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The Staff of Motorsport Marketing
The Staff of Motorsport Marketing Writer
5/24/22 11:38 a.m.
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Okay, so our Garage Rescue Miata might not be the weirdest car to attend an autocross, but what is the oddest vehicle you have ever seen show up?

Bonus points if it's the car you ran.

Read the rest of the story

boulder_dweeb
boulder_dweeb Reader
5/24/22 11:45 a.m.

60's VW bus with a SBC in the backseat.....Not worthy of Emod, but that was the only class it could run..(Grin)

NickD
NickD MegaDork
5/24/22 11:54 a.m.

My friend Josh's Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited. He had it lowered, way stiffer springs, 200tw tires, and the front driveshaft disconnected so that it was CAM legal. It met height-by-width and he got a letter of approval from the SCCA, but pretty much every tech inspector and safety steward hassled him about it, leading to it's retirement after just a year.

He followed that up with a Ram S/ST the next year, but it was the same issue with tech inspectors and safety stewards not being thrilled about it, and he also kept annihilating cab mount bushings (turns out they aren't meant for this kind of abuse). He has since moved on to a $400 P71.

dps214
dps214 Dork
5/24/22 11:57 a.m.

(not me)

Second place is probably an sufficiently lowered canam x3, complete with hoosiers.

maschinenbau
maschinenbau GRM+ Memberand UberDork
5/24/22 12:04 p.m.

I've brought some weird ones

jgrewe
jgrewe HalfDork
5/24/22 12:04 p.m.

I once ran a 1986 Jetta diesel at a rainy event in Toledo. This was the 52hp version, none of that fancy TDi stuff. I think I finished 2nd in D or E stock out 7 cars. Most runs I had 3 passengers.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
5/24/22 12:15 p.m.

Weirdest I've run:

  • 2001 Crown Vic P71 in STU... and won
  • 2008 Mazda5 in SMF... and won
  • 2008 Mazda3 in CAM-S (labeled as SCAM) and nobody protested (last event of the season and the Cobra had grenaded it's diff at the event the day before and nobody else in CAM showed up).
  • 1973 Javelin... DFL on slicks in snow

Weirdest I've seen:

  • 1970 Satellite wagon 383, and it was half decent! (With a ton of $$$$ in the suspension)
  • 1966 Chevelle with a roots supercharger through the hood
  • 2008 Mazda5 with hand controls that was fast!

 

shane86
shane86 New Reader
5/24/22 12:29 p.m.

"Run what you got"

Driven5
Driven5 UberDork
5/24/22 12:32 p.m.

After course cleanup, the firefighters that had stopped to watch the last runs of the day hustled their firetruck around the course by following the tire tracks. It was an extremely impressive showing that earned them a standing ovation from all awaiting the awards ceremony.

SV reX
SV reX MegaDork
5/24/22 12:42 p.m.

 

My Yugo (aka "The Yugo from Hell) was a contender. 
 

The car could do a 360* spin inside an autocross gate without touching a cone!  (Ask me how I know!)

Cadman5
Cadman5 Reader
5/24/22 12:42 p.m.

Run what ya got...4 door Plymouth Acclaim...mine

 

A buddy's Honda 600

SV reX
SV reX MegaDork
5/24/22 12:44 p.m.

 

I ran the autocross course at the $20XX Challenge with my son on a single speed tandem bicycle. 
 

I also ran the same bike on the 1/4 mile drag strip with Alan McCrispin riding shotgun. 

JoeTR6
JoeTR6 Dork
5/24/22 12:46 p.m.

SpeedyCop in a Cessna.

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
5/24/22 12:50 p.m.

I mean, I was at challenge in 2019 when wreck racing ran a couch ...... And I have most of the run on video somewhere. 

Duke
Duke MegaDork
5/24/22 12:52 p.m.

This guy is fairly regular at our events:

GregAmy
GregAmy New Reader
5/24/22 12:58 p.m.

What in god's name is that in the main photo background? I'm in love...

Duke
Duke MegaDork
5/24/22 1:05 p.m.

In reply to GregAmy :

I believe it's the mobile quarantine bus for the Apollo astronauts.

[edit] I stand corrected.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
5/24/22 1:06 p.m.
GregAmy said:

What in god's name is that in the main photo background? I'm in love...

It's a NASA space shuttle crew transport vehicle turned into a lounge at Florida International Rally & Motorsports Park.

Video of it in action here and story about its barge trip to Keystone Heights here

 

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
5/24/22 1:09 p.m.

More about the mobile lounges

codrus (Forum Supporter)
codrus (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
5/24/22 1:19 p.m.

One time a friend and I towed my turbo Miata down to the autox using his 2nd gen (supercharged) F-150 lightning and trailer.  Then we both co-drove both vehicles.

The Lightning certainly wasn't the car to beat in F Stock, but it was total hooligan fun.  Left giant smoke trails through the sweeper. :)

 

borf42
borf42 GRM+ Memberand Reader
5/24/22 1:20 p.m.

One of my friends occasionally comes out with his 69 Cougar. I had the pleasure of going for a run in that thing. It is both amazing and terrifying. I loved it!

ProDarwin
ProDarwin MegaDork
5/24/22 1:25 p.m.
David S. Wallens said:

More about the mobile lounges

Haha, I was going to say, that looks like its related to the Dulles airport terminal-terminal shuttle busses.  What doesn't come across immediately in that photo/article is how far they travel up and down.

dannyzabolotny
dannyzabolotny Reader
5/24/22 1:37 p.m.

I've autocrossed and tracked my BMW E34. It's not unusual to see a BMW on the track, but my car being a 5 series always confused people. And then I'd run halfway decent times with it and would actually pass people despite having only 189hp.

Tyler H (Forum Supporter)
Tyler H (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UberDork
5/24/22 1:43 p.m.

I saw an ur-Quattro once.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
5/24/22 1:45 p.m.

Said Javelin at a different event where it wasn't terrible. Not good, but not terrible. 

By this point I had swapped in a Ford 8.8 rear axle with 3.55 LSD, quick-ratio steering box, front sway bar, front disc brakes, and KYB gas shocks along with 200TW tires on 17x9/10.5 wheels.

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