Best "Race Cars for the Road"
We all know and love the thrill of walking down the street and seeing an out of this world vehicle drive by. Transport Canada regulations prohibit many European race cars from driving on Canadian roads, but this doesn’t mean all race cars are ruled out. It is becoming a common practice for race car owners to turn older race cars into road cars with the help of an automotive service technician, once their racing days are over. Race cars which have finished their glory days at Le Mans or tours at car shows can get parts modified in order to become street legal. In other cases, some race cars are designed street-legal but also for use on the race track. Here are some of the necessary qualities in a race car in order to be classified as street legal:
- Headlights
- Taillights
- Seatbelts
- Approved tires (no racing slicks)
- License plate brackets
- Unexposed fuel tank
- Side impact beams
- Turn signals
And now for those of you in auto sales college, here are some of the best street-legal racecars.
Porsche 997 GT3 RS
This vehicle, which debuted in 2006, is similar to the company’s 997 Turbo model. This version is more driver-friendly, with extra comfort and a communication management system installed. Six-speed transmission means this car can rev up to 200 km/h in 13.3 seconds, and hit a maximum speed of 310 km/h. Porsche also released this vehicle in a specially mixed orange colour.
LeBlanc Mirabeau
The Mirabeau is from Swiss auto company LeBlanc, which makes modified high-speed cars. The Mirabeau is a 700 horsepower supercharged car with a top speed of 370 km/h. The vehicle is designed to fit Le Mans standards, but also be street legal. Those in mechanic programs might be surprised to hear that the Mirabeau is designed with Kevlar and carbon fibre, weighing only 812 kg. This vehicle has been named the fastest road car ever.
Infiniti G37 Coupe/2015Q50
Nissan launched the Infiniti division in 1989, and now this brand of car appears at auto shows all around the world for its impressive design and even more impressive horsepower. The G lineup had an assortment of vehicles like the sports car, coupe and convertible. Infiniti has changed the name of the G lineup for 2015 to the Q50. The all-new 2015 Q50 has 328 horsepower, and test drivers contend that the Infiniti truly feels like a race car when you’re behind the wheel.
Audi R8 5.2
The Audi R8 is a 2-seater sports car, based off the company’s Audi Le Mans Quattro concept car. The R8 5.2 has 430 horsepower and a 1 to 100 km/h time of only 3.9 seconds. Aspects which make this vehicle different from a typical race car are LED headlights and for the interior, 12 speakers with 465 watts of power. The vehicle also totes a navigation system on the dash,along with a rear-parking camera. The R8 has been described as the best handling road car available today.
What are your favourite street legal race cars?