My sixth annual journey to Florida for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race is coming to an end, and as with anything automobile related, there is a CarMax link. Hang in there with me. My original plan was to drive my ’71 Fiat convertible here from Virginia, but some minor electrical gremlins and possible bad weather prompted the prudent switch to the Mercedes S600. I still took a few days to meander the back roads here in splendid comfort. Tomorrow we load up on the auto train for the 900 mile overnight trip home.
I won’t bore you with too much on the race details. Lots of web sites will tell you how it went. If you’re new to endurance racing though, it’s five categories of cars racing simultaneously at Daytona; three classes of prototypes and two classes of race-prepped sports cars. Usually four drivers taking turns at the wheel per car, although a few teams had only three drivers. Here’s the winners for three of the categories, and their (sorta) CarMax equivalents. (The other two prototype categories have no road car lineage as far as I can tell.)
Yes, for the first time, an Acura prototype (not an NSX) was the overall winner at Daytona, completing over 800 laps. Fascinating, and frustrating, that after 23-plus hours the Cadillac prototype was hot on its tail looking for a way to pass. Cadillacs have taken the last four overall wins here. But seven minutes – SEVEN MINUTES – before the finish the Cadillac had a tire puncture and pitted. Acura earned the win.
And this is the best I can do to find the CarMax unicorn that might be fun to drive. It’s a stretch. A good 305 hp 3.7 liter six cylinder, AWD, and a six speed manual transmission. Not a rocket at a six second 0-60 mph sprint, but no slouch. This was the last year for the TL, and especially a manual transmission one. The car was a good $44,000 new, and can be had for less than $20k here in Parker, Colorado.
In the for what it’s worth category, the 24 Hours of Rolex is ridiculously fan friendly, even during a pandemic. I splurged on the BMW Champion’s Club, with infield roof top views from the start finish line, an open bar, great food, and lots of TV’s for replays. The Club was horribly run and a bad deal this year compared to last. The infield has more than a few vantage points and bleachers for watching racing close up through the infield turns.
The grandstands, though, offer spectacular views of the tri-oval, Turns 1-5, and the high banks. And so few people attend the race you can sit anywhere you want. I tend to spend much time up here. But back to the cars.
The Corvette C8R won the GTLM class, completing 770 laps. Second place went to another C8R just 3.5 seconds back. First win here for the Corvettes since 2016 when they also placed 1-2. Last year the C8R debuted at Daytona and struggled a bit, but went on to win the championship for the 2020 season. If you weren’t sure about Corvette making the switch to mid-engine, be a believer now.
Earlier today when I was pondering this blog post there were a handful of 2020 Corvettes for sale by CarMax. Tonight there are none. I wrote about this first 2020 Corvette on CarMax’s lot last August. I have since seen the street version live. Beautiful car. Allegedly the list price on 2020 models started at $59,000, and pretty clear nobody ordered base models. The used ones on CarMax, albeit with very low miles, are selling in the mid to high $80,000 range. This first one was offered up at $95,000!
Back to the race cars. In the “lowest” class of all, the GTD (GT Daytona) winner was this Mercedes AMG GT S. It completed 745 laps and was just 16 seconds ahead of the second place car – another AMG GT S. They were dominant as hell on Sunday. And lucky for you, there’s one available right now at CarMax!
This Mercedes has been on and off the net and recently dropped $1,000 to $82,998. Once a $130-150,000 car it seems like a bargain. Entry level exotic. Over 500 hp and a mid-three second 0-60. Stunning to the eye. I have been tempted. Sat in one, though, and was way more cramped than in my 911. The gigantic center console has something to do with that. But I so love this car, currently for sale here in Covington, Louisiana.
