Nice blog BTW. I really liked your point about the M3. It's bascially too fast for good fun on public roads and it's not even one of these 450 HP beasts.
I recall a funny quote from a Chicago ad guy in one of those "What do you drive and Why?" stories.
he drove an Alfa spider because when you're going 50 it feels like 100 and that's way more useful than a car that goes 100 and makes it feel like 50 mph.

I've got a 325iT with a manual and sports package which is plenty fast, more chassis than engine and a perfect thing in which to haul around kids and bags of mulch.

That said, I'm wondering about the big money in racing thing.
Obviously some of the top drivers of Vic's day also made a lot of money--Andretti, Stewart, Foyt, Petty.
But what would a contemporary " Vic Elford," a solid versatile driver with a couple of big endurance wins, a guy like like Scott Pruett or Elliott Forbes-Robinson make?
I knew someone who knew someone who knew Forbes-Robinson, and I got the impression he was making a comfortable living but was hardly rich.
(i.e. he was making the kind of money that a minor league baseball player makes, low six figures or a little less, but not a multi million ultility infielder.)
I could, of course, be wrong, and I kind of hope that I am, because there's not only skill but risk involved in motorsports.

best
Allen