Description:

Ma7da Race Car – £9,975

The Story
This car has history. Built in 1999 for the original Locost series, it was already a winner when I bought it in 2006. I started at the back—like most of us do—and worked my way forward. By 2008, the car had been stripped to bare metal and completely rebuilt: chassis, engine, the lot. Wins and podiums followed.

After a break from racing, I came back and finished 7th in my first race. But I'd outgrown the Locost formula. The tyres were rubbish, the engines were expensive to rebuild, and I wanted something more.

So when the Ma7da series was being set up, I was involved from the start—and committed to building one of the first cars for the initial launch.

The results came: podiums, wins, and notably a podium at Cadwell Park (often called the Nürburgring of the UK—a proper driver's track).

In 2020, Scott Mansell from Driver 61 raced the car at Snetterton and won by 14 seconds on the road. We were disqualified for being a kilo underweight—he'd used more fuel than we'd planned—but it showed what this car could do.

What Scott also said was that it was tricky to drive. The standard dampers and setup were OK, but nothing special.

So I set about fixing that.

The Development Work
I modelled and redeveloped the suspension from scratch. The setup with the Quantum single-adjustable dampers is the result—high-end units with a tune that's been 4-post rig simulation-optimised and then validated on track.

The difference was immediate. The car became more compliant, easier to drive, and faster in the hands of a non-professional (me!) 

It got me back to the front even as the championship became more competitive—including putting it on the front row at Silverstone 2022.

The Garmin Catalyst was another game-changer. Huge display showing lap delta in real-time, plus instant video replay on the unit itself. I've fully integrated it into the dash. Between sessions, you're analysing laps—not guessing.

I also upgraded to the Race Technology DL1 data logger with DASH4 PRO digital display, plus steering angle, brake pressure, and suspension potentiometers. Everything's wired in with a bespoke loom and upgraded logging rate.

This car has had more development time than most people ever put in. And I'm happy to share all of it.

What's Included
All of this kit comes with the car:

• Quantum single-adjustable dampers (£2,300 new) – SIM-optimised and race-validated tune
• Garmin Catalyst (£1,000 new) – integrated into dash with onboard camera feed
• Race Technology DL1 logger with DASH4 PRO (£2,000 new) – steering, brake, and suspension sensors with bespoke loom
• Compomotive CXR motorsport wheels (£500 new) – with old tyres

That's nearly £6,000 of kit included in the price.

What It Needs
The car has been in storage for a while so needs some work to prep to race. The price reflects that - including:

• Exhaust manifold needs changing to new spec
• ECU needs a flash to current spec (the club does this for free)

As a track day car, it's ready to go—and its always the fastest thing out there by a margin.

For racing, budget for some spanner time and you'll have a front-running car with all the setup work already done.

Why I'm Selling
I had to stop racing due to medical reasons. I wasn't sure if I'd get back to it, and unfortunately that's not going to happen. So the car needs a new home.

What I'm Offering With the Sale
I'm very happy to provide initital setup advice and support to whoever buys this car.

I've got experience as a race engineer—and I'm offering to throw that into the mix. I'll share the data sheets, the setup optimisations we've developed over years of testing, and help you get up to speed quickly.

There's a huge amount of work that's gone into understanding what this car needs. That could give you a real head start.

The Bottom Line
This is the best-priced Ma7da available right now.

If you're handy with spanners and want a front-running car with serious development behind it—plus some initial support to get the most from it—this is it.

Useful spares package also available—ask me.

Contact me to arrange a viewing 

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