10 Cars That Deserve Lightweight Track Specials

Over the weekend I was, for no particular reason, reminiscing about the day fellow CT staffer Matt and I spent blasting the Subaru WRX STI and Renaultsport Megane around the English countryside. The Megane in question was the 275 Trophy, which sits halfway between the fast but easy-going RS 265 and the stripped-out track day special Trophy-R in the hot Megane range.

The 275’s Alcantara steering wheel and ridiculous grip got me giddy at the prospect of the even more hardcore Trophy-R, which sits high up my ‘to drive’ list for 2015. But it got me thinking: taking a standard car and turning it into a track monster is an incredibly Car Throttle thing to do, so given free reign, which cars would we like to see given the ‘track day, bro’ treatment?

1. Dacia Sandero

This might seem silly at first, but think about it. Dacia is the budget arm of Renault, and those boys sure know how to make a hot hatch. Give the little Romanian hatchback to the Renaultsport magicians and have them do their thing; you’d have the ultimate entry-level track day car. It hardly has any mod cons as it is, so stripping it to the bare necessities and chucking in a beefier Clio engine would be easy.

2. Audi TT

The new TT is a stylishly capable little coupe, but when I drove it last year I couldn’t help but feel it was crying out for more power and aggression. I’m driving the faster TT S later this month, but the Audi Sport TT Cup race car is where the action’s really at. That angular styling works perfectly with a butch wide arch bodykit and massive bonnet vent… though that humungous wing could maybe do with being toned down a bit for the road.

3. Seat Leon Cupra 280

The Leon Cupra is the ‘front-wheel drive is wrong-wheel drive’ counterpoint. The front diff is mind-blowingly good, and out on the track the harder you drive the more it works with you. Shame the car’s a bit too daily driver with its sensible interior and soft driving characteristics - it’s so capable it’s just crying out to be let off the leash. Renault did it with the Megane that rivals the Leon, so why not?

4. Ford Focus RS

This is purely wishful thinking, as the RS is already the pinnacle of Focus performance, however as someone who grew up watching chunky Focus WRC cars tearing up forest tracks and cliffside strips of tarmac, a purified RS would massively appeal. The technology is incredible, but can we ditch the creature comforts, please?

5. BMW M4

The M3/M4 twins are a ferocious bundle of terrifying fun. Out on broken UK roads at least, their frenetic power delivery makes driving them exciting for all the wrong reasons. However, on smoother tarmac, such as the race track, they come alive. The lightweight E46 M3 CSL has gone down in history as one of the most sought after M cars ever made; just imagine how incredible an F82 version would be.

6. Toyota GT86

The GT86 promised so much… and delivered on most of it. An affordable sports car that is rewarding to drive and easy to tune it might be, but it’s perfectly capable of taking a hike in power. Unfortunately Toyota flat out refuses. That’s probably something to do with the fact the 86 doesn’t really sit well with the company’s eco warrior public face.

So here’s an idea, Toyota: if you don’t want to give the GT86 more power, we’re not going to waste breath convincing you. Instead, strip everything unnecessary out; the rear seats, sound deadening and entertainment system can all go. Use the low-spec model that’s available in Japan, with its steel wheels and black bumpers as a base. Just tell the bosses your motivation for removing weight is the improved economy. FTFY.

7. McLaren 650S

McLaren’s range of cars is growing, slowly but surely, so this a distinct possibility. The 650S base is being used in a multitude of different applications, such as the 675LT (the most hardcore model in the range so far). That car looks incredibly promising, but we’ve seen what the Woking-based team can produce when it goes extreme with the P1 GTR. We’d love to see a more accessible version made from the 650.

8. Lexus RC F

Lexus’ new M4 rival is an absolute behemoth. It weighs the equivalent of a house, or two small aeroplanes, so giving it a massive diet might bring it more into line with a normal car…

9. Mercedes A45 AMG

As is suitable of anything with an AMG badge, the hot A45 is an absolute riot. Its snorty exhaust note hints that it wants to be unshackled further from its life as a glorified shopping trolley. The standard car hits 62mph in 4.6sec thanks in part to all-wheel drive, so imagine how crazy fast it would be with all of those unnecessary luxuries left at the side of the road.

10. Tesla Model S

Yeah, this one’s never going to happen. But still, Tesla doesn’t make the Roadster anymore, so we need our EV track day fix somehow. As we found out recently (when we weren’t driving 20mph under the speed limit to preserve battery power), the Model S’s acceleration is ridiculous and addictive. Maybe further down the line if a small Tesla hatchback appears, we might get an insane EV hot hatch, and who knows, perhaps even a pared-back track-focused version. Fingers crossed.