Le Mans Cars.

You might be able to tell from a couple posts lately, that I've been watching a fair amount of Le Mans retrospectives on the Youtube. I love GT and endurance racing, and Group C and GT1 are two of my favorite classes of racing car. I love the way these low drag, high down-force cars seem to sweep effortlessly through corners, and the sheer functionality of their lines. I especially love the way GT1 cars try to rationalize the need for brutal aerodynamics with some semblance of road car styling. Top level racing at Le Mans has lost a bit of luster in recent years -though the lower classes have come in to their own in a way that hasn't been seen in decades- because of ever tightening rules and a string of wins by one brand. But ten years ago, the Circuit de la Sarthe hosted some of the most exciting racing around, much better than the procession that was F1 at the time. Like all racing, Le Mans has had its historic ups and downs, and I'm hopeful that we're just at the end of one of the slumps, what with Peugeot's 908 HDi finally giving Audi a run for their money.

That being said, it's to earlier generations that I'm turning for inspiration when looking for ten cars that might give a gearhead on a budget a chance at capturing some of that magic of nighttime on the Mulsanne Straight, to Group C, GT1, to Group 6, and beyond. This list was a little harder than the last one to compile, and fewer of the cars really deliver without some kind of modification. There's a quality to endurance racing cars that's hard to define, and harder to capture, but I think I've come as close as could be expected. Keep in mind as well that the term "beer money" doesn't mean what it used to. These days even the cheapest of sports cars are running prices that could have you swimming in PBR for a couple years.

So order up a set of yellow Cibie headlamps and break out our Gulf team jacket (actually, scratch that last one) because here, in chronological order, are my nominations for 10 Beer Money Le Mans Cars!

1. Triumph GT-6:
Well, we're off to a pretty good start here. Not only is the GT-6 a great little classic in its own right, it also has an inline-six cylinder motor, just like so many 50s Le Mans racers from Jaguar and Aston Martin. Go for the MkII version (GT-6+ in the US) and you'll replace the Herald-based swing-axles at the rear end with lower wishbones and trailing arms, so it won't kill you.
There's a very real link to Le Mans as well. In 1964 Triumph sent a team of fastback Spitfires to Le Mans. Most people think the GT-6's roof was based off those cars, but it's the other way around. A fiberglass mold was taken from the prototype GT-6 and used to make roofs for the Le Mans cars. In its stock form the GT-6 is probably the slowest car here over all, but everything on the car can be upgraded, including the motor, for which Triumph published a competition tuning manuel that is still available. You can even find replica Le Mans bonnets for the car. Like those of most British sports cars, prices for GT-6s have been on an upward march in recent years, but the recession has taken the edge off them, and you can now find usable cars for under $4,000.

2. Datsun 240Z:
Prices for these things are all over the map at present. Last year the 240 wouldn't have made the list at all as most good cars were running at an incredibly overvalued $15-20,000. Someone seems to have noticed that 240Zs are neither very rare, nor hard to restore, and so the middle of the market has come down a bit, as has the bottom, with only show-quality cars running big money at the moment.
You don't want one of those cars anyway, not if you're looking to get a bit of a race attitude. The 240Z has everything you need, and if it lacks anything in stock form, you can buy it from a specialist. The inline-six puts out 150BHP, but speed parts make the sky the limit for tuning. Likewise the suspension and bakes are fine as they are, but stiffer springs and firmer pads bring serious rewards. Let me suggest also looking around for a five-speed gearbox, and a limited-slip differential. For the body, a set of headlamp covers and rivet-on fender-flares.

3. Porsche 914:
In best Porsche tradition, the 914 isn't just related to cars that raced at Le Mans, it actually raced there and acquitted itself well, finishing 6th overall and 1st in the GT category at the same race won overall by Porsche's 917 (it was a good weekend for the company). That of course was the 914/6 GT version, but even the lowliest 914 retain much of what made that car a winner including the mid-ship mounting of the engine -Volkswagen 411 sourced in 4 cylinder cars, an all-disk braking system, and four-wheel independent suspension. The gearbox is a five-speed.
There's a lot you can do to these cars, but honestly, Porsche got most of it right the first time. The chassis can handle more power, a lot more. Thankfully, most of that power is sitting trapped in the 411 engine and can be released by tuning. The one to go for would seem to be the later 2.0 liter models, but any 914 will provide largely the same driving experience. Prices seem to be hovering between $4-7,000 for what look to be largely the same condition of car.

4. Fiat X1/9 1300:
All right, we're now squarely into the mid-engine era, both at Sarthe and on the road. So you're looking for a bit of that Alfa 33/Ferrari P4 sensation for the street? Look no further, this is where it starts. Bertone gave real sports car styling to their replacement for the 850 Spider, and the idea of placing the Fiat 128's driveline behind the seats gave impressive handling. The X1/9 sports struts and disk brakes at all four corners and a 1.3 liter SOHC engine attached to a four-speed gearbox.
It may seem tempting to go for one of the late 1500cc cars with their five-speed transmissions, but the extra power was largely sapped by the extra weight of impact bumpers that also did nothing for the handling. Get your hands on an early 1300, and then pay close attention to extracting all the power that's holed up past the stock red-line. That can be harder than it sounds, and, in the US at least, '74 cars aren't exactly cheap. Cars from '75 feature slightly larger bumpers, but unlike those of 1500 cars, they can be replaced with the earlier style. For some reason, these cars are much less expensive. If you don't live in California, then almost any car through '78 is up for the same kind of treatment.

5. Lancia Scorpion/Montecarlo:
All I can say is "good luck." fewer than 1800 Lancia Scorpions were ever imported into the US, and the ones that made it here are either highly prized, or badly neglected. The car's biggest failing in stock form is being slow, very slow. Oh don't get me wrong, on a twisty road, the Scorpion (Montecarlo in Europe) can more than hold its own due to its wonderful handling. It will also hold its own in any parking lot because Pininfarina made sure it looked as spectacular as any super car. The chassis was an evolution of that seen on the Fiat X1/9, and the gearbox gave five speeds. In europe, the Montecarlo got a 2.0 liter Lampredi twin-cam that, at 120BHP, gave just about enough power. But in the US, the Scorpion came with probably the most smog-neutered 1.8 liter version of the same motor giving 86BHP.
Still, there are ways around this (not always legal), and slow as it is, the Lancia can still give a resonable impression of a Ferrari 512M. That's the magic of a car that looks and feels right. You can pay over $5,000 for one of these, but I wouldn't as it's not guarantee of getting a good one.

6: Jaguar XJ-S:
I'm not looking to start a fight here, really. I know this doesn't look like a car that will give much of an endurance racing feel, but I think I'm on to something here. the one real ace in the hole for the XJ-S is price. they can be found running for under $1,500. I say "running" but really that means the car will turn over, and maybe get down the block before the expensive V12 throws another fit and you have to tow it to a specialist. But did you catch the key point there? For 1.5K you get a V12! Some of the coolest cars to race at Le Mans from Lagondas to Ferraris have done so with twelve cylinders. And of course, this V12 was one of them, starting with Group 44 and the XJR-5, through to TWR and the XJR-12.
Other than that... um... Ok, that's really about it. I'm sure you can get more power out of the V12, but you'll never have the money to do that because all your money will go towards fixing it and only a few of the V12 cars were delivered with manual transmissions. Good luck.

7. Mazda RX7:
Ok, we're back to proper sports cars, and this is another one that actually raced at Le Mans in the 80s. Better yet, the RX7 boasts a very real link to the Mazda 787B, a car famous to players of Grand Turismo 4 as the only Japanese car, and the only rotary powered car ever to win Le Mans outright. I've gone for the first generation car, though at this point, the MkII car may be cheaper. Faster too, especially the turbo, which is still an astoundingly cheap sports car.
I like the purity of the first, light weight cars though with their snug cabins and racing heritage. Specialists will be glad to help you get all the power you want out of Mazda's twin-rotor Wankel and there are racing parts galore for the chassis. IMSA and Le Mans replica body-kits are even available. I wouldn't pay more than $3,000 at this point for any of them.

8. Alfa Romeo GTV-6:
Whether it's one of Ferrari's 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competiziones, or the later 575 GTCs, or even Alfa's own 8C 2.9 Le Mans Berlinetta, the Italians have a long history of racing GTs with a big front engine and a transaxle gearbox. The GTV-6 is absolutely the cheapest way to get into such a car for the road.
It's a great car too, as long as you don't mind a shift that is very much of the "shove it and see" variety. The 2.5 liter version of Alfa's V6 uses fuel-injection and one camshaft per bank to produce 160BHP and sends that power to the rear wheels through the aforementioned five-speed transaxle. Front suspension is by double-wishbones and longitudinal torsion-bars. Rear suspension is De Dion, with trailing links and a watts linkage. There's lots you can do to the V6 of course, and there are kits from specialists to help with the suspension. Really though, it can already accelerate to 60MPH in about eight and a half seconds so you might just want to enjoy the car as it comes. I've heard that specialist attention can help the shifter though, and that really would be worth it.
Prices are all over the map with the most money going for late cars that have a 3.0 lier conversion from the Milano but $3,500-5,000 should still get you a driveable car.

9. Toyota MR-2:
Toyota's first real attempt at a sports car since 1967's super elegant, super expensive 2000 GT was a total success. This may be the fastest overall car on the list with a stiff structure, disk brakes, independent suspension by MacPherson-struts, and a mid-mounted, twin-cam, 16 valve 1.6 liter engine. 115BP may not sound like much, but this is one of the best handling cars money could buy in the 1980s, and the car weighs about 2200LBS.
Go for one of the post '86 cars with the stronger transmission and then buy a rear sway bar for it because the car didn't come with one after '85. The biggest mod for MR-2s is of course to find a 4AG-ZE motor from an MR-2 supercharged and bolt it into a lighter, hardtop body-shell, but it's not a process for beginners and when the N/A motor will shriek all the way to 7,500RPM you don't really need anything else. Prices for these (and all Mr-2s really) are incredibly low right now with $2,500 buying a nice one.

10. Mazda MX-5 Miata:
I know, I know, it's not a very manly car. Get over yourself! This is nothing less than the sports car that re-ignited sports cars, and it's one of the best there is. It may not look very racy, but underneath Mazda's engineers had done their job; the Miata was great right from the start. Great engine: a 1.6 liter DOHC 16 valve with 118BHP and a valve cover than looks like a classic Lotus. Great chassis: 2,100Lb weight thanks partly to an aluminum hood, double-wishbones and disk-brakes at all four corners. Great shifter, smooth, direct steering, great seats... the list goes on.
Now hear this! do not, under any circumstances, go out and spend good money on one of the tarted-up special editions! That would totally defeat the point of this car. Look for a well cared for Spec-Miata Series car, one that still gets driven on the street. Then go find a hard-top for it. There's plenty of speed equipment to go around; the limit is that of your wallet. The Miata is the best selling sports car of all time, so prices range from truly beer-money, to twenty-odd grand, depending on year and spec. Go for the lower end and you'll get more racing car feel for the money than with almost any other car.

Well, we've come to the end, and I hope you've enjoyed the journey as much as I have. No go out and get one of these cars before their values shoot through the roof and all that's left on the market for reasonable money are Toyota Paseos. Ugh, that's sends a shiver down the spine.