Anyone in FL or NC know about this car?

Newbie here, and after reading David Gran's book repeatedly and doing SCCA solo events for a few years (mostly in NA and NB Miatas), I am starting to look at road racing cars.

Found an ITA Neon for sale in central Florida on another site, and was wondering if anyone here might know anything about the car. The car is a blue 97 coupe, and was built in NC by a short track engine builder. The car was run with #81 in the May 2009 Daytona enduro by Eric Taylor.

I do not expect a super-competitive car, as I know that my driving will be the most limiting factor for a while. More concerned about getting a safe, reliable, and inexpensive car that I can learn on.

I would rather not bash anyone or their car in a public forum, so would appreciate any negative comments via e-mail.

Bill

I'm not familiar with the car but Neon's can be pretty stout power wise. They're not going to be as "easy" as some of the more common chassis when it comes to shock/spring/bar setups though. Is it an ACR chassis?

Personally, with the car market being as soft as it is, I'd look for an ITA Miata/Integra/CRX or a nice ITB car.

Thank you for the advice!

It appears to be an ACR or at least a clone.

Yea, due to driving a Miata in Solo events for years, my first choice would be an ITA or Spec Miata. Just saw this Neon and the $5k money savings (assuming the Neon does not need a bunch of set-up or repair work) would buy many track days of driving practice.

Do the racing modification make the CRX entertaining? I drove a stock 3rd gen (1987) Civic Si for a year or so in Solo and really liked it. However, did a time trial on a road course in it and hated it. The turns were a blast, but corner exits and straightaways downright dull - push the pedal to the floor and wait for the 96HP to do something. The same time trial in the Miata was much more fun due to needing to balance power and steering on corner exit.

Bill

No worries. I'm in CFR too (St Augustine). :)

IIRC, the ACR cars had some better "from the factory" parts on them... larger bearings, better shock package (which may or may not be there by now), different engine, etc.

$5k turns into relatively small peanuts when you start going thru and freshening a car. I'd definitely look at other options that have better aftermarket support and are raced more commonly.

The 87 car you drove is completely different to the CRX run in ITA. The one I'm referring to is a 2nd Gen CRX (4th gen Civic chassis). Signifcantly more power with a well built CRX being able to put down 120-130whp. Historically, the CRX has also been shown as to be one of the cars to have for the class. The 2nd Gen Integra (DA chassis... 90-93 I think?) is also a great option and a proven winner. The NA 1.8 Miata is, IMO, the best ITA car available... great blend of power and handling. All of these options have great support and should be easy to get in the ballpark right off. Probably more ITA CRX's and Integra's available for purchase than the Miata. You could always buy a 1.8 SM and then convert it to ITA.

Christian