1963 Grand Prix how would my 2003 986 do?

[fanguy]

So tonight I was watching the 1963 movie Grand Prix and was thinking how would my 2003 Boxster S place? With a driver at that level and 40 years of technology on my side.

[itsnotanova]

I think you might have a chance if they were also using 1963 tires. Put some modern tires on them and I'd bet they would blow most modern cars away. How much power did they have back then?

[tomonomics]

1963 F1 cars had 1.5L engines with about 200 hp. But they only weighed about 1,000 pounds.

Lap times at the Nurburgring were 8:45 that year, but that was on the 14.1 mile course. I think all the recent Boxster times are from a 12.9 mile lap.

Edit: I found a 986 Boxster S 'ring time of 8:23 on the shorter circuit, so I'm guessing the 1963 F1 car might still beat you.

You'd have to find a grand prix car from that era the competes in vintage races to find a common lap time.

[The Radium King]

current FC cars (formula continental - formula ford w aero) are what, 160 hp and +/- 1000 lbs. at our track up here the fastest FC drivers are turning a 1:17 to 1:19, while the fastest cup cars are 1:21 and track rats are in the 1:25 to 1:35 range.

[Racer Boy]

The 1963 F1 car would beat a 986 Boxster, and probably quite handily. If nothing else, the power to weight ratio overwhelmingly favors the F1 car. F1 - 200 HP, 1000 lbs = 5 lbs per HP. Boxster S - 250 HP, 2855 lbs = 11.4 lbs per HP. The ratio is less than half for the F1 car, so every time the F1 car accelerates, it is going to blow away the Boxster.

If you factor in the braking and cornering advantages of the F1 car (even on old tech tires), then the gap grows even greater.

The only street Porsche that could probably give the F1 car a run for it's money on the track would be the 918. Sorry, but our puny 986's just can't do it.