsche 911 in the GTC class. American performance cars in general are too big and too heavy to be very competitive against foreign GTs. Just the way it is these days.
Meanwhile, my research addiction sent me to look up This Catalog PDF and This PDF Rulebook because of my longtime interest in NASCAR-variety "late models" and their hardware. The Approved Body Configuration was codified in 2002 and has been the standard for a great number of late model circuits in recent years. As said with the Car Of Tomorrow layout, it's gotten to the point in race car evolution that the only differences between the Marques bodywise in the ABC system are the nosepiece shapes and the shapes of the rear quarter windows--and maybe not even that.
My Dr. Frankenstein side wants to build a street-legal hot rod that an ABC body can be wrapped around, just to see if it could be done.
But for a different family of circuits, the ASA, bodies based on the new Challenger, Camaro, and Mustang cars are being built that are very faithful to the manufacturers' designs and styling.
--Which would make a hot rod project "easier" but not as weird.
Saw a recap of the Mid-Ohio Le Mans racing overday, and was wondering whether there were any differences in the competition classes compared to the past. There were, but mainly it was changes in terminology and the need to include alternative fuels and other new technologies.
I wondered why there weren't more American cars in the GT classes...but then I compared the specs for the new Dodge Challenger to the Porsche 911 in the GTC class. American performance cars in general are too big and too heavy to be very competitive against foreign GTs. Just the way it is these days.
Meanwhile, my research addiction sent me to look up This Catalog PDF and This PDF Rulebook because of my longtime interest in NASCAR-variety "late models" and their hardware. The Approved Body Configuration was codified in 2002 and has been the standard for a great number of late model circuits in recent years. As said with the Car Of Tomorrow layout, it's gotten to the point in race car evolution that the only differences between the Marques bodywise in the ABC system are the nosepiece shapes and the shapes of the rear quarter windows--and maybe not even that.
My Dr. Frankenstein side wants to build a street-legal hot rod that an ABC body can be wrapped around, just to see if it could be done.
But for a different family of circuits, the ASA, bodies based on the new Challenger, Camaro, and Mustang cars are being built that are very faithful to the manufacturers' designs and styling.
--Which would make a hot rod project "easier" but not as weird.
