2017 Subaru BRZ Review - The Track School Starter Kit

If I were opening a performance driving school tomorrow and needed to strike a deal with an OEM for a supply of cars, the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ would be on that list.

To be sure, plenty of other production cars are well-suited to the purpose of instructing students. Last time I went through a track school, the company used BMWs (3 Series, if memory serves, but the 2 Series is also good). The Mazda Miata and its related cousin, the Fiat 124 Spider, would also serve as good choices. I could probably, without much effort, pick a whole bunch of cars from the current market, utilizing all types of drivetrains and transmissions, that would be great for novice track drivers to get their feet wet with.

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  • 3SpeedAutomatic At the time, a necessary evil. Development costs were minimal since the FOX body was ready amortized. The green house was the same, just change the front and rear end clips. Biggest news was TBI fuel injection (across the Ford range) and intro of V6 (cylinder head teething issues). Also, allowed Ford to test the waters for an aero look which was handed off to the T-Bird with success. SUVs were just coming on to the scene, so many a LTD wagon was the family hauler and the salesman's means of contacting customers. IIRC, the LTD's model year was purposely extended thru '86 just in case the Tarsus was a flop. Consider the LTD as a sacrifice fly so that the Tarsus could make the home run. 🚗🚗🚗
  • Ty I have truly loved each Olds, Buick, and Cadillac I've owned. Well, except for that stupid 1990 STS with a bad brake booster I was too poor to repair. I digress... My love is primarily for the 1895-90 98, Electra/Park, 1986-91 & 92-late 90s 88 (better with the word Delta before it), LeSabre, Bonneville, 1989-93 , 97-99 DeVille. But I have true respect for the Calais/ Skylark (& Somerset)/ Grand Am from that era. They were the work horses. I would buy a brand new Olds if they hadn't executed the brand in 2004.
  • MaintenanceCosts What is the actual out-the-door price? Is it lower or higher than that of a G580?
  • ToolGuy Supercharger > Turbocharger. (Who said this? Me, because it is the Truth.)I have been thinking of obtaining a newer truck to save on fuel expenses, so this one might be perfect.
  • Zerofoo Calling Fisker a "small automaker" is a stretch. Fisker designed the car - Magna actually builds the thing.It would be more accurate to call Fisker a design house.