Track toy: Atom or Caterham
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 358
Likes: 3
I would consider the Aerial Atom to be more of a big gokart than a road-going car. I think the Atom is awesome and fast but definitely not the best purpose-built vehicle. As others have mentioned, dedicated race cars can be had for cheaper and be used in competitive series.
The Caterham on the other hand is a real car I consider to be as close to a formula car as you can get. It is minimalist but has all the things a car should have yet is as visceral as an Atom. For the record, windshields and other amenities are optional so you can have a bare bones Caterham as well. It's a shame they no longer offer the Superlight in the states anymore due to our growing waist-lines.
The OP mentioned this would be a dedicated track car. Does that mean it won't see the streets? Because if you want a car that you will drive on the street AND track I don't think you can beat the reputation of the Lotus 7 variants.
I envy you
.
The Caterham on the other hand is a real car I consider to be as close to a formula car as you can get. It is minimalist but has all the things a car should have yet is as visceral as an Atom. For the record, windshields and other amenities are optional so you can have a bare bones Caterham as well. It's a shame they no longer offer the Superlight in the states anymore due to our growing waist-lines.
The OP mentioned this would be a dedicated track car. Does that mean it won't see the streets? Because if you want a car that you will drive on the street AND track I don't think you can beat the reputation of the Lotus 7 variants.
I envy you
.
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 846
Likes: 1
From: Seattle, WA
Westfield XTR, it will be around 34k assembled without the Suzuki engine, we have a dealer in Texas area as I remember, they are really fast, and cheaper than the atom, top gear tested one of those once, and it was faster than the Zonda around their track.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 4,281
Likes: 0
From: N. Tx.
I think you are going about this backwards. If you are looking for a decidated race car then most likely you hope to race someday. If that is the case then you really need to start by checking out the local track scene. What groups are competitive? what cars are your friends tracking? Then from there you can find a series you can afford and step into.
Whether it is SM, or FF or FM - doesn't matter. What matters is finding good friendly competition to go against.
After all I doubt that Ferrari or Mclaren is going to call any of us. So it is more important to have fun and be competitive in a series. I know some PCA guys who compete against only 1-2 cars in their class. BORING!! I would much rather be in 944 cup or SM series and have 40 cars to race against.
Hope that helps.
Whether it is SM, or FF or FM - doesn't matter. What matters is finding good friendly competition to go against.
After all I doubt that Ferrari or Mclaren is going to call any of us. So it is more important to have fun and be competitive in a series. I know some PCA guys who compete against only 1-2 cars in their class. BORING!! I would much rather be in 944 cup or SM series and have 40 cars to race against.
Hope that helps.
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 542
Likes: 1
From: Boston
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 6,014
Likes: 1
From: Seattle, WA
To tack onto MDXLuvr's point, you should also take operating expenses into account. If you have a $50k budget and intend on tracking the car (or worse, racing it) regularly, then you shouldn't spend all $50k on the car itself, as you'll need to budget for consumables like tires and brakes, as well as maintenance.