One of my current projects is the MR2 ax/track car. I looked at 944s for quite a while, and loved them, but the MR2 should be able to take a better beating for less cost.
One of the reasons that I chose it is that the layout is fairly similar to the Boxster. It's even got a V6 in it, so it's power to weight is actually pretty comparible. The fact that it looks smaller than the Boxster isn't just a camera perspective issue. The thing is noticeably shorter and lower than the Porsche.
Hybrid Mode
