Quote Originally Posted by Ron Earp
Earl, how user friendly are they? I haven't poked around them much, but the ones I have looked at seem like a definite "front mid-engine" design. The motor seems to live under the dash between the two occupants. Definitely a slick exterior. And, from the times I spent in the back seat of the 3rd gen cars in the 80s I know there isn't a lot of room there. The Mustang seems like a more usable package although maybe at the expense of handling.
Ron - sorry, I missed this earlier.

They're actually pretty user-friendly - the 6 can borrow everything suspension-wise from the 8, so there are plenty of suspension pieces to pick from. Somewhat less for the engine, but still enough to do a decent IT build. And yeah, the 6 sits mostly behind the front wheels, so that helps. And you can tune the OEM computer. I do think it will make 250 HP with a full-tilt build, but that's about it.

Great brakes - I've done a few track days with mine, and with just HP+ pads it has brakes to spare (at 3500 lbs I would note). The only concern re brakes would be the aluminum calipers - I've heard tales of them deforming under lots of heat. Good brake cooling would be a must I would think. The AS guys talk about replacing front hubs often, so that may be a problem area. And then there's that live axle...

Quote Originally Posted by Ron Earp
In ITR trim it is considerably lighter, 2815 lbs. Let's say it can't make 2815 lbs and has to race at 2950 , still seems like a good package for ITR. I'd be surprised if they moved it to S, but you never know. S or R, I'd love to see some of them on track. High time to move away from the Mazda Car Club of America.
Obviously the ITAC agrees. I just don't see anyone in their right mind building one - when you have the choice of a 2,800 lb E46, a 3,000 lb S2000, a 3,050 lb 968, and a 2,950 lb Camaro, I think the Camaro comes dead last every time. I would also love to see one built, but my guess is if you do it will be another one of those 'sentimental' cars guys build, and not full-tilt pro build that will show what it really is capable of. Maybe when the Camaros age out of SSB next year we'll see a few of them migrate to IT.