818 first drive.

[Kalstar]

I had the privilege to drive the 818 Tom built for over 100 miles today. Being a GTM owner I felt I could give a seat of the pants perspective, comparing the 2. Very similar p/w.

The GTM feels faster, though the Tq and sound has a lot to do with that.

On the street the 818 can extract more fun.

The GTM gets more Highway stares.

The 818 would be far easier as a DD.

The turbo is down right awesome when the BOV opens up.

The power delivery is soooooooo different.

Both have huge blind spots.

Very different cars, neither better then the other. The 818 as at the removable top but the GTM has heat and a/c. I would want both but if I could only afford one, boy that would be hard.

[Hindsight]

Interesting comparison. Where are the blind spots on the 818?

The GTM is an awesome car. I'd love to have a GTM, 818, and a Roadster (Roadster being my first choice) but when it comes down to bang for the buck, the 818 is the hands-down winner which is why I chose it. I've been looking for YEARS for something extremely light, RWD, great handling, affordable, with the potential for awesome power. I considered a lot of older vehicles that could be modified but all have a lot of down-sides or cost too much. The 818 gets you a basically "new" vehicle that meets all the criteria I wanted. All for under $20k.

[projectrally]

Blind spots on an 818: everything behind you from 4 o'clock to 8 o'clock, barring what you can see through the windshield mounted rear view mirror, which isn't much. At least, that's my impression, but I'm short (5'7") and the car I was driving had the optional Kirkeys bolted directly to the vehicle floor. Your results may vary.

[Hindsight]

oh boy, that's pretty bad! Hope I can at least see if the car behind me has a light bar on the roof or not.

[Brando]

The center mirror on the R is obviously a lot lower than the S and I get OK rearward visibility. Over 60MPH it vibrates a bit but i didn't add an reinforcement to the underside of the dash to give it a better foundation. At freeway speed it would still be a challenge to spot a cop, at least how mine is setup. The wing doesn't help.
It is a bit hard to check your blind spots, especially if your shoulder harnesses are tight. It gives me a good reason to accelerate hard into lane changes
Despite all that I have sat in a GTM a number of times and I prefer the visibility on the 818.

I'm pretty certain that $ for $ the 818 is a faster car.

[Kalstar]

The center mirror on the R is obviously a lot lower than the S and I get OK rearward visibility. Over 60MPH it vibrates a bit but i didn't add an reinforcement to the underside of the dash to give it a better foundation. At freeway speed it would still be a challenge to spot a cop, at least how mine is setup. The wing doesn't help.
It is a bit hard to check your blind spots, especially if your shoulder harnesses are tight. It gives me a good reason to accelerate hard into lane changes
Despite all that I have sat in a GTM a number of times and I prefer the visibility on the 818.

I'm pretty certain that $ for $ the 818 is a faster car.

All I can say is that I am very impressed with the 818.....that said, back to back, the GTM is a beast.

[michael everson]

Wish I had time to finish mine so I could drive it.
Mike

[STiPWRD]

Wish I had time to finish mine so I could drive it.
Mike
ain't that the truth

[Mechie3]

Ditto. Life and other projects keep taking precedence.

[michael everson]

Considering selling mine. Just too many other paying projects in the way right now. I have 4 Roadsters right now to finish.
Mike

[metalmaker12]

All I can say is that I am very impressed with the 818.....that said, back to back, the GTM is a beast.

The 818 with 50 less hp would put a beat on the gtm, it's all about balance and power to weight. With an all motor 3.6 making 350whp the 818 would be crazy fast

[AZPete]

Oh good, a GTM vs. 818 argument. I'm getting some popcorn.

[Kwmike]

I have both an 818S and a GTM,hands down the GTM is much faster. That said I think the 818 will be more fun to drive. But who's to say you can't build up the 818 or build a stock GTM.

[Goldwing]

Oh good, a GTM vs. 818 argument. I'm getting some popcorn.

That's sooo what I was thinking, lol. Both sound like dream cars to me. Fun to build & fun to drive. Let's face it, they're each going to have a personality and will thrive in different areas. I have heard the GTM referred to as a beast on many occasions. We'll see how we describe the 818 over time when more are on the road. I doubt "beast" will be the adjective. It'll be something awesome and cool, describing a canyon carver it's likely to be. I'm looking forward to finding out, impatiently waiting, but looking forward to it, lol.

[Kalstar]

They are just so different. Apples to cherries. The turbo on the 818 reminds me of a power band on a 2 stroke dirtbike. The GTM feels like a Hayabusa. GTM = charging hard all the time, 818 = peaks and valleys of power. I feel the 818 is far better suited for the novice driver just learning how to drive a quick car fast. The GTM is the move up car. If purely for the street, 818 is a ball and more fun to "throw around". Though with the removeble body panels of the 818 it would be an outstanding low cost track demon. I have put 350 miles on the 818 in the past few days and the grin is so big my ears might fall in.

[wallace18]

That is what happens when you go on the boost.LOL. When does Joe get to drive it? LOL.

[kabacj]

They are just so different. Apples to cherries. The turbo on the 818 reminds me of a power band on a 2 stroke dirtbike. The GTM feels like a Hayabusa. GTM = charging hard all the time, 818 = peaks and valleys of power. I feel the 818 is far better suited for the novice driver just learning how to drive a quick car fast. The GTM is the move up car. If purely for the street, 818 is a ball and more fun to "throw around". Though with the removeble body panels of the 818 it would be an outstanding low cost track demon. I have put 350 miles on the 818 in the past few days and the grin is so big my ears might fall in.

Jim you are making me want an 818. By the time I finish upgrading the GTM you guys will have found the hot setup in the 818. I'll start my build then
. I hope we can get some GTM vs 818 footage at Watkins Glenn next month. 818 gets the Stig equivalent in john George. I'll be Richard Hammond or maybe I can be Tanner Foust.

Hardly fair as John G is a national champion and I my first race was last month and I have never driven the Glenn but we will see which car is faster :)


John

[Kalstar]

That is what happens when you go on the boost.LOL. When does Joe get to drive it? LOL.

Joe is next week. He was awesome enough to let me take it first.

[metalmaker12]

They are just so different. Apples to cherries. The turbo on the 818 reminds me of a power band on a 2 stroke dirtbike. The GTM feels like a Hayabusa. GTM = charging hard all the time, 818 = peaks and valleys of power. I feel the 818 is far better suited for the novice driver just learning how to drive a quick car fast. The GTM is the move up car. If purely for the street, 818 is a ball and more fun to "throw around". Though with the removeble body panels of the 818 it would be an outstanding low cost track demon. I have put 350 miles on the 818 in the past few days and the grin is so big my ears might fall in.

Who said we can't put a "Ford" V8 on an 818 lol. There very different and the GTM is no doubt the super car, but super cars are beaten up on by race cars everyday. Love you jim!! So when am I going for a ride in that orange machine. Got my motor out and bodies pretty much all painted, so maybe in a couple months I might have it back up, but this spring is going to be fun times. If I had the time and pockets I would love to build a track 818 to compete with all you racers, cause I believe the 818 will be FFR fastest track car by a good margin.

[fact5racer]

I am picking up my 818R inthe morning. Here is how I look at it: My GTM-X is my super car, my 818R will be my disposable 20K safe race car. I can afford to crash the 818R, I can't risk my GTM-X. Plus without a full cage, and my head kissing the roof without a helmet, I feel it's too dangerous to run crazy fast in the GTM anyways.

[Kalstar]

Who said we can't put a "Ford" V8 on an 818 lol. There very different and the GTM is no doubt the super car, but super cars are beaten up on by race cars everyday. Love you jim!! So when am I going for a ride in that orange machine. Got my motor out and bodies pretty much all painted, so maybe in a couple months I might have it back up, but this spring is going to be fun times. If I had the time and pockets I would love to build a track 818 to compete with all you racers, cause I believe the 818 will be FFR fastest track car by a good margin.


Come down the the Cape. I'll give you a ride in a "slow" GTM. Just bring a new pair of pants.

I can only imagine what a car like John's can do. Race prepped and like 700+ hp. Gary's supercharged beast would be quite a ride too.

I think after a ride in my baby GTM you might rethink the meaning of life.

[metalmaker12]

Come down the the Cape. I'll give you a ride in a "slow" GTM. Just bring a new pair of pants.

I can only imagine what a car like John's can do. Race prepped and like 700+ hp. Gary's supercharged beast would be quite a ride too.

I think after a ride in my baby GTM you might rethink the meaning of life.

I will bring a couple changes, that thing is mean

[Blitzkrieg]

Who said we can't put a "Ford" V8 on an 818 lol. There very different and the GTM is no doubt the super car, but super cars are beaten up on by race cars everyday. Love you jim!! So when am I going for a ride in that orange machine. Got my motor out and bodies pretty much all painted, so maybe in a couple months I might have it back up, but this spring is going to be fun times. If I had the time and pockets I would love to build a track 818 to compete with all you racers, cause I believe the 818 will be FFR fastest track car by a good margin. I bet you could fit a hayabusa v8 in an 818. 500hp max rev at 10,500rpm 195lb. The engine would be around $40,000 but thats about the same as a gtm when your all and done.

[Jaime]

You can get 500HP easy from a Hayabusa engine in it's normal 4-cylinder configuration. Four grand for a used bike and about eight grand for a 500HP capable turbo system (NLR, Velocity, Mr. Turbo, whatever). It would also take the car down to about 1500 pounds and solve all of the transmission problems. You'd get a sequential transmission that can easily be flat foot shifted and is good for well over 500 horsepower.

700HP GTM = 3.5 pounds per HP, Turbo Hayabusa powered 818 = 3 pounds per HP.

Here's someone that did it with a Mini --> http://www.gtspirit.com/2012/11/14/for-sale-480hp-mini-hayabusa-turbo-spaceframe/

[tango68ss]

32049

BL: this car is fabulous! Tom is definitely an excellent builder! I cannot wait to see his Coupe! Enjoy the ride Jim!

-TC