cougar 2 works team

[Thargor]

hey...im new to the forum... just a couple of questions really i used to race years ago with my dad...
ive got an old cougar 2 works somewhere in my house one of the purple chassis ones...
if you put some new age electronics in it would it be even close to the pace of the cars of today??
are schumacher still no1 for tyres and other little bits like that?
do you still think i could get spares for it?
or would it be worth getting a new chassis if i were going to race one...?

thanks

[Fast Eddie]

This is a very opinionated subject. I believe that for club racing it is down to the driver and an old car (like my mardave cobra) can win with old school electrics.
You would never be competative in any high standard comp without the latest gear including batteries.
Tyres are still schumacher and yes spares are available but not as readilly as new cars so just stock up a bit better.
You could get that car close to todays speed but if thats what you want then go the extra mile and try to be infront but it will cost........

[Thargor]

yeah i was expecting a few different ideas...:thumbsup:

and yes i fully agree with this type of racing its hugely dependant on the driver over anything else.
i think the main thing would be the parts for the bulkheads, wishbones, gearing and shock rebuild bits... without these it would not be worth it...
i just wondered if the cars now were hugely different from the cars in the late 90's.. when you see some of the videos of the recent races you think cripes there going fast...
what are the quick battery / motor / speedo's these days???

[bigred5765]

lipos are the way to go they can be chargered and reused all day long without discharging or waiting for it to cool so one or two max, motor wise a good choice 7.5 brushless 2wd 6.5 4wd speed passion seems to be the most popular at the moment,

[Thargor]

yeah if i started racing again it would have to be 2wd....

[DerbyDan]

Unless you find it somewhat of a challenge to run an old car against the current models.... & indeed its possible (at club level at least) to be fairly competitive with an old buggy (I had some decent results with my old RC10 last year :)) ..... I would be inclined to start off with a new car for the simple fact that everything will be fresh, free from wear & spares will be more plentifull.... the rear wishbones on the 'Works' Cougar are unique to that car so finding replacements will be nigh-on impossible.

I would love to see some pictures of your Works Cougar... they are one of my favorite buggies & I own one myself, they are quite desirable so if in decent condition can fetch good money on ebay etc.... certainly enough to get you well on your way to buying a new set-up for racing ;)

[peetbee]

We run a vintage series at our club and the laptimes that the vintage cars are posting aren't far off the modern ones.
Most are running brushless and lipo, just milder motors to try and preserve the gearboxes.

If you have plenty of spares why not try running it before you decide on what modern car you are going to buy.
Longer term I would say you have to buy modern as you will run out of spares or they will become too expensive to buy/take ages to track down.

[terry.sc]

The Cougar will get you going, although being 20 years old the cars are a bit more refined these days so you will be looking at replacing it with a modern car eventually. If you have something such as the Cougar that can get you running then run that, no point jumping in and buying a new car just yet when a few weeks of running the Cougar while you get up to speed and see what else is running so you can make a considered decision on which car you want to buy or see what's available from other club drivers.
Any modern electrics you buy will be able to be used in the Cougar so it won't actually cost you any more to run the Cougar first.

[BORMAC]

The Cougar2 Works was and still is a very capable buggy. Just how capable can really be down to the driver, set up and technology you may or may not have on hand.

The Cougar2 was the final revision of what began as Schumacher's first 2WD alloy pan 'TOPCAT'. Little from that car remained in the end as there was a lot of R&D that got it to where it ended up as the purple car you have in front of you.

Is it as capable as the modern day stuff? Possibly not.
Is it a heck of a cool car to turn up to any track with? Hell yeah!!!!

The Cougar2 is my favourite 2WD of all time and for lots of reasons but most will say I am a little partial to Schumacher as it is - LOL!

I have run an assortment of Schumacher's alloy pan 2WD cars at various vintage race meeting over the past 5 odd years here in Australia and my cars have gotten me over the line every single time with little issues. The car is fast, light and nimble enough to mix it with the best from back in the day and it the right hands they can still be proven to be the racer they were back then.

What ever you decide, give it a shot. Dont be dissheartened if it doesnt wipe out the competition at your club but remember to enjoy the fact you'll give this old girl a new lease on life.

Cheers- Jason M.

[Thargor]

ha cheers BORMAC

yeah i went to the local club the other night... the cars look fast but they dont look miles faster than the top guys from years ago... a bit faster but not much

the biggest problem would be wishbones and bulkheads... they were a nightmare on the old cougars...

[Thargor]

for breaking i mean... i ended up bolting a cat 2000 bumper on the front of the car to save the bulk head and wishbones.... its ugly as hell but it works.
i now know where the car is.. i just cant get to it :)
going to be away for a fewdays but ill get some pics up as soon as i drag it out...