GTU-S - is it even possible to find one of these anymore?
 

I've been searching around for several months for a GTU-S. Here, eBay, autotrader, etc... nothing that isn't just a beat up shell.

Don't suppose any of you guys know of a car?

I'm an old-timer who sold my 87 RX-7 turbo back in 2000 (regrettably) but I was pretty active on the teamFC3S forums and the mailing lists back in the day. Looking to get back into a second gen and it has to be a GTU-S this time around.

Thanks for any help.

John V

why so bent on a GTU-S?

His username offers the first clue. :)

Yes, I want to buy the car for competition, but I wouldn't be cutting it up to do so. It would remain mostly stock. The car is special because of the diff and the "added lightness" that the factory provided.

If anyone has leads on a decent car please don't hesitate to contact me. Obviously east coast is best but I'm not against traveling if the car is right.

vitamvauser (at) hotmail (dot) com

Well I'm glad to see another member wanting to AutoX his GTUs, well that is if you get one. There was one that was sold from here just last week i believe. Good luck with your search.

We have a very strong region for STS, so it would be great to build up a car for the class and see if it can be competitive. The car obviously has the potential to be very good, it makes a lot more power than the rest of the cars in the class. The big downside is that it's a relative fat pig compared to the current class leaders and it's limited to the same narrow tires as the light cars.

Would make a fun daily driver to complement my Z06, though :)

Hopefully it's the 505HP Z06. A little shy of the ZR1 numbers, but still an outstanding vehicle.

Here's what you get when people don't know how to handle the power:
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/corvet...0923_001.shtml
This just one example, many on the site.

Well, there is one less available now because SOMEONE decided to un-GTUs it with a Turbo swap.:rolleyes::icon_no2::lol:

The car can be competitive with some good driving skill. I don't have my skill completely fine tuned but my car is still pretty competitive with the basic upgrades. I do agree with you that these cars are pigs compared to others in our class like the Miata. The Miata's are kicking ass in my STS. THese cars seem to do pretty well on the 225's as that is the maximum tread width for the class.

nice to see you getting back into RX-7s :icon_tup:

I'm in Columbia too, so if you need any help with anything, let me know. There are a few GTUses around, you just have to be patient, it is a pretty rare car.

I have a friend who autocrosses one and beats me in my Turbo all the time :( (he does have r-comps though...) it's a fast fun car, and definitely easier to drive than my turbo lol

If you ever see a primer Turbo at an auto-x come over and say hi. I've never been to a WDCR auto-x but I'll be at the autocrossers inc. auto-x this weekend.

I just sold a 90 black on black GTUs...

JunpoweR has 3 of them, lol!

Very cool. I am a member of AI, so I'll be at the event working tech this weekend. Driving a red '04 C5 Z06. Not the 505hp version, but plenty fast for parking lot racing. :)

I had my '87 turbo from 1993-2000 and that car taught me a lot. In fact, when I purchased and rebuilt an '89 shortblock for that car, I sold my original motor to Brian Cain who I believe still used it up until recently! I always wondered what the buyer of my '87 did with it - I know he blew the engine shortly after buying it from me.

Hopefully another GTUs will come up for sale before too long so I can pick up something to play with.

I have a GTUs

Limiting yourself to only a GTUs seems kind of silly. If you're that much into Solo, why wouldn't you go with the lighter (and cheaper) S4 GTU or even the Sport model and throw in a 4.3 limited if the gearing is such a big deal. Sure it's the lightest of the S5's but that's about all it has going for it. Mazda should've turbo'd them and then maybe they'd be worth their collector status.

Pretty much what I was thinking, if you can't find the GTUs soon enough.

I suspect he doesn't want to do any swaps because that might get him bumped into a different modified or prepared class.

Swapping the diff with the 4.3 gearing/limited slip wouldn't change the class.

As far as I can tell, the GTUs is the only way you can get a factory-built second gen with the aluminum hood, no sunroof, with the S5 NA motor, the 4:30 gears and the viscous diff.

If there is a way to get all of that, stock, in a car that ISN'T a GTUs then I'm all ears.

Alluminum hood's were pretty random. There's quite a few N/A's that had them, my '86 Base had one, as did my '87 Sport, and a few vert's i've owned. Sunroof isn't on the '87 sport or '88 GTU. The S5 N/a motor isn't really worth much for points as with even just a few basic bolt on's the intake design brings them both damn near equal (Though everytime I've compared the S4's do better). The '88 GTU had a clutch limited slip. The 4.3 gearing really never made much a difference in any aspect when compared to any of the other cars I've had. Swapping the diff isn't all that hard either since you'd likely be pulling it out anyway to change bushings/mount at some point anyway. They're nice if you can find them, but as for performance they're dramatically over rated. Ultimate N/A has got to be either the Sport or the GTU (s4). The sport gets kudos because of the aero package that actually is functional. This is of course assuming you don't care for how the car looks, the S4's are pretty fugly... Probably one of the reasons I ditched my GTU for the GTUs... :D

The class that I'm building the car for does not allow clutch type limited slip differentials. If it has an LSD, it has to be viscous. And given that the class I'm building for requires street tires, I have very little interest in running a car with no LSD. The '88 GTU is not legal for the class.

The 4.30 gears help a little bit - and every little bit helps.

The S5 motor makes more torque than the S4 motor across the rev range. I'm not particularly concerned with peak power, but the extra torque will be a big help. Given that I'm relatively limited in terms of what bolt-ons I can do, again, every little bit helps. I would likely be running Megasquirt on the car.

The aero package doesn't do anything for me - the car will never be driven on a track.

I can't swap the viscous diff into an S4 because they were never factory equipped with them.

Yes, the rules may be stupid, but they are the rules. Hope this clears it up.

Is this under SCCA Solo II STS rules?

Yes.

Unless they've removed the rule, you used to be able to swap parts that were standard on another model year so long as it met all other rules and the other model was of the same classification. I can't really find anything in the 2009 rules that says you can or can't yet, but I'm still digging, it used to be right under authorized modifications.

Unless they've removed the rule, you used to be able to swap parts that were standard on another model year so long as it met all other rules and the other model was of the same classification. I can't really find anything in the 2009 rules that says you can or can't yet, but I'm still digging, it used to be right under authorized modifications. Since it's factory standard on the GTUs, and they make no S4/S5 distinction, we used to do this often on other cars.

Street touring does not allow update / backdate. It did many years ago, but that was prior to STS2 (now STS).

That rule is only allowed in Street Prepared, Prepared, Modified and Street Modified.