So having got the bug to get back into doing some track days without the previous high cost of running my last track car (a 600 bhp Subaru STi) I decided a Clio sport was the way to go. I’ve previously had one as a second car for the road and found it fast and capable and a visit to knockhill confirmed it was the car of choice for track days.
With that decision made the next question was whether to buy a readymade track car or to build one from a mint road car myself. Due to being impatient and not particularly interested in getting my hands dirty I decided that a readymade track car was the way forward for a couple of reasons – If I got a mint road car it would cost a fortune for all the track bits and more importantly I’d be reluctant to damage it. (a decision in hindsight was probably the wrong one!)
Next task was to find a suitable car...in my usual haste I had found one and bought it over the phone after about an hour of deciding I wanted one!
So – the original description and advert/photos-
Clio 182 2.0 litre, v5 included. Mot'd April 2016. 4x federal track tyres with 182 wheels, Carbon Lorraine front pads, aftermarket induction kit/filter, safety devices cage, sparco seats + harnesses, 4 road legal tyres to put on standard 182 wheels, sparco steering wheel including boss kit and fitting kit, standard Clio steering wheel, bonnet pins fitted, xenon headlights fitted, no interior inside due to stripping for track, heaters left inside only, heko wind deflectors, 86,000 miles on clock, new engine at 50,000 miles from warranty Arnold Clark Renault plus some service history and loads of receipts. Remapped and de-catted. 1 problem drivers door has slight dent in it, wasn’t fussed due to being a track car, get door for about £30-£40 scrappys if bothered.
All sounded well and fit for purpose so I agreed to buy it, It just needed a new driveshaft fitted before I could go and get it which the seller was going to do. Pick up day arrived and unfortunately the seller had been unable to locate a driveshaft and the one he had been promised turned out to be for a 172! After a bit of negotiation it was agreed that I’d take the car as is if he could drop it off at my house which he did the next day. I was a bit reluctant to take the car with the driveshaft required as then potentially the problem of finding/fitting one became mine but a quick call to Stephen Dickson at SD Auto Services reassured me that it was an easy fix so off to Stephen the car went, few hours later and the car was sorted. Happy days!
Time to start having a good look around the car and see what’s what. I’ll be driving the car to and from the track so need to make sure it’s good for the road as well as the track.
First up – tyres. A fairly well used set of Federal RS-R’s are on it at the moment on the standard 182 wheels and it’s clear these aren’t going to do me any favours with the local constabulary so a set of road wheels required. Quick look on gumtree shows a set of 172 wheels with some newish tyres locally for £150 – a cheeky £100 offer had them bought...the tyre brand leaves a lot to be desired but as they just need to be legal to get me to and from the track I’m not that bothered.
Next on the list – brakes. A quick check of these reveals an annoying surprise! The CL pads that was advertised as being on the front were actually a totally gubbed old set of mintex with barely enough meat on them to do a few laps and certainly no use for the road! With the pads out and new ones required a set of Bosch pads were put on as a temp fix until I can get a set of DS2500’s. It was at this point I wondered what other surprises I would find!
Next up – The back bumper. Not sure why but the previous owner had cut the lower section out of the back bumper. I have seen it done on a couple of other cars but for me it served no purpose, didn’t particularly look that good and would just draw un-necessary attention to the car when it was driving on the road. A quick call to renparts had a new rear bumper on its way to me – conveniently in BG to match the car! I also ordered a new steering cowl as not having that on was just weight saving in the extreme and I preferred the look of it being there.
After all the above fitted this is how it looks now.
It was at this point I question whether it would have been easier to have bought a nice road car and converted it to track instead of the other way around. As they say it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it – a saying that is especially true when it comes to car parts! Still, too late for that now and i’ve got a car ready for track.
Next steps are a good road test, oil and filter change, brake fluid change and sort anything else that pops up.
With that decision made the next question was whether to buy a readymade track car or to build one from a mint road car myself. Due to being impatient and not particularly interested in getting my hands dirty I decided that a readymade track car was the way forward for a couple of reasons – If I got a mint road car it would cost a fortune for all the track bits and more importantly I’d be reluctant to damage it. (a decision in hindsight was probably the wrong one!)
Next task was to find a suitable car...in my usual haste I had found one and bought it over the phone after about an hour of deciding I wanted one!
So – the original description and advert/photos-
Clio 182 2.0 litre, v5 included. Mot'd April 2016. 4x federal track tyres with 182 wheels, Carbon Lorraine front pads, aftermarket induction kit/filter, safety devices cage, sparco seats + harnesses, 4 road legal tyres to put on standard 182 wheels, sparco steering wheel including boss kit and fitting kit, standard Clio steering wheel, bonnet pins fitted, xenon headlights fitted, no interior inside due to stripping for track, heaters left inside only, heko wind deflectors, 86,000 miles on clock, new engine at 50,000 miles from warranty Arnold Clark Renault plus some service history and loads of receipts. Remapped and de-catted. 1 problem drivers door has slight dent in it, wasn’t fussed due to being a track car, get door for about £30-£40 scrappys if bothered.
All sounded well and fit for purpose so I agreed to buy it, It just needed a new driveshaft fitted before I could go and get it which the seller was going to do. Pick up day arrived and unfortunately the seller had been unable to locate a driveshaft and the one he had been promised turned out to be for a 172! After a bit of negotiation it was agreed that I’d take the car as is if he could drop it off at my house which he did the next day. I was a bit reluctant to take the car with the driveshaft required as then potentially the problem of finding/fitting one became mine but a quick call to Stephen Dickson at SD Auto Services reassured me that it was an easy fix so off to Stephen the car went, few hours later and the car was sorted. Happy days!
Time to start having a good look around the car and see what’s what. I’ll be driving the car to and from the track so need to make sure it’s good for the road as well as the track.
First up – tyres. A fairly well used set of Federal RS-R’s are on it at the moment on the standard 182 wheels and it’s clear these aren’t going to do me any favours with the local constabulary so a set of road wheels required. Quick look on gumtree shows a set of 172 wheels with some newish tyres locally for £150 – a cheeky £100 offer had them bought...the tyre brand leaves a lot to be desired but as they just need to be legal to get me to and from the track I’m not that bothered.
Next on the list – brakes. A quick check of these reveals an annoying surprise! The CL pads that was advertised as being on the front were actually a totally gubbed old set of mintex with barely enough meat on them to do a few laps and certainly no use for the road! With the pads out and new ones required a set of Bosch pads were put on as a temp fix until I can get a set of DS2500’s. It was at this point I wondered what other surprises I would find!
Next up – The back bumper. Not sure why but the previous owner had cut the lower section out of the back bumper. I have seen it done on a couple of other cars but for me it served no purpose, didn’t particularly look that good and would just draw un-necessary attention to the car when it was driving on the road. A quick call to renparts had a new rear bumper on its way to me – conveniently in BG to match the car! I also ordered a new steering cowl as not having that on was just weight saving in the extreme and I preferred the look of it being there.
After all the above fitted this is how it looks now.
It was at this point I question whether it would have been easier to have bought a nice road car and converted it to track instead of the other way around. As they say it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it – a saying that is especially true when it comes to car parts! Still, too late for that now and i’ve got a car ready for track.
Next steps are a good road test, oil and filter change, brake fluid change and sort anything else that pops up.
Last edited:
