Pro Celebrity Long Beach Grand Prix: 2000 Toyota Celica GTS

The Toyota Grand Prix in Long Beach was an annual Pro/Celebrity race in Toyota street cars that was first run in 1977 and finished when Toyota pulled their HQ out of SoCal in 2018. The race has always had lots of carnage and is typically more fun to watch than the Indy/IRL/ChampCar parade of high-powered wing-equipped spec-chassis 'race-cars' held later in the day.  Not sure how the cars were sold/auctioned after the events, but every once in a while one of the cars from that race will show up on ebay for a reasonable price, and I sorta want one. Find this 2000 Toyota Celica GTS here on eBay bidding for $7000 with 2 days to go, located in North Vernon, IN .

Exomotive Exocet: 1993 Mazda Miata

If the idea of driving an Ariel Atom or KTM Xbow is certainly tempting, but the cash outlay needed for one of those stripped down racers for the street is nothing short of crazy.  You could spend a few years of your weekends and build your own low cost Lotus style racer, or you could buy someone elses machine. Find this 1993 Mazda Miata Exocet here on eBay offered for $15,500 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Littlerock, CA. Tip from Hugh. 

Long Beach Grand Prix Celebrity Racer: 1991 Toyota Celica GT

The Toyota Grand Prix in Long Beach was an annual Pro/Celebrity race in Toyota street cars that was first run in 1977.  The race has always had lots of carnage and is typically more fun to watch than the Indy/IRL/ChampCar parade of high-powered wing-equipped spec-chassis 'race-cars' held later in the day.  Unfortunately Toyota pulled their support of the race when they moved their USA HQ from Torrance, CA to somewhere in Texas, but the glory of the Pro/Celebrity races lives on in spectacular crashes (like the one where George Lucas is punished for Episodes 1,2,3) s and old used race cars. Find this 1991 Toyota Celica GT Racer here on eBay bidding for $5,500 in Mundelein, IL with 4 days to go.

Ratish: 1991 Mazda Miata Track Car

It's been said that the Miata is responsible for saving the SCCA among its other achievements in being The Answer To Everything.  I don't know if that is true, but it is a good way to dip your toe into the world of Track Days for not a lot of shekels.  And there are usually at least one or two Miata track rats for sale On Any Sunday in your local craiglist.   Find this 1991 Mazda Miata Track Car for sale in Duval, WA for $6,000 via craigslist.

Autocross This One Off The List: 1979 Volkswagen Scirocco

Why are we so obsessed with fast street cars?  Fast cars like a new Z06/Z07 Vette are fantastic on paper, but are entirely too fast for the average street and too expensive to take out on a track...so what should a gearhead do?  Easy -- get into autocross, but do it with something interesting/older/slower like this 1979 Volkswagen Scirocco offered for $6,000 in Reading, PA via craigslist.

Seller Submission: 1992 Saab 9000 Turbo

The Saab 9000 was the final vehicle designed in house at Saab and brought to market by the funky Scandinavian OEM before it was fully acquired by the machine known as General Monster...I mean Motors. The 9000 was built on the Saab/Fiat type 4 platform (1984-1998 Lancia Thema, Saab 9000, Fiat Croma, Alfa Romeo 164) and features executive class luxury, front drive safety, and Giorgetto Giugiaro styling...and the best part is that they are cheap and easy to modify to go fast.  Find this 1992 Saab 9000 Turbo offered for $1500 firm (12/28/2017, price reduced) via the grassrootsmotorsports classified forums and here on DT.

Sport Fishin': 2015 Bauer Catfish

I guess one could make the case that the NA and NB series Miata has become the Beetle replacement when it comes to platforms for kit cars.  Not being a pre-world war two wagen fur der Deutsche volk with the engine in the wrong place gives it the advantage of sireing kit cars that you might actually want to own.   Find this 2015 Bauer Catfish for sale in Monroe, WA for $20,000 via craigslist.

LeMons Ready: 1995 Ford Probe

The Ford Probe was built based on the Mazda GD and GE platforms in two generations, the first from 1989-1992, and the second from 1993-1997.  It was originally planned to be a Mustang replacement, but enthusiasts and rational people demanded that the Mustang remain rear-whee-drive and V8 powered, so the Probe lasted for a few years as a domestic alternative to the Honda Prelude, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Toyota Celica, Volkswagen Corrado/Golf, and Nissan 200SX.  Find this 1994 Ford Probe GT offered for $1,500 in San Jose, CA via craigslist.  Tip from SafetyFast.

Broken Dorito: RX-7 Convertible Race Car Project

by Adam -- Without an engine this RX-7 is the chance to build the convertible race car you have wanted but could not afford. With a race coming up this Saturday and Sunday here's your chance, if you hurry, to make your own LMP2 car. The car has some of the heavy lifting done, but with the engine removed and LMP2 requirements of requiring the use of production based engines that one off, two stroke, opposed flat twelve you designed will just need to wait. Wide body kit already fitted and much of the fabrication started the seller notes some re-welding may needed. Pick your livery, decide what will power the Mazda shell, get it done before Saturday, and start at the back of the grid. What could be easier? The seller intended to build a track monster, but his loss is your gain, so once finished you can be a monster on the track. Whether you try to enter this in Lemons, Le Mans, your local track, or decide to annoy the old fogies in charge of the home owners’ association with your straight pipes you can find this 1988 Mazda RX-7 in Lynchburg, Virginia  for $1,200.00

Project Miata: Installing a Blackbird Fabworx GT3 Roll Bar into "Miss Miagi" - and some Laguna Seca Track Time

Back in January I picked up a replacement to El Cheapacabra, the $600 musty Miata project car that was totaled when an E46 cut me off at an unprotected left. Using craigslist-fu and the insurance payout I was able to upgrade to this lower mile, non-smelly, smooth running '93 while monetarily breaking even on the whole deal. This of course left some room in the budget for upgrades! First on the list were wheels and tires (donated by the wrecked 1990 car) and after replacing all of the coolant hoses and brake pads/rotors/fluid, it was time to install a rollbar and hit the track.

DTVideo: Mazda Friends & Family Weekend at Laguna Seca

Continuing our theme of videos on Sunday, check out the first "officially official" DT video! Last weekend, I (CFlo) and my wife had the opportunity to join in the Mazda Friends & Family trackday weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. I took some helmet cam video with my genuine SJCAM SJ4000 (accept no substitutes!) and put together a highlight reel of sorts. The car is our 1993 Mazda Miata project car, and the full writeup of the trackday prep and roll bar install will follow shortly.

Auction Watch: 1992 Porsche 968

Take a look at this 1992 Porsche 968 here on eBay bidding for $11,700 reserve-not-met with auction ending Tuesday at 4:08PM PST.

Vintage Project: 1973 Datsun 240Z Racer

The S30 generation Datsun/Nissan 240Z continues to be one of the better bargains for anything with two seats from the early '70s.  The chassis is light and communicative, the engine put out decent power, and the shape is easy on the eyes.  Stick it to the pavement with slicks mounted on Minilites, put some aero pieces in place of headlights and it makes one good looking racer.  Find this 1973 Datsun 240Z Racer project here on eBay offered for $6,500 buy-it-now located in Colorado Springs, CO.

Vintage SCCA Racer: 1983 Ford EXP

The Ford EXP (along with corporate twin Mercury LN7) was an attempt by Ford to turn the 5-seat Escort sedan in a CRX style 2-seater, except that Ford beat Honda to the showrooms by a model year.  Today the CRX is remembered as a lithe and fun to drive sport-compact known for reliability, tossability and ruggedness... the EXP... well, most people don't remember the EXP. Find this 1983 Ford EXP ex-SCCA racer here on eBay bidding for $305 reserve-not-met located in Bothell, WA with 5 days to go.

Introducing El Cheapacabra: the $600 NA Miata

Oh no, what have I done now? As if my own driveway and the collective DT Project Car stable wasn't yet large enough, I've gone and adopted this forlorn looking Miata. Armed with a penchant for checking craigslist every 10 minutes and a thirst for cheap trackday fun after driving a simple 1.6L NA at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca a few weeks back, I've been on the hunt for an el-cheapo Miata to convert into a low stress trackday car for my wife and I to drive. And with all of the Miata talk lately on the DT Radio Show, I thought it necessary to put (a very small amount of) my money where my mouth has been flapping. The creature presented itself this Tuesday. Here she is, my first NA.

Dipped in ipd: 1971 Volvo 142E

Volvos haven't always been boxy, but the car that started the trend was the 140 series. These were introduced in the mid/late '60s and laid the groundwork for the 240 which was discontinued after the 1993 model year. If considered as one model lineup, it lasted for almost 30 years, meaning there are many different versions to choose from. The 2nd iteration of the 142 (2 door) has some of the sportiest styling of the bunch - what if you took it further and made a streetable racer? Aftermarket parts manufacturer/distributor ipd (Import Parts Distributing) did just that in the early '70s, and this was their test car. Find this 1971 Volvo 142E on ebay with bidding near $10,000 (reserve met) in El Cajon, CA. Seller submission from Josh.

Mid Week Match-Up: Best $1k Track Car

In this week's edition of Mid Week Match-Up, we (that'd be you!) try and find the best sub $1000 car for taking to a track day -- not a full blown 24 Hrs of LeMons car that requires a trailer and garage spot, but something you could park in front of your neighbors house but still run to the track on the weekend.