I'm with Scribbler.... I've had 6 Mk1 Clios in my time! 3 of them I performed 2 litre conversions on. They are awesome handling little cars even as standard. However, the Williams is definitely the one to go for - it has slightly lower suspension as standard and has a wider front track. The standard seats in the car are some of the best I've ever sat in - really hug you tight. They have 3 extra oil dials as standard too. Clutches are quite heavy on both cars, but do have good feel as a result.

 

The difference between the 1.8 16v and 2.0 16v engines really is quite noticeable I must say. For a track car the 2 litre would be much better. The 1.8 16v engine (F7P) you really have to rev the nuts off before it goes anywhere - it's so flat and slow until 4.5k rpm. Whereas the 2 litre lump (F7R) has 80% of its torque available from 2k rpm. As a result of this, the F7R pulls from low revs so much stronger than the F7P, making it a far more useable engine for a track car coming out of corners.

 

I do actually still have my last one tucked away in my unit. It has Wilwood 4 pots, adjustable Koni's and a 2 litre engine with Catcams! Haven't got round to breaking it yet, so parts are available if you went that way...  I was actually going to turbo it, so have most of the parts required for a manageable low boost conversion too.

 

With regards to the 106 GTi / Saxo VTS comments - agreed they are great little cars and very similar in performance and handling to a 1.8 16v Clio. The question is.... how big are your feet?! The pedals are very squished together in both these cars (same car in essence!), and they are also offset towards the centre of the car. This makes them very awkward to drive in my experience. No such issues with the Clio.

 

R32 I think is a more suitable motor as a daily driver due to being heavy. Great engine though! Track cars are meant to be light and nimble I would say though.

 

Phase 1 172 is a very good choice also. The F4R engines are good, but make sure you get the de-phaser pulley changed by someone competent, as they are prone to failure. One tooth out on the cambelt has caused people mega issues in the past. They are very similar to the Mk1 Clio Williams in many respects. Personally I absolutely love the Mk1 and would buy one over a 172 most days - they look brutish with all their bulges and wide arches! Most people would also say the handling of the Williams trumps the 172...

 

 

All this being said, the choice is yours! If you want any Mk1 Clio advice, give me a shout - quite knowledgable on them after a 10 year career owning lots of them!!

Second valver...

 

 

 

Third valver...

 

 

 

Fourth valver....! (and the best!) Still got this one.

 

 

 

Also had two 19 16v's in the past - very similar to the Clio!

 

I want a 19!! The phase 2 like that! I have chosen haha, forgot all about them, very rare tho

Peugeot 309 GTI

 

£2250

 

 

all the fun of a 205 GTi with slightly more controllable lift off oversteer

 

i'd probably go rear drive through if i was going track only dedicated

 

maybe a mk3 MR2 

yes it's lacking power but it's reportedly one of the best mid engined chassis out there

and dirt dirt cheap too

 

£995

 

Want a hot hatch or well saloon type hot hatch really, something light and nimble possibly

I wouldn't mind a Twingo RS133 lol, not very powerfull but heard there a lot of fun and look ace

A mk2 golf with a 1.8t or 2.0 abf in, easy to fix/maintain and absolute giant killers on track with little more that a decent set of coil overs, tyres and some g60 brakes

 

Also had two 19 16v's in the past - very similar to the Clio!

 

 

 

They also did a karman soft top version and to this day I still druel over these. Your collection looks very similar to mine although I could never find a white one had a silver, blue and red valver. You must have been in cliosport.net club yes? I might have bumped into you at some stage did all the track events with the club including nurburgring.

A mk2 golf with a 1.8t or 2.0 abf in, easy to fix/maintain and absolute giant killers on track with little more that a decent set of coil overs, tyres and some g60 brakes

ABF all the way, Golf is light too and you could turbo the ABF if you wanted to.

ABF?

A mk2 golf with a 1.8t or 2.0 abf in, easy to fix/maintain and absolute giant killers on track with little more that a decent set of coil overs, tyres and some g60 brakes

Completely agree although I'm biased.

A MK2 only weighs 1000 kg and will weigh even less once stripped out. It handle really well even though it has a rear beam, lots of parts available from other cars as pointed out by oilburninnut. For £300 you can pick up a 2.0 16v ABF lump which is a fantastic engine and more than enough power for a stripped out MK2 and good For 150 bhp standard. If you were to go 1.8t then the worlds your oyster and most other cars on the track wouldn't get close.

Look up on YouTube the reeves brothers, they had a Mk1 and a Mk2 which were absolute beasts.

ABF?

2.0 16v from the Mk3 gti. Very easy to do an engine conversion especially if you use the 1.8 8v Digifant as a base. Pretty much just drop the engine in change the loom for the Mk3 connect the driveshafts ect, fill up the liquids and away you go. Check out Club Gti for more info a guy called toyotec has a few guides for the conversion.

MG ZR 160?

£895

MG ZR 160?

£895

And a boot full of head gaskets?

i didn't say there wasn't a down side

cheap way to 160 big ones though

 

ah ok i take it back

 

Renault Clio 172

£995

Kiwi Yellow/Green mk2 Ibiza valver?

 

 

apparently it's only done 46,000 miles which makes it look like a steal for £1300

even if it has been a cat C in the past

you could just buy BossFox'smk4 Ibiza 1.8T

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/314661-seat-fr-18t-spares-or-repair/?hl=%20ibiza%20%20fr

 

fix the power steering get the airbag fault cleared.

map it and you have 220bhp with nothing else needed.

 

I'm gunna bow out of this thread now as the options are endless and i genuinely don't think it really matters what you choose.

 

Biggest smiles i've ever seen at a track day was a couple of guys who attending in a Peugeot 106 Zest 1.2.

Was obviously slow as hell and cornered on it's door handles but the guys had the funniest day ever.

Kiwi Yellow/Green mk2 Ibiza valver?

 

 

apparently it's only done 46,000 miles which makes it look like a steal for £1300

even if it has been a cat C in the past

has an abf in it too, the best engine vw have ever made IMHO

I do like them GTI ibizas actually, looked into them before, anyone know of they handle well and if the Cupra

brembos go on? Plus its Abf if it's 2.0 16v in them then?

yes they do - my 8v Ibiza was great on track

Brembos - no . The mk2 Ibiza was 4 x 100 so i doubt 5 x100 LCR brembos will be an easy swap.

That said they weight hardly anything so they'd probably be overkill anyways

and yes the 16v is the same ABF engine that went in the mk3 golf

Bit left field but what about a BMW Z3 they drive well and can be had for under a grand these days.

MG ZS 180?

I know its another k series engine but rover did a 200vi which was before the MG range came out, it was the 1.8 vvt engine and I think had 148hp. That's quite a lot in a shoe box. they are seriously cheap. I doubt you would have to pay over £300 for one. If you do the head gasket yourself (because it was the robots in the factory that cocked the sealing up that caused all the head gasket failures) then you should have trouble free motoring. It might look a bit **** but they are an excellent sleeper. no one will guess its quick underneath that 90's styling shoping cart. To put it in context when I used to do trackdays I did a comparison of NA production cars (not supercars or elise etc.) and I couldn't find another car at that's sort of price with the same Bhp per tonne ratio.

 

Its very difficult to get 140bhp per tonne+ without turbo.

I recognise some French tat lovers' usernames in this thread! It may be a bit underpowered by today's standards, but a friend has a nice white S1 106 Rallye for sale that is immense fun on the road without risking your license too often and you can still honk it around on track. You WILL get narked off with people who can drive fast in a straight line but corner like pansy though.

 

As pointed out, everyone will have their own opinions on what makes a decent track car. Just remember that if it is to be a road-based track car, you will likely spend more time on public roads than track, so you don't want to modify the arse off it to make it faster on track only to find that it ruins your enjoyment on bumpy country roads. Once you reach that point, it's time to get a tow car and trailer, and turn it into a dedicated track toy.

 

Have fun.

I know its another k series engine but rover did a 200vi which was before the MG range came out, it was the 1.8 vvt engine and I think had 148hp. That's quite a lot in a shoe box. they are seriously cheap. I doubt you would have to pay over £300 for one. If you do the head gasket yourself (because it was the robots in the factory that cocked the sealing up that caused all the head gasket failures) then you should have trouble free motoring. It might look a bit **** but they are an excellent sleeper. no one will guess its quick underneath that 90's styling shoping cart. To put it in context when I used to do trackdays I did a comparison of NA production cars (not supercars or elise etc.) and I couldn't find another car at that's sort of price with the same Bhp per tonne ratio.

 

Its very difficult to get 140bhp per tonne+ without turbo.

Didn't they come with a diff as standard??