SPB Build - Why SPB

Over the years I have had an BMW e36 track car, a Radical Prosport race car, a BMW M2 track car, and a Porsche GT4 track car. All are great but like all cars they have pros and cons. What I have learned is that if you are not looking to race, only want to track a few days a year, and don’t want to hassle with a trailer then a good sports car with modifications makes a great track car. The best I have experienced is the GT4. But if you want to race, or want to get serious about your lap times and driving skills, then a dedicated race car has a lot of advantages. Among dedicated race cars there are lots of choices, but largely it comes down to what class you want to race in?

For me I wanted a car that would help me develop as a driver. A car that would have modest buy-in costs and low running costs. I also wanted as much flexibility as possible in what organization and what class I qualified for. And of the classes the car qualified for I wanted a deep field of competition. And lastly I wanted to be able to easily progress to other faster cars in a natural and linear fashion. This quickly narrowed down the options to a Spec Miata, Spec BMW e46, or the Spec Porsche Boxster. Of those three the Porsche spoke the most to me. Ultimately I want to end up in a GT4 Clubsport or a GT3 Cup Car. The SPB naturally progresses to a Spec Cayman which then progresses to a GT4 Clubsport and/or a GT3 Cup Car.

Once I focused on the SPB then my next decision was whether I buy someone else’s build or whether I do a fresh build. For most people I would recommend a used build, but I tend to be the kind of person that wants to get into the details, select as many options as I can, and make all the decisions on what goes into the car……so for me I had to do a new build. Since I live on the west coast I started looking for a builder that had extensive experience with SPB’s and that quickly led me to Vali Motorsports in Southern California. For $55k you can get a donor + all the standard options that fit the SPB (see my build list for what that includes) and you get to pick a color for the exterior and interior. Vali then offers ad-ons at an additional charge (also see my build list for that list). I ticked all the boxes and selected white for the exterior and interior so that the interior is cooler and brighter. I also plan on wrapping it so white gives me a good basic base to start with (plus if the car gets any damage I can easily replace panels and match the paint). I then asked Vali Motorsports to do a few allowed custom options to really make it a unique build. This is where I went off the rails.

I have always loved the look and functionality of high end factory race car builds. So I tried to make this SPB have a look similar to a factory GT3 race car by adding a solid state button panel in the center console, a wireless button panel on the steering wheel, and as many electronics I could jam into the car. So we put in a Cartek Power Distribution Panel with 16 buttons plus a Cartek Wireless Control System on the steering wheel. Also the shifter lights on the AIM dash are not visible due to the steering wheel so we added an external AIM shift light unit. Lastly we added a Motorola radio that integrates with a PTT button on the steering wheel.

I think it is safe to say I went overboard for a SPB. There is no need to go this extreme for what is meant to be an affordable racer….but given this will be my only race car for a few years I figured I might as well do it the way I want. I completed a test and tune day at Willow Springs and I take delivery soon. Follow along as we take the journey to progress up the Porsche lineup.